Killing Monsters
Killing Monsters by Gerald Jones, published by Basic Books on April 3, 2002, is a thought-provoking exploration of children’s interactions with popular culture. This first edition, comprising 272 pages, delves into how children select their heroes and engage with various forms of entertainment, including violent and seemingly trivial media. Jones argues that these experiences are not merely distractions but serve essential developmental purposes, helping children navigate their emotions and build resilience against the influences of the pop-culture industry.
In this book, readers will find a blend of research, true stories, and insights drawn from Jones’s workshops with children, psychologists, and educators. He discusses the significance of validating children’s fantasies and the role of media in shaping their identities. Topics such as mass media’s impact on children and the relationship between violence in entertainment and emotional development are central to the narrative. Killing Monsters offers a fresh perspective on the complexities of children’s media consumption and encourages parents, educators, and policymakers to reconsider their views on the benefits of engaging with explosive material in a supportive environment.
Official synopsis Publisher
Children choose their heroes more carefully than we think. From Pokémon to the rapper Eminem, pop-culture icons are not simply commercial pied pipers who practice mass hypnosis on our youth. Indeed, argues the author of this lively and persuasive paean to the power of popular culture, even violent and trashy entertainment gives children something they need, something that can help both boys and girls develop in a healthy way. Drawing on a wealth of true stories, many gleaned from the fascinating workshops he conducts, and basing his claims on extensive research, including interviews with psychologists and educators, Gerard Jones explains why validating our children’s fantasies teaches them to trust their own emotions, helps them build stronger selves, leaves them less at the mercy of the pop-culture industry, and strengthens parent-child bonds. Jones has explored the cultural meanings of comic books and sitcoms in two well-received books: the Eisner Award winning Men of Tomorrow: Geeks, Gangsters and the Birth of the Comic Book and Honey I’m Home: Sitcoms Selling the American Dream. He has also been a regular writer for Marvel and DC Comics and worked for the Cartoon Network. In Killing Monsters he presents a fresh look at children’s fantasies, the entertainment industry, and violence in the modern imagination. This reassuring book, as entertaining as it is provocative, offers all of us-parents, teachers, policymakers, media critics-new ways to understand the challenges and rewards of explosive material. News from Killing Monsters:· Packing a toy gun can be good for your son-or daughter. Contrary to popular opinion, research shows that make-believe violence actually helps kids cope with fears. ·Explosive entertainment should be a family affair. Scary TV shows can have a bad effect when children have no chance to discuss them openly with adults.· It’s crucial to trust kids’ desires. What excites them is usually a sign of what they need emotionally.· Violent fantasy is one of the best ways for kids to deal with the violence they see in real life.
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