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CHOICE Review

The role television advertising plays in election campaigns is a topic of growing importance and concern in American society. West provides readers a succinct tour through a mass of existing, and at times contradictory and confusing, research on the topic. In addition, he tabulates in places his own blend of data collected from previous studies by other scholars. The book is spiced liberally with tables and figures which generally aid comprehension for novice readers. West asks two important and fundamental questions: how much influence do campaign ads have on viewers, and are these ads good for the political system? He answers the questions by examining the context of campaigns. Chapters focus on such noteworthy topics as the strategic use of commercials, agenda setting, and media coverage of advertisements. This useful approach is one of the two main strengths of the book. The other noteworthy asset is the author's obvious skill at sifting through more than four decades of research and assessing, synthesizing, and explaining clearly what has happened. West then does the heavy lifting for readers who may be stimulated to read further. Recommended for general readers and undergraduate students. R. E. Dewhirst; Northwest Missouri State University