Book excerpt: Critiquing the mass media, and the role those media play in our lives, requires a critical eye. Media in Society gives students in upper level media courses a unique narrative-based approach to media criticism, exploring the stories media tell—as well as the stories we tell about the media when we describe how it affects us. Organized thematically, Media in Society examines topics like narrative genre, entertainment culture, news, politics, and economics, emphasizing both the pleasures and pitfalls of the media narratives that surround us. Written by an esteemed team of media scholars, specifically for media students, this compact and affordable text makes a great backbone or addition to a media and society course.