Welcome to the Dreamhouse

“Dreamhouse is a provocative look behind the apple pie and hum of lawnmowers.” - Leon Freeman , Genre

“[A] valuable contribution to the study of media and American culture.”

- Judy Solberg , American Studies International

“[An] excellent new book . . . . [H]ighly recommended to all students of media studies, cultural studies, and modern history.” - Adam Dodd, M/C Reviews

“[E]ngaging, witty, and extraordinarily well-observed critical essays. . . . Spigel’s wide-ranging interest and instinct for quirky but salient facts make for an intellectually rich and enjoyable read. . . . [She] never sacrifices nuance or ignores the pleasure people derive from popular culture. Smart, often surprising, Spigel’s essays are an important addition to feminist and cultural critiques of media culture.” - Publishers Weekly

“Spigel changes the terms of television criticism in a collection of essays that range from the surprising to the sublime.” - James Highfill , Foreword Reviews

“Spigel develops her argument with clarity, confidence, and a compassionate understanding of the human condition. Highly recommended . . . .” - M. R. Grant , Choice

"[A]n eclectic assortment of essays. . . . [A] significant contribution to media studies, [the book] is singularly spectacular in its feminist attempt to recuperate the private sphere by recovering the marginalized voices historically lost in the 'race' to the suburbs. . . . Remarkable for the integration of race, gender, and class into the analysis. . . ." - Isabel Molina Guzman, Journal of Communication

"[Spigel's] rich sensibility for the subtle inflections of popular culture treats the reader to many provocative meanings that typically elude more traditional scholars in media, contemporary history, and the sociology of culture." - Sam Binkley , Contemporary Sociology

"Spigel bases each study on an impressively wide and interesting set of sources, which include archival research in ‘women’s magazines, advertisements, television shows, films, [and] books’ as well as ‘participant observation and interviews’. . . . [Welcome to the Dreamhouse] yield[s] thought-provoking questions and observations as well as wonderfully enlivened historical portraits of the postwar period. . . . [E]xcellent. . . . I found myself learning things from Spigel’s book at every turn." - Susan Edmunds , American Literary History

"Spigel blends her academic work with her personal consumption habits. While other cultural critics do this, few combine the two as well. . . . The book is suitable for classes that delve into visual media and popular culture. . . . The essays are meticulously documented and are based on extensive reading of relevant sources and textual analysis. I found the endnotes valuable in terms of explaining terms or concepts that needed further exploration." - Patricia L. Dooley, Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly

"The complex and unusual linkages made in this collection expertly manage to work gender into the analysis in profound ways, going far beyond a simple 'images of women' or 'gendered genre' approach. Spigel's essays show the profound ways in which gendered meanings infiltrate a very disparate set of postwar media texts." - Lisa M. Cuklanz , NWSA Journal

"The introductory essay alone is a historiographical tour-de-force. . . . [A]n important collection for anyone interested in television, post-World War II American cultural history, or cultural geography. Its accessible language and historical scope make it ideal for classroom use. . . . [C]ompelling." - Erin A. Smith , American Quarterly

“Lynn Spigel’s Welcome to the Dreamhouse is quite simply superb. It is original, impeccably researched, dazzlingly intelligent, and prickling with humor.” - Julie D’Acci, author of Defining Women: Television and the Case of Cagney and Lacey

“Spigel possesses one of the few indispensable voices in American cultural studies. She sees the complexity of popular culture where others have tended to see formula and repetition. This is a perfect anthology, one that reflects the intellectual growth of an important thinker and at the same time represents a coherent argument about an important topic.” - Henry Jenkins, author of From Barbie to Mortal Combat