Description: "With her book, Dannielle Blumenthal does for daytime soap operas what Janice Radway did for romance novels. Blumenthal takes a genre that traditionally has been undervalued by society, as well as communication researchers, and shows how soap opera viewing is an empowering activity for women. A strength of Blumenthal's work is the range of methods she applies to the study of daytime soap operas--content analysis, surveys of soap opera viewers, and analysis of open-ended comments from the viewers themselves. Blumenthal's analysis resolves some of the contradictions inherent in understanding the appeal of soap operas--how a genre that simplifies and trivializes some of women's concerns can empower women and be a feminist activity." - Elizabeth M. Perse Associate Professor, Department of Communication University of Delaware

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