Each book in the series contains a comprehensive index to help readers quickly locate material of interest. Perhaps most importantly, each volume has an annotated bibliography to aid interested students in conducting further research on the topic. In today's culture, what is "popular" changes rapidly from year to year and even month to month. Those who study popular culture must constantly struggle to keep up. The volumes in Greenhaven's Examining Pop Culture series are intended to introduce readers to the major themes and issues associated with each topic, so they can begin examining for themselves what impact popular culture has on their own lives.

Fascination with war is certainly not unique to America or Americans. "Stories of men in combat have captivated audiences since the days of Homer," notes film critic Lenny Rubenstein. War has often been associated with adventure and heroism; combat has been viewed as a...