Orson Welles s greatest breakthrough into the popular consciousness occurred in 1938, three years before "Citizen Kane," when his "War of the Worlds" radio broadcast succeeded so spectacularly that terrified listeners believed they were hearing a genuine report of an alien invasion a landmark in the history of radio s powerful relationship with its audience. In "Radio s America," Bruce Lenthall documents the enormous impact radio had on the lives of Depression-era Americans and charts the formative years of our modern mass culture.
Many Americans became alienated from their government...