Chaplin and American Culture: The Evolution of a Star Image

Maland offers a very interesting and well-researched perspective in this ambitious project. He does not give us a strait-forward biography but rather shows how profoundly Chaplin affected American Culture and vice-versa. In framing his analysis, Maland references movie reviews, the press, promotional materials released by the studios, and (most informatively) Chaplin's movies. I recommend this book not only to those interested in Charlie Chaplin, but also to those wanting to learn more about the culture of fear and propaganda that prevailed before and after World War II.