PositiveThe Washington PostLindemann argues quite convincingly that despite people’s knee-jerk mockery of reality TV or reflexive embarrassment at being \'caught\' as a viewer, studying the genre gives us a better understanding of our world and ourselves ... Lindemann’s academic expertise, as well as her enormous amount of research (including many hours of watching reality shows, of which she is a fan), gives readers a more thorough understanding of what this genre exposes about society ... Lindemann peppers the book with such outrageousness, keeping it from feeling too much like a textbook ... At times, the tone almost feels defensive as she reiterates, over and over, the lessons of the genre — which makes sense coming from someone who teaches a class about a subject that causes many to scoff. Fans of reality TV can relate. And now, when confronted with such snobbery, they can say that if the person likes reading so much, they have the perfect book to recommend.
