A reported story about how the early reality TV business metastasized into an industry that now dominates entertainment in the United States. Starting in 1948, Nussbaum pulls back the curtain on the cultural meat grinder that created a generation-defining form of entertainment, examining shows from The Real World to Survivor to The Apprentice.
Passionate, exquisitely told ... With muscular prose and an exacting eye for detail, Nussbaum... outlines how such shows united high and low art into a potent concoction ... Nussbaum walks that line deftly, crafting a book that may be best at reaching those who love reality TV and could be turned off by a more relentlessly critical tome.
Show me a history of reality TV and, honestly, sorry, I don’t much care. But show me a history of reality TV written by Emily Nussbaum...and I am now very interested ... Does not disappoint. This is a smart, thorough, often skeptical history of the genre. It is also witty and extremely entertaining.
Quick-witted, brilliantly written ... Nussbaum offers a treasure trove of anecdotes that seizes our attention like an action sequence, while asking incisive questions about a world increasingly scripted for consumption ... Nussbaum's deft reportage serves her well. She flavors cultural commentary with puns and slang.
