{"product_id":"true-story-what-reality-tv-says-about-us-9781250862945","title":"True Story: What Reality TV Says about Us","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eNamed a Best Nonfiction Book of 2022 by \u003ci\u003eEsquire\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA sociological study of reality TV that explores its rise as a culture-dominating medium--and what the genre reveals about our attitudes toward race, gender, class, and sexuality.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWhat do we see when we watch reality television? \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eTrue Story: What Reality TV Says About Us\u003c\/i\u003e, the sociologist and TV lover Danielle J. Lindemann takes a long, hard look in the \"funhouse mirror\" of this genre, from countless rose ceremonies on \u003ci\u003eThe Bachelor\u003c\/i\u003e to the White House and more (so much more!). Beginning with the first episodes of \u003ci\u003eThe Real World\u003c\/i\u003e, reality TV has not only remade our entertainment and cultural landscape--it also uniquely refracts our everyday experiences and social topography. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBy taking reality TV seriously, we can better understand key institutions (such as families, schools, and prisons) and broad social categories (such as gender, race, class, and sexuality). These shows have the ability to unveil the major circuits of power that organize our lives and the extent to which our own realities are, in fact, socially constructed. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWhether we're watching conniving \u003ci\u003eSurvivor\u003c\/i\u003e contestants or three-year-old beauty queens, these \"guilty pleasures\" underscore how conservative our society remains, and how steadfastly we cling to our notions about what counts as legitimate or \"real.\" At once an entertaining chronicle of reality TV obsession and a pioneering work of sociology, \u003ci\u003eTrue Story\u003c\/i\u003e reflects our society back to us: what we see in the looking glass may not always be pretty, but we can't stop watching.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eDanielle J. Lindemann\u003c\/b\u003e is an associate professor of sociology at Lehigh University who studies gender, sexuality, the family, and culture. She is the author of \u003ci\u003eCommuter Spouses: New Families in a Changing World\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eDominatrix: Gender, Eroticism, and Control in the Dungeon\u003c\/i\u003e. Her research has been featured in media outlets such as \u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Wall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Economist\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Atlantic\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Washington Post\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eRolling Stone\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eBillboard\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eThe Chronicle of Higher Education\u003c\/i\u003e. She has spoken about her work on National Public Radio and has written op-eds for CNN.com, \u003ci\u003eNewsweek\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eSalon\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eFortune\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eQuartz\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Picador USA","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50705943003410,"sku":"9781250862945","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_58b8ba9d-967c-4ff1-aeb9-3781a88eab14.jpg?v=1737264455","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/true-story-what-reality-tv-says-about-us-9781250862945","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}