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katiesendlesstbr's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting book on how reality TV both reflects and can sometimes transcend society's strict structure and rules, mostly using examples from reality TV to explain sociological concepts. I would recommend this to people new to sociology, but people that already have at least some understanding may find it repetitive and unenlightening. I myself am in the latter camp, so it was pretty straight forward and okay for me, though I did find the chapter on Class thought-provoking.
And as a personal note that does not affect my rating - I wanted more discussion of Drag Race.
And as a personal note that does not affect my rating - I wanted more discussion of Drag Race.
samdavfish's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
good look into how reality tv intersects with every day / gender / race / class / sexuality and what that says about American culture. basically that it’s a mirror (even it’s a clown mirror that distorts the picture a little bit) and we see reflect who we are
cdeck's review against another edition
2.0
Super disappointing. As someone who watches some reality tv (especially Survivor) with an interest on how it reflects society and culture, this fell super flat. It read more like a Marxism 101 textbook with individual reality tv tropes dropped in as examples, rather than a real look at how reality tv has changed over time and reflects the culture. No discussion on international shows or their differences. Just felt very much alike a series of pre-planned lectures with an extreme bias and some pithy cultural references to try to frame it all.
bootman's review against another edition
5.0
If you’re into reality TV and/or sociology, you definitely need to read this book. I found out about this book while my girlfriend and I were watching the docuseries on the Duggars because the author was interviewed for it. As someone who’s interested in human behavior and watches a ton of reality TV, I always have questions about why we watch and what it means. Fortunately, Danielle Lindemann answers it all and so much more in this book.
This book does such an incredible job discussing what’s going on in the real world and how it’s reflected in reality TV, but she also discusses how reality TV reinforces certain ideas and norms. I think some of the most interesting parts were about how we watch certain reality shows just to feel better about ourselves or see higher-status people taken down a notch.
Lindemann doesn’t dive into all of the debate around how much is scripted and how much is real, which I wasn’t sure about at first, but I think it was a good call. This book absolutely captured my attention from start to finish, and I can’t recommend it enough. It discusses gender roles, sexuality, norms around attractiveness and a ton more.
This book does such an incredible job discussing what’s going on in the real world and how it’s reflected in reality TV, but she also discusses how reality TV reinforces certain ideas and norms. I think some of the most interesting parts were about how we watch certain reality shows just to feel better about ourselves or see higher-status people taken down a notch.
Lindemann doesn’t dive into all of the debate around how much is scripted and how much is real, which I wasn’t sure about at first, but I think it was a good call. This book absolutely captured my attention from start to finish, and I can’t recommend it enough. It discusses gender roles, sexuality, norms around attractiveness and a ton more.
yuzutart's review
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
I don't think there was anything particularly groundbreaking that was said in True Story: What Reality TV Says About Us. However, it did offer 1) a bit of a cringey (but fun!) trip down memory lane, and 2) some insights into the backgrounds of famous shows and networks. I found the writing enjoyable and wish it could have gone just a little bit deeper. I feel like what was said barely scratched the surface and would love to see more!