This week, I only finished one book, but it was a phenomenal book. The book is by a sociologist who discusses our relationship to reality television and what it says about us and our society. Enjoy!
Each of the links to the books are affiliate links, so if you use my link to purchase any of these books, some comes back to support what I do (and it also helps fund my reading habit).
True Story: What Reality TV Says About Us by Danielle J. Lindemann
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.
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Every now and then, you come across a book that just turns the pages all by itself. This sure sounds like one of those!