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Reality Matters: 19 Writers Come Clean About the Shows We Can't Stop Watching Paperback – April 13, 2010

by Anna David (Author)

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Top Chef. America’s Next Top Model. Survivor. Dancing with the Stars. American Idol. Big Brother. The Biggest Loser… Everyone has a guilty reality television pleasure. Curated by Party Girl author Anna David, Reality Matters is a collection of hilarious yet revealing essays from novelists, essayists, and journalists—including Toby Young, Neil Strauss, and Stacey Grenrock Woods, among many others—about the reality television shows they love, obsess over, and cringe at; and why they, and America, can’t stop watching.

Print length

208 pages
Language

English
Publisher

It Books
Publication date

April 13, 2010
Dimensions

5.31 x 0.47 x 8 inches
ISBN-10

006176664X
ISBN-13

978-0061766640
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Durable writing about reality television, is such a thing possible?...[Reality Matters] may answer that question. It contains considered essays on “Project Runway,” “Dog Whisperer,” “Survivor,” and “Jersey Shore”....[and] useful analysis of the fakery/reality issues inherent in television that purports to be, though rarely is, entirely true. ” — The New Yorker

“Insightful.” — USA Today, Idol Chatter

“Fun, funny, and surprising.” — Penthouse

“Shockingly amusing and periodically poignant, Reality Matters gives college-educated reality show fans permission to smile about their devotion to America’s guiltiest lowbrow pleasure.” — LAist.com

“If there’s anything more entertaining than experiencing the guilty pleasure of reality TV firsthand, it’s reading a bunch of brilliant people trying to rationalize their obsession with the genre.” — Flavorpill

“A brilliant compilation.” — Starpulse

From the Back Cover

Reality television is the ultimate guilty pleasure -- a nonstop parade of cast members and scenarios that make fictional ones seem downright dull. Increasingly absurd challenges, hair-yanking catfights, and hot tub makeouts dripping with yet-to-be-acknowledged regret are only part of its appeal.

In this collection of wry and moving essays, bestselling authors explore the programs we obsess over, cringe at, and occasionally feel inspired by. From a Real World casting call and American Idol tattoo to a look at the appeal of Big Brother, Survivor, The Real Housewives, and more, a vibrant mix of literary luminaries examine the form of entertainment that’s dominated our TV screens for more than a decade.

Entertaining and insightful, Reality Matters is a must-read for anyone who adores reality TV, wants to know what kind of an impact it’s having on our society, or simply wonders just how real any of it actually is.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ It Books; 1st edition (April 13, 2010)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 208 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 006176664X
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0061766640
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 5.8 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.31 x 0.47 x 8 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #5,038,321 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2,426 in TV Shows
- #7,491 in Pop Culture Art
- #11,321 in General Gender Studies

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Anna David

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Anna David is the New York Times bestselling author of eight books and founder of Legacy Launch Pad Publishing.

An on-air contributor to such shows as Today, Good Morning America, The Talk, Hannity, Dr. Drew, Red Eye, The CBS Morning Show and The Insider, Anna is also the on-air book critic for KATU TV/ABC Portland. She's been featured at three different TEDx events and speaks about overcoming failure, setting goals, leaving a legacy and building authority at events and corporations around the world.

Anna's been written about in Entrepreneur, Forbes, Martha Stewart Whole Living, The Huffington Post, The Daily Beast, Cosmo, The New Yorker, The New York Post, The Globe and Mail, USA Today, The New York Daily News and The Hollywood Reporter, among many other publications, and her articles have appeared in the New York Times, LA Times, Time, The Huffington Post, The Daily Beast, Vice, Cosmo, People, Marie Claire, Redbook, Esquire, Self, Women’s Health, Buzzfeed and Salon, among many others.

Over a decade ago, the New York Post declared that with her first book, Party Girl, she invented the sub-genre “chick lit with a message” and she’s still trying to decide if she should be offended by that or not. Party Girl is now in development as a feature film tentatively scheduled to be shot in 2024.

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Eric D. Weis

A great look at the genre

Reviewed in the United States on June 6, 2010

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Let me begin with the disclaimer that I am not a big watcher of reality shows, though I am married to someone who is. Even if you're like me, however, you will almost certainly find something to like in this collection, which at its core is an attempt at examining every facet of the phenomenon which has, I think it is more than fair to say, completely re-shaped the landscape of television over the last decade-plus. I would not be surprised if this book were to make its way into the syllabi of college courses about modern American culture. I would advise you to read James Frey's foreword, David's intro, and Rex Sorgatz' essay, all of which dig into exactly what people find appealing about the genre.

As with any anthology, there are some essays which are better than others, though this is not to say that there are really any genuinely bad pieces - David has assembled a group of very talented contributors. There are a handful of true standouts: Stacey Grenrock Woods' invective for The Real Housewives (I share her disdain, having overheard quite enough of these people thankyouverymuch) while contrasting the cast's extravagances to her own economic struggles; Jancee Dunn's description of her rapid descent into the world of Project Runway, including a fantasy about becoming BFFs with Tim Gunn; Neil Strauss' amusing fictional pitch of new reality series to Mark Burnett (as out there as some of Strauss' ideas are, I'm sure Burnett has actually heard far weirder by this point); and in two separate essays, Toby Young and David herself relate tales of humiliation borne of attempts at becoming a reality "star", the former via his participation in a little-watched British series, and David via not getting onto The Real World (which makes sense in context). Young's in particular raises an fascinating question as to what is the more humiliating: making an ass of oneself on a reality TV show, or not having anyone care about it (and by extension, you) enough to watch.

Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2010

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You may love it, or you may hate it. But you can't escape it. Reality television is everywhere, and it's here to stay. At the very least, it's not going away any time soon. It's cheap, quick, easy to produce and more scripted and character driven than you might think. It also happens to be extremely popular. But not everyone readily admits to watching it, or how much they're really watching. It is certainly one of our most guilty pleasures, and it can be very, very addictive.

Reality Matters helps make sense of it all through a series of witty and insightful essays from highly intelligent, bestselling authors who should know better, about their own love and obsession for the genre and their favorite reality shows.

Some notable standouts include Stacey Grenrock Woods (Poverty in the Time of The Real Housewives of New York City), Neal Pollack (Billie Jeanne Is Not My Lover), Will Leitch (The Biting Hand), Ben Mandelker (Shelly), Austin Bunn (Gameboy), Anna David (Joining The Real World), Neil Strauss (Dog the Bounty Hunter Hunter), and Wendy Merrill (How to Survive a Bachelor Party). Wendy, I think, summed things up perfectly when she wrote, 'We all know that reality shows are to real life what Pringles are to the potato, and The Bachelor is not exactly what I would call soul food'.

In truth, Reality Matters is all good. And the short essay format makes it an easy read, much like my own book, FREE LOVE - True Stories of Love and Lust on the Internet I highly recommend this book. If you're a fan of the various shows explored in this book, you'll definitely relate to and enjoy the essays about them. And if you've never seen a single episode of Real Housewives, The Hills or Jersey Shore, they'll make you feel like you have, or appreciate why you haven't and never will.

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Joseph A. Mcdonald

Highly Recommended

Reviewed in the United States on April 17, 2010

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I'm a huge fan of Anna David, so I ordered Reality Matters as soon as it became available. I'm about halfway through the book and am enjoying it so much I didn't want to wait to post a review. Although I'm not a true reality-showaholic, there are a few I watch, my favorite being Sober House. John Albert's essay about that series was the first I read. His insight is excellent. Albert says he actually worked at a rehab facility and experienced drug relapses, sex between staff and patients, an "epic fistfight" between staff members and more than one suicide. Obviously working at such a facility is not for everyone.

Anna's essay about her brush with Real World San Francisco was a delight and especially meaningful to me because that's the only installment of Real World I've ever watched. And I hereby admit publically for the first time EVER that on one visit to San Francisco I actually looked for and found the house on Lombard Street where the show was filmed. I remember standing there in the cool morning air gazing at the building while recalling fond memories of Puck, Pedro, Rachel, Judd and Mohammed.

Next I plan to read Mark Lisanti's essay about Jersey Shore. I've never seen the show, but I've heard a lot about it and someone in particular named Snooki. With a name Snooki, you just have to be interesting.

Great read. Highly recommended.

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