True Story: What Reality TV Says About Us by Danielle J. Lindemann

4/5 stars

What's it about? In this sociological analysis of reality TV, Lindemann examines how the genre represents us as a culture and the values by which we live. An incisive and convincing reflection.

How’d I find it? Multnomah County Library always has the goods. I love “a wormhole day,” in which I relive childhood Saturdays spent at the San Antonio Public Library following the meandering of my interests.

Who will enjoy this book? If you enjoy the writing of Emily Nussbaum, this is a solid readalike.

What stood out? Lindemann dissects the constructs embedded into the likes of The Bachelor and The Real Housewives franchise, teasing out what this media reveals about our thoughts on race, gender, class, and how we relate to each other and ourselves. I rediscovered so many shows to revisit. How could I have ever forgotten Breaking Amish?

Which line made me feel something? From the chapter on “deviance,” which discusses how people on reality TV who break social norms are depicted to viewers: “Like townspeople in an old horror film chasing after a monster with their torches, we are bonded in our collective rejection of the ones who do not belong.”

I Like to Watch: Arguing My Way Through the TV Revolution by Emily Nussbaum

4/5 stars

What's it about? Emily Nussbaum sets out her thesis about the unique importance of television via essays on The Leftovers, The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Lost, and a myriad of other shows. A page-turning contemplation on television as art and how it converses with and represents culture.

How’d I find it? As a bookseller, I combed through every section to better know our stock, and you can bet Solid State Books has a solidly curated film and television section. I Like to Watch is a book I’ve eyed for years before finally tucking in.

Who will enjoy this book? TV watchers, this book is for you. You’ll be inspired to watch shows you’ve overlooked (Ryan Murphy’s œuvre) and second guess those you love (True Detective has “so much gravitas it could run for president”).

What stood out? Nussbaum folds in such a variety of perspectives on so many TV shows that there’s truly something for everybody. I respect how seriously she takes her chosen subject. Despite the richness of ideas, the essays flow together as if they were written for this book, a testament to their editing and arranging. While published in 2019, some aspects of I Like to Watch already feel dated for a reader in 2024. The mood around the 2016 elections, the overall ickiness of #MeToo revelations—dead horses that have been beat plenty.

Which line made me feel something? From a fabulous essay on Jane the Virgin: “…the soap, the rom-com, the romance novel, and, more recently, reality television. These are the genres that get dismissed as fluff, which is how our culture regards art that makes women’s lives look like fun.”