{"product_id":"cue-the-sun-the-invention-of-reality-tv-emily-nussbaum-paperback","title":"Cue the Sun!: The Invention of Reality TV -- Emily Nussbaum, Paperback","description":"\u003cstrong\u003eThe rollicking saga of reality television, \u003cstrong\u003ea \"sweeping\" (\u003ci\u003eThe Washington Post\u003c\/i\u003e)\u003c\/strong\u003e cultural history of America's most influential, most divisive artistic phenomenon, from the Pulitzer Prize-winning \u003ci\u003eNew Yorker \u003c\/i\u003ewriter--\"a must-read for anyone interested in television or popular culture\" (NPR)\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\n\u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\n\n\u003cb\u003e\"Passionate, exquisitely told . . . With muscular prose and an exacting eye for detail . . . [Nussbaum] knits her talents for sharp analysis and telling reportage well.\"--\u003ci\u003eThe New York Times \u003c\/i\u003e(Editors' Choice)\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eIn development as a docuseries from the studio behind \u003ci\u003eSpencer \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eSpotlight\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\n\u003cb\u003e\n\nONE OF \u003ci\u003eTHE CHICAGO TRIBUNE \u003c\/i\u003eAND THE CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY'S TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: \u003ci\u003eThe New York Times Book Review, \u003c\/i\u003eNPR, \u003ci\u003eThe New Yorker, Vanity Fair, The Boston Globe\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFINALIST FOR THE ANDREW CARNEGIE MEDAL FOR EXCELLENCE IN NONFICTION \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWho invented reality television, the world's most dangerous pop-culture genre? And why can't we look away? In this revelatory, deeply reported account of the rise of \"dirty documentary\"--from its contentious roots in radio to the ascent of Donald Trump--Emily Nussbaum unearths the origin story of the genre that ate the world, as told through the lively voices of the people who built it. At once gimlet-eyed and empathetic, \u003ci\u003eCue the Sun!\u003c\/i\u003e explores the morally charged, funny, and sometimes tragic consequences of the hunt for something real inside something fake. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn sharp, absorbing prose, Nussbaum traces the jagged fuses of experimentation that exploded with \u003ci\u003eSurvivor\u003c\/i\u003e at the turn of the millennium. She introduces the genre's trickster pioneers, from the icy Allen Funt to the shambolic Chuck Barris; \u003ci\u003eCops\u003c\/i\u003e auteur John Langley; cynical \u003ci\u003eBachelor\u003c\/i\u003e ringmaster Mike Fleiss; and Jon Murray and Mary-Ellis Bunim, the visionaries behind \u003ci\u003eThe Real World\u003c\/i\u003e--along with dozens of stars from \u003ci\u003eAn American Family, The Real World, Big Brother, Survivor, \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eThe Bachelor\u003c\/i\u003e. We learn about the tools of the trade--like the Frankenbite, a deceptive editor's best friend--and ugly tales of exploitation. But \u003ci\u003eCue the Sun!\u003c\/i\u003e also celebrates reality's peculiar power: a jolt of emotion that could never have come from a script. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWhat happened to the first reality stars, the Louds--and why won't they speak to the couple who filmed them? Which serial killer won on \u003ci\u003eThe Dating Game\u003c\/i\u003e? Nussbaum explores reality TV as a strike-breaker, the queer roots of Bravo, the dark truth behind \u003ci\u003eThe Apprentice, \u003c\/i\u003e and more\u003ci\u003e. \u003c\/i\u003eA shrewd observer who adores television, Nussbaum is the ideal voice for the first substantive history of the genre that, for better or worse, made America what it is today.\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/strong\u003e Emily Nussbaum\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/strong\u003e Random House Publishing Group\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublished:\u003c\/strong\u003e 7\/1\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 464\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/strong\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWeight:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.75 lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSize:\u003c\/strong\u003e 7.9\" H x 5.2\" L x 1.1\" W\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eISBN:\u003c\/strong\u003e 9780525509011\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Flowerburst","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50557252632880,"sku":"9780525509011","price":19.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0879\/2712\/8368\/files\/9780525509011_3d43c140-704d-4e59-a2ad-442e31073e0b.jpg?v=1774933136","url":"https:\/\/flowerburst.co\/products\/cue-the-sun-the-invention-of-reality-tv-emily-nussbaum-paperback","provider":"Flowerburst","version":"1.0","type":"link"}