Reality Matters

Anna David, the author of Party Girl, has gathered a set of pieces by writers who work in fiction, essays and journalism. Each one looks at the reality programs they watch compulsively, sometimes with embarrassment, and asks why audiences keep tuning in.

Contributors include Toby Young, Neil Strauss and Stacey Grenrock Woods, along with others. Their subjects range from The Bachelor and Jersey Shore to Top Chef, America's Next Top Model, Survivor, Dancing with the Stars, American Idol, Big Brother and The Biggest Loser. Some writers admit to their own attachments to these series, while others write with a wry sense of humor about how much they cringe at them.

Beyond the laughs, the essays explore what our interest in fame, rivalry and staged conflict might reveal about our own lives. They also give these shows the serious attention that is often denied them.