​“As juicy and provocative as it is analytical… Avoiding censure and trivialization, her narrative keenly captures the reality genre in riveting, energetic detail. ”

— Carole V. Bell, NPR

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“Quick-witted, brilliantly written… Deft reportage… Offers a treasure trove of anecdotes that seizes our attention like an action sequence, while asking incisive questions about a world increasingly scripted for consumption.” — Hamilton Cain, Star Tribune

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“Show me a history of reality TV and, honestly, sorry, I don’t much care. But show me a history of reality TV written by Emily Nussbaum, the New Yorker staff writer and former TV critic and I am now very interested… a smart, thorough, often skeptical history of the genre. It is also witty and extremely entertaining.” — Bruce Handy, Airmail

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​“Attentive not just to the cultural footprint of the reality show but to its ticky-tacky specificity, Cue the Sun! provides a sometimes grim, occasionally gleeful account of the way that television can not just mirror but also create real life.” — The New Republic, Philip Maciak

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​​“Passionate, eloquently told origin story… With muscular prose and an exacting eye for detail, Nussbaum outlines how such shows united high and low art into a potent concoction, ranging from 'celebreality' soap opera to grand social experiments that explore romance, competition and ethics.” — Ed Deggans, New York Times

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“Sweeping new history of the coming-of-age of the forever-maligned television genre… Nussbaum shines a light on the people who have made some of television’s most beloved and most controversial reality shows.” — Maura Judkis, Washington Post

​​“A helpful guide to reality TV’s past and present… with well-researched details, lively anecdotes, and primary-source accounts of the genre’s checkered development across decades... " — Olivia Stowell, LA Review of Books

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“Encyclopedic about the incredible journey of this genre, the pushbacks, the successes, and the key figures, what is fascinating about the reality TV boom is that it is a mirror of us, the audience.” — Kara Kennedy, Free Beacon​

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“She works magic, walking on that wavering line between fandom and disgust, but never scolding.” — Chicago Tribune

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“Witty, educational, and utterly entertaining, this is among the best books Summer 2024 has unveiled so far and will have you engrossed in its pages whether you're on the train on your way to work or laying out under the warm summer sun. “, L’Official

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