Survivor and the Endless Gaze

In a world of fake news and rampant conspiracy theories, the nature of truth has increasingly blurry borders. In this clever and timely cultural commentary, award-winning author Sallie Tisdale tackles this issue by framing it in a familiar way--reality TV, particularly the long-running CBS show Survivor.

With her insightful and compelling writing, Tisdale illuminates the ins and outs of fandom: from the fan forum where statistical analysis is used to predict outcomes of the show to the show's underreported history of racism and sexual assault. With humor and in-depth superfan analysis, Tisdale explores the distinction between suspended disbelief and true authenticity both in how we watch shows like Survivor, and in how we perceive the world around us.