-
Your next favorite book
is waiting.
Inside the World of America's Favorite Guilty Pleasure
by Amy Kaufman
The first definitive, unauthorized, behind-the-scenes cultural history of the Bachelor franchise, America's favorite guilty pleasure.
For sixteen years and thirty-six seasons, the Bachelor franchise has been a mainstay in American TV viewers' lives. Since it premiered in 2002, the show's popularity and relevance have only grown—more than eight million viewers tuned in to see the conclusion of the most recent season of The Bachelor.
Los Angeles Times journalist Amy Kaufman is a proud member of Bachelor Nation and has a long history with the franchise—ABC even banned her from attending show events after her coverage of the program got a little too real for its liking. She has interviewed dozens of producers, contestants, and celebrity fans to give readers never-before-told details of the show's inner workings: what it's like to be trapped in the mansion "bubble"; dark, juicy tales of producer manipulation; and revelations about the alcohol-fueled debauchery that occurs long before the Fantasy Suite.
Kaufman also explores what our fascination means, culturally: what the show says about the way we view so-called ideal suitors; our subconscious yearning for fairy-tale romance; and how this enduring television show has shaped society's feelings about love, marriage, and feminism by appealing to a marriage plot that's as old as the best of Jane Austen.
"Essential for fans of pop culture, this book could play an important role in courses on feminism and gender studies. It's also a fascinating and fun read for anyone who wants to think about how and why viewers continue to tune into shows like The Bachelor." —Library Journal (starred review)
"An undiluted examination of the shows' problematic appeal... [Kaufman] imbues her book with a playful vibe without shying away from the tough questions." —Booklist
"Kaufman's eye-opening exposé of the reality TV show The Bachelor...unpacks the keys to the show's success...[and] shares little-known details about the show that will no doubt fascinate Bachelor fans." —Publishers Weekly
"Fans will devour this addictive, indulgent, and crafty appraisal of one of reality TV's biggest successes." —Kirkus Reviews
"If you've ever been confused about why The Bachelor captured the zeitgeist, you need to read this book. Amy Kaufman is funny and kind and the perfect author to demystify the game—without getting played herself." —Vanessa Grigoriadis, author of Blurred Lines: Rethinking Sex, Power, and Consent on Campus
"The only way you can keep watching The Bachelor without breaking down into guilt is to read this smart, thorough guide to how that sausage is made. Amy Kaufman reports the crap out of the nation's ongoing social experiment known as The Bachelor and The Bachelorette and explains what's going on behind the scenes in detail beyond any of our imaginations. If you're trying to figure out why we—that is to say, you—keep watching this ridiculous television show, you'll find intelligent answers (if not absolution) here." —Jennifer Keishin Armstrong, New York Times bestselling author of Seinfeldia: How a Show About Nothing Changed Everything
This information about Bachelor Nation was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Amy Kaufman is a staff writer at the Los Angeles Times, where she has covered film, celebrity, and pop culture since 2009. On the beat, she reports from industry events like the Academy Awards, the Sundance Film Festival, and the Grammys. In addition to profiling hundreds of stars—Lady Gaga, Julia Roberts, Stevie Nicks, Jane Goodall—she has broken major investigative stories on sexual harassment in Hollywood. Amy currently lives in Los Angeles with her Australian shepherd, Riggins, and dreams of living in a Laurel Canyon tree house.
If you liked Bachelor Nation, try these:
Theo of Golden by Allen Levi
One spring morning, a stranger arrives in the small southern city of Golden. No one knows where he has come from…or why…
Your guide toexceptional books
BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
