Fame: The Hijacking of Reality

Fame: The Hijacking of Reality is described by the New York Times Book Review as "[w]holly riveting" and by Kirkus Reviews as a "sharp, take-no-prisoners book."

Entertainment shows, magazines, websites, and other channels continuously report the latest sightings, heartbreaks, and triumphs of the famous to a seemingly insatiable public. Millions of people go to enormous lengths to achieve Fame. Fame is woven into our lives in ways that may have been unimaginable in years past. And yet, is Fame even real? Contrary to tangible realities, Fame is one of those "realities" that we, as a society, have made. Why is that, and what is it about Fame that drives us to spend so much time, money, and focus to create the framework that maintains its health?

Mining decades of experience, writer, director, producer, and actress Justine Bateman offers a visceral, intimate look at the experience of Fame. She combines the internal reality-shift of the famous, theories on the public's behaviour at each stage of a famous person's career, and the experiences of other famous performers to take the reader inside and outside the emotions of Fame.

The book features a sixteen-page, full-colour photo insert to highlight her analysis and includes a brand-new preface to the paperback edition.