By: Jasmine Forte:

In search of good book to read, I ventured to the Greensboro Public Library located on 219 N. Church St. Greensboro, NC.  I walked around the library for minutes until I walked past a display. I was intrigued, my eyes locked in on a small paperback book titled Reality [the novel].

This novel is extremely humorous and clearly a satire! The protagonist Trent Tucker loathes reality television yet the irony of the novel is he worked for a company Nova Consulting, he pitches and is pitched ideas of new reality shows!

This novel is full of outlandish characters that are very similar to the stereotypes that we see on our television screens. After reading this novel it will be quite obvious the author is a stand-up comedian because the book doesn’t make any sense!

Tucker ideally would like to produce quality reality television. As if that’s possible but instead he struggles to take his dim witted colleagues serious, especially when they pitch him ridiculous ideas such as an show titled Extreme Animals Lovers, where people can express their love for bestiality on primetime television.

The protagonist is as normal and almost sane compared to any of the other characters until he decides to play dirty just like all his other coworkers. Deciding to join a rival company.  When the rival company’s executive Stewart Dyson is murdered and Tucker is the last person to speak with him. Tucker believes his boss is the reason for the executive’s death. Leaving Tucker to plot to kill his boss, P.T. and take over the company.

Surprisingly his coworkers agree to help him, he is able to seize the moment when a dinner at his boss’s home can be used as an opportunity to kill him.  The most entertaining and ironic part of the novel happens, As Tucker enters the living room with a gun to kill his boss he is greeted with a room full of his colleagues, staff and boss as they all yell, “Surprise.”

Obviously the joke is on Tucker, he learns for the past two years a reality show has been filmed about his life, his job and even his interactions with his colleagues. He despised reality television so much yet he was a reality star himself and never even knew it.

Although the novel highlights and mocks numerous stereotypes, it still is a great read and recommended to anyone who simply would enjoy reading a novel that will provide them with a great laugh!