"In Justine Bateman's Fame, a deeply personal book about the Family Ties actor's experience in the limelight, she reminds us that famous people are exactly that: people."
—The Guardian
"You've never read anything quite like this book—don't call it a memoir—by the actress/director/producer best known for her role on the '80s sitcom Family Ties. It's a meditation on fame (if something so raw and full of expletives can be called a meditation), examining what it does to celebrities—and the rest of us."
—Newsday
"Now, nearly 30 years after Family Ties went off the air, Bateman is examining the ins and outs of stardom in her new book, Fame: The Hijacking of Reality. In it, she looks at the internal reality-shift of the famous and explores theories on the public's behavior at each stage of a celebrity's career. She also gets candid about her own ups and downs with stardom."
—HuffPost
"What is fame? In 2018, Justine Bateman wrote a book about it. The title of her book is Fame: The Hijacking of Reality. In it, Bateman...writes about the experience of becoming extremely famous (and gradually becoming much less famous) and what it was like from the inside...Fame is a condition of being widely seen, while also not being seen in particular, human terms. It is a nonreciprocal transaction of interest or attention, on unequal terms of exchange."
—Slate, featured in Tom Scocca's column "The Decade in Fame"
"Her first book, Fame: The Hijacking of Reality is not a memoir—she hates them—it's an in-depth look at what fame is and how it affects people."
—Los Angeles Magazine
"An unflinching look at what it's like to be inside—and outside—that delicate bubble of fame."
—Studio 360 with Kurt Andersen
"In the book, Bateman analyzes Fame, discusses how realities of the Famous shift, presents theories on public behavior at different stages in a famous person's career, and tells the experiences of other famous performers. Bateman will bring readers through the ins and outs of the emotions of Fame."
—Young Hollywood
"Walking through the familiar trappings of stardom—false friendships, abusive management, trust issues—Bateman underlines with grit the misconceptions of being a luminary which oft lead many to its pursuit."
—Women's Review of Books
"Actor and writer Bateman...reflects on the toxicity of fame in this brutally honest, seemingly cathartic work...At just over 200 pages, Fame still manages to pack a punch."
—Library Journal XPress Reviews
"Director and actress Bateman, known for her roles in Family Ties and Desperate Housewives, ponders the notion of fame, what drives the desire to achieve it, and what it means in American society."
—Publishers Weekly, Fall 2018 Announcements
"Instead of crashing and burning, Bateman has found a life outside the maelstrom, ably described in this sharp, take-no-prisoners book."
—Kirkus Reviews
"Bateman delivers a blisteringly honest analysis of fame and her years in and out of the spotlight...Bateman's impassioned narrative points out to those who relentlessly seek fame that rather than a blessing, it can be a curse."
—Publishers Weekly
"Razor-sharp...Rarely has anyone written so honestly about the experience of being famous. In the interest of better understanding the figures we claim to know and love, Bateman's book is a must-read."
—Booklist
Selected as a Top Pick of the 2018 Louisiana Book Festival by Deep South Magazine
Included in Time Out Miami's Can't-Miss Events at the Miami Book Fair
"A passionate, raw and critical analysis of the life cycle of fame."
—BookTrib
Included in Spine Magazine's "Book Covers We Love"
"Another book I enjoyed recently was Fame: The Hijacking of Reality, by the actress Justine Batemen. Her style of writing is very personal, emotional, and kind of hypnotic, with lots of repetition of metaphors and images."
—Fifteen Questions
"Do you know Justine Bateman? She grew up in the public eye...I mention Bateman because she just wrote a fabulous book called Fame: The Hijacking of Reality. I strongly suggest you pick up a copy. The woman is an excellent writer who speaks from experience. And no, she's not my client."
—Backstage
"This is the most realistic look you can get into being famous and all that goes along with it, both positive and negative."
—HypeBot, one of the Top Business Books of the Decade
"Justine Bateman came to my defense on social media and she sought to reach me personally. And so we started to communicate directly via text and she has been extremely supportive, and she even sent me a copy of her book that is being published as we speak, a book called Fame, which is wonderful. I've actually already read it."
—Geoffrey Owens, in the New York Times
"If you've ever dreamed of being famous someday, you need to read this book. If you've ever called a celebrity, a 'has-been' or a 'flash in the pan' on social media, then you really need to read this book. Justine Bateman has crafted the most compelling and comprehensive treatise on the nature of fame that you're ever likely to read. Through a fearless act of self-examination, which she conducts with the scientific detachment of an anthropologist, Bateman illuminates both the short- and long-term effects of attempting to navigate the labyrinth of celebrity."
—Ernest Cline, author of Ready Player One
"Justine Bateman, in a voice both empathetic and take-no-prisoners, has produced a fascinating look at the psychology of present-day fame. She traces its roots down to humble beginnings in the injured psyche of every human, hoping to find a cure for what ails us all. In these early, heady days of the ascension of social media, in which everyone seems able to fulfill the Warholian dictum of fifteen minutes, Bateman casts a sober, never overly serious eye on today's media landscape and emerges without cynicism on the hard-won side of love and acceptance."
—David Duchovny, actor, author of Miss Subways
"I thought my ideas about fame were intractable until Justine Bateman took them apart with her relentlessly truthful and engrossing investigation. She mines the subject with bracing honesty, and by including herself in the whole experiment she makes it hard for the reader to avoid examining their own ego, their own social agenda. Justine's voice is fresh: she throws down with a free-associating slam that you won't expect but can identify with, and the searching and sometimes profane rant that accompanies each idea is one you can't help but trust. She distills it all into the questions: Why do we value this person over that one? And why do we ultimately resent the ones we overvalue? An honest and eminently quotable rumination by a qualified and intellectually formidable source."
—Mary-Louise Parker, actress, author of Dear Mr. You
"A smart, unflinching, touching, riveting, one-of-a-kind hybrid of memoir and cultural analysis. Fame in its contemporary form is strange and powerful and deeply American; so is Fame."
—Kurt Andersen, author of Fantasyland
"A raw look into stardom and how notoriety got to now with a style that would make Bukowski proud. Justine gives us a vivid, sharp and forceful read."
—Jerry O'Connell, actor
"Justine Bateman's new book Fame grabs you by the lapels. A raw, raging blast of honesty aimed squarely at what 'being famous' is, does, and means; the absurd gravity of it, and the myriad public, personal, and private distortions it precipitates. This is a bracing read."
—Jon Cryer, actor and author of So That Happened
"Bateman mixes personal stories of the hazards of experiencing fame at an early age with a sociologist's eye for what makes Americans so fascinated with celebrity, and delivers it all in a rat-a-tat style that makes you feel like you are right there with her on the red carpet."
—Rachel Dratch, author of Girl Walks into a Bar
"I met Justine Bateman in 1988, when she was one of the most famous women in the world. For over three decades we have walked through this life together. Fame is a socio–pop culture frontline must-read, told by one of the funniest, most powerful and elevated women I have ever met in my life."
—Kelly Cutrone, fashion publicist, author of If You Have to Cry, Go Outside
