-The real story about the book, The Real Story, is that there is not another guide like it available. At a time when there is so much competition for customers, libraries must provide value-added services, like readers' advisory, to remain relevant in their communities....It is a must have guide for all library collections. —Collection Management

-The Real Story is a unique handbook that helps readers' advisors recommend nonfiction titles to library patrons based on their preferred genre, subject, or writing style....While nonfiction's increased popularity is part of a larger media trend toward films based on true stories, documentaries, and reality shows, Cords encourages mixing fiction and nonfiction advisory because readers may enjoy both nonfiction and fiction on the same topic....The Real Story distinguishes itself by being the only non-fiction readers' advisory (RA) book that includes annotated recommended titles, explains each genre's development and appeal, and suggests related fiction titles....Reading The Real Story is an enjoyable learning experience. Knowing the appeal of nonfiction genres, subjects, and styles will help reference librarians immensely and will help their readers discover how exciting well-written nonfiction can be. —Reference & User Services Quarterly