farfromdaylight's review against another edition
3.0
A pretty niche book; one wouldn’t read this without being a fan of the TV show. There’s a lot of great interviews with cast and crew, but surprisingly the episode summaries are a bit lacking, and go more for style over substance. Still, it’s a fine companion book to the series, and offers plenty of interesting information. Does lack interviews with a few key cast members that pulls it down somewhat.
bookstobechill's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
4.0
At the end of the day, if it’s The Wire, it’s a yes for me.
broomgrass's review against another edition
3.0
Strengths of the book? Interviews with writers, actors, etc., that one might not be able to find anywhere else. Valuable? Absolutely.
However, the book was weak in some key points. I found the organization frustrating. First, episodes are generally listed by their place in the overall series (ex. Episode 32, 51, etc) as opposed to their location in the season. The only way to know the season beyond recognition is to look at the header. Secondly, interviews and other secondary analyses are interspersed in among the episodes. To a degree this makes sense, such as reading about Stringer Bell after his exit from the show; however, I found this more distracting than useful. Having all the resources grouped in one place would be far more favourable.
I also have some gripes with the writing. I expected more of Alfarez considering his background; however, unclear pronouns and other basic issues were distracting and potentially misleading if I hadn't watched the series fully. I also found his ways of summarising the episodes odd; he would highlight certain scenes, but not more important ones, or only half describe a key quotation, or just have the quotation indirectly cited. The Wikipedia episode summaries are not only more concise, but more accurate in some ways.
Considering the bulk of the text is episode summary (readily available for the most part online or in cheaper texts like Re-up), and in general the text feels roughly written, the benefits of the interviews and other materials, while worthy of praise, don't quite stand up when the text is considered as a whole.
However, the book was weak in some key points. I found the organization frustrating. First, episodes are generally listed by their place in the overall series (ex. Episode 32, 51, etc) as opposed to their location in the season. The only way to know the season beyond recognition is to look at the header. Secondly, interviews and other secondary analyses are interspersed in among the episodes. To a degree this makes sense, such as reading about Stringer Bell after his exit from the show; however, I found this more distracting than useful. Having all the resources grouped in one place would be far more favourable.
I also have some gripes with the writing. I expected more of Alfarez considering his background; however, unclear pronouns and other basic issues were distracting and potentially misleading if I hadn't watched the series fully. I also found his ways of summarising the episodes odd; he would highlight certain scenes, but not more important ones, or only half describe a key quotation, or just have the quotation indirectly cited. The Wikipedia episode summaries are not only more concise, but more accurate in some ways.
Considering the bulk of the text is episode summary (readily available for the most part online or in cheaper texts like Re-up), and in general the text feels roughly written, the benefits of the interviews and other materials, while worthy of praise, don't quite stand up when the text is considered as a whole.
petersimpson's review against another edition
3.0
Read alongside re-watching the show. And yes, The Wire, is the best TV show ever. The episode re-cap is a little defunct after you watch an episode, and does sometimes gloss over plot lines, but does have the occasional insight or behind the scenes line. The essays about the show, charters, actors, and the real history that informed the show, is the most interesting.
danewheaton's review against another edition
3.0
I think I was expecting something more educational. I thought that the bulk of it would be about real Baltimore institutions and people which inspired the show. The chapters themselves read more like Wikipedia plot summaries than creator commentary, and the inlaid blurbs were definitely the best part of the book for me. But there was just enough discussion in those about the cast and crew to leave me frustrated that there wasn't more emphasis on the subject matter of the show. I came in wanting to learn about Baltimore and to more deeply explore the show's themes/ideas, and I feel like I came away with some trivia.
smohundro's review against another edition
3.0
We're currently re-watching the series, and we're only a few episodes into season three so this was perfect. The episode synopses weren't very useful, but I liked all the background information I didn't know before about things like scouting locations, actors, real-world analogues, etc. I'd love it if there was a follow-up book that covered the same territory with the final three seasons.
kikiandarrowsfishshelf's review against another edition
5.0
This book is the shee-it!
And if you know extactly where that comes from, I hope you are reading this review after you have read the book.
I read an earlier edition of this, and really can't add much to the original review which is .
If you have already read that review, well shee-it, haven't you seen the series yet?
This edition includes some expanded sections from the as well as covering all the seasons - most importantly season 4, which was the best.
Liked the obit for Stringer.
And if you know extactly where that comes from, I hope you are reading this review after you have read the book.
I read an earlier edition of this, and really can't add much to the original review which is .
If you have already read that review, well shee-it, haven't you seen the series yet?
This edition includes some expanded sections from the as well as covering all the seasons - most importantly season 4, which was the best.
Liked the obit for Stringer.
kikiandarrowsfishshelf's review against another edition
4.0
The history of television is littered with intelligent product that never got the ratings, acclaim, or chance to achieve the success of the flashy but simplistic C.S.I or Law & Order. One recent example of this would be Southland, which was granted a second chance at life by TNT. Perhaps the greatest under-appreciated show was The Wire, a show that HBO allowed to survive for far longer than any network would have.
Like its forerunners Homicide and The Corner, The Wire forces the viewer to think. Homicide never achieved the success of L&O and C.S.I. The Wire, too, suffered from low ratings. Unlike popular shows, Homicide and The Wire did not follow a strict format or procedural. The body is not found in the first ten minutes, and Horatio (or Willows or Taylor) isn’t always right. In The Wire, especially, ideas and storylines would be developed and showcased over a season or, in a few cases, seasons.
The Wire didn’t require the viewer just to think about the plot but also to think about the issues that impact a city – drugs, crime, police, schools, and politics. The Wire is stark, but it offers more than a simple black and white look at a problem. Drug dealers are bad, but the causes of the drug society are also ruthlessly examined and condemned. Drug addicts are shown with a strong degree of pity and no stereotyping. The police may be good, but they are flowed in terms of character and in terms of power structure. Such contrast is best illustrated by the character of Omar, a stick-up man who is noble, who has his own code, but who also knows what he is – a person who makes a living off of illegal drugs, just like the lawyer questioning him.
L & O may be ripped from the headlines, The Wire offers a more heart breaking and heart rending reality. The death of Wallace in the first season, the death of D’Angelo in the second, the fate Mike, Bubbles’ tragic losses and quiet strength, the death of Omar are of these are based in life, based on lives that do not always make the headlines of the paper, a point driven home at Omar’s death and the paper’s reaction to it.
The Wire never seemed to get the attention it rightly deserved until its last season when everyone seemed to be jumping on the bandwagon, if you will pardon the cliché.
Johnny come lately, Soprano watching suburbnites.
In Philadelphia, Mayor Nutter, a true Wire fan had lottery where the prize was tickets to watch the series finale with the Mayor and stars from the show. Mayor Nutter even wrote an editorial about the show for the local paper. It was a good one too. Then, Mayor Nutter took some heat for his admiration of the show. In fact, one local radio show host asserted that politicians should not watch such “negative” television shows, even mayors and presidents.
Why? Because politicians might actually get good ideas for a change?
What should they watch? The Smurfs and their “magic” mushrooms? Scooby-Doo and the suspect Scooby snacks?
For all its tragedy, for all its harshness, The Wire is important because it is true art that holds a mirror up to reality. It is a modern Dickens. The Wire reflects the modern city and reminds us that life and its problems are not simple.
This book offers a look at the first two seasons of The Wire, which sadly means the fourth, and best, season is not mentioned. The readers gets a behind the scenes view of what went into the show, is treated to profiles and interviews not only with the creative team but with the actual people who inspired the characters. Every plot strand has a basis in reality, and sometimes, like Bubbles, is tragically close to life. Incidentally, the life of the real Bubbles explains why the fictional Bubbles got the ending he did in the last episode.
Secrets are revealed, for instance, why Brother Mouzone’s assistant looks so familiar.
The introduction is by David Simon, one of the creators, and Ed Burns also contributes. Laura Lippman, Simon’s consort, contributed a wonderful essay about women in the show.
If you have never read [b:Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets|18956|Homicide A Year on the Killing Streets|David Simon|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167171317s/18956.jpg|3187942] or [b:The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood|18957|The Corner A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood|David Simon|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167171317s/18957.jpg|20297], do so.
If you have never watched Homicide or The Corner, do so.
If you have never watched The Wire, smack yourself, and then do so.
Then read this book.
Like its forerunners Homicide and The Corner, The Wire forces the viewer to think. Homicide never achieved the success of L&O and C.S.I. The Wire, too, suffered from low ratings. Unlike popular shows, Homicide and The Wire did not follow a strict format or procedural. The body is not found in the first ten minutes, and Horatio (or Willows or Taylor) isn’t always right. In The Wire, especially, ideas and storylines would be developed and showcased over a season or, in a few cases, seasons.
The Wire didn’t require the viewer just to think about the plot but also to think about the issues that impact a city – drugs, crime, police, schools, and politics. The Wire is stark, but it offers more than a simple black and white look at a problem. Drug dealers are bad, but the causes of the drug society are also ruthlessly examined and condemned. Drug addicts are shown with a strong degree of pity and no stereotyping. The police may be good, but they are flowed in terms of character and in terms of power structure. Such contrast is best illustrated by the character of Omar, a stick-up man who is noble, who has his own code, but who also knows what he is – a person who makes a living off of illegal drugs, just like the lawyer questioning him.
L & O may be ripped from the headlines, The Wire offers a more heart breaking and heart rending reality. The death of Wallace in the first season, the death of D’Angelo in the second, the fate Mike, Bubbles’ tragic losses and quiet strength, the death of Omar are of these are based in life, based on lives that do not always make the headlines of the paper, a point driven home at Omar’s death and the paper’s reaction to it.
The Wire never seemed to get the attention it rightly deserved until its last season when everyone seemed to be jumping on the bandwagon, if you will pardon the cliché.
Johnny come lately, Soprano watching suburbnites.
In Philadelphia, Mayor Nutter, a true Wire fan had lottery where the prize was tickets to watch the series finale with the Mayor and stars from the show. Mayor Nutter even wrote an editorial about the show for the local paper. It was a good one too. Then, Mayor Nutter took some heat for his admiration of the show. In fact, one local radio show host asserted that politicians should not watch such “negative” television shows, even mayors and presidents.
Why? Because politicians might actually get good ideas for a change?
What should they watch? The Smurfs and their “magic” mushrooms? Scooby-Doo and the suspect Scooby snacks?
For all its tragedy, for all its harshness, The Wire is important because it is true art that holds a mirror up to reality. It is a modern Dickens. The Wire reflects the modern city and reminds us that life and its problems are not simple.
This book offers a look at the first two seasons of The Wire, which sadly means the fourth, and best, season is not mentioned. The readers gets a behind the scenes view of what went into the show, is treated to profiles and interviews not only with the creative team but with the actual people who inspired the characters. Every plot strand has a basis in reality, and sometimes, like Bubbles, is tragically close to life. Incidentally, the life of the real Bubbles explains why the fictional Bubbles got the ending he did in the last episode.
Secrets are revealed, for instance, why Brother Mouzone’s assistant looks so familiar.
The introduction is by David Simon, one of the creators, and Ed Burns also contributes. Laura Lippman, Simon’s consort, contributed a wonderful essay about women in the show.
If you have never read [b:Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets|18956|Homicide A Year on the Killing Streets|David Simon|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167171317s/18956.jpg|3187942] or [b:The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood|18957|The Corner A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood|David Simon|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167171317s/18957.jpg|20297], do so.
If you have never watched Homicide or The Corner, do so.
If you have never watched The Wire, smack yourself, and then do so.
Then read this book.