"I look for zebras because other doctors have ruled out all the horses." — Dr. Gregory House Medical students are taught that when they hear hoofbeats, they should think horses, not zebras, but Dr. House's unique talent of diagnosing unusual illnesses has made House, M.D. one of the most popular and fascinating series on television. In Chasing Zebras: The Unofficial Guide to House, M.D., Barbara Barnett, widely considered a leading House expert, takes fans deep into the heart of the show's central character and his world, examining the way this medical Sherlock Holmes's colleagues and patients reflect him and each other; how the music, settings, and even the humor enhance our understanding of the series' narrative; what the show says about modern medicine, ethics, and religion; and much more. Complete with an episode-by-episode guide and numerous interviews with cast members, producers, and writers, Chasing Zebras is an intelligent look at one of television's most popular shows.
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"In Barnett’s book, readers are brought in to an expert’s passionate view of the show and its characters." —Buddy TV
"What this book really did for me, though, was teach me to better understand and appreciate good scriptwriting. Author Barnett, whose own writing I found impressive, explains how the stories and the characters are developed and presented. . . . I think anyone reading this book will become a smarter viewer, not only of this series, but of other dramas." —Exclusive Magazine
About the Author
Barbara Barnett writes the regular feature “Welcome to the End of the Thought Process: An Introspective Look at House, M.D.” for Blogcritics online magazine, where she also serves as a television and film editor. She lives near Chicago.
Product Details
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: ECW Press; First Edition edition (September 1, 2010)
Barbara Barnett is Co-Executive Editor of Blogcritics, an Internet magazine of pop culture, politics and more owned by Technorati Media. Always a pop-culture geek, Barbara was raised on a steady diet of TV (and TV dinners), but she always found her way to TV's antiheroes and misunderstood champions, whether on TV, in the movies or in literature.
Barnett's regular column, "Welcome to the End of the Thought Process: An Introspective Look at House, M.D." features insightful episode commentaries and interviews with the House cast and creative team. It is the place for intelligent discussion of the hit television series starring Hugh Laurie.
Barbara has had an eclectic career. With an undergraduate degree in biology and minors in chemistry and English, she pursued a PhD in Public Policy Analysis after spending a few years working in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries. Her first professional writing gig was with a food industry trade magazine, and although it wasn't exactly like writing for The New Yorker, it completely hooked her on the profession of writing.
She also writes lots of other things, including technology (from a non-geek perspective), the movies, politics and all things Jewish. Based in the north shore suburbs of Chicago, Barnett is married with two brilliant children and a dog. Chasing Zebras is her first (commercial) book. She hopes it's not her last.
Chasing Zebras is an informative, thought-provoking, exhaustive effort that does what any guide like this should do: it delves deep into the subtleties and minutiae of the magic of the show and in the process explains why so many fans are so deeply in love with it in the first place. The guide is a great introduction for newbies to the show or folks coming into it in the middle of a season as well as a great analytical work for House MD obsessives like me.
I thought I knew all about House, but was I wrong. After reading Chasing Zebras, it gave me a whole new insight into House. This book is so well written and easy to follow. I am reading it for a third time. It seems I missed stuff the first time through. If you think you know a lot about House, reading this book will amaze you. It is fantastic!!!!
Chasing Zebras by Barbara Barnett is a great book to read on the subject of House, M.D. It is a clearly written book that will be of interest to anyone who watches the show; be they a casual watcher or a die-hard fan. The book gives insights into the characters and episodes for Seasons One through Six which will add to the readers understanding and enjoyment of the show. The episode-by-episode guide in the book is a wonderful feature. Chasing Zebras is an interesting and fun book to read.
Chasing Zebras, the unofficial guide to House M.D. is a must read. I love everything about this book. It is well written and thought provoking. If you are a fan of the show, this is the book to have and reference back to. This wonderful `unofficial" House M.D. Guide book is written by a true fan of the show and for die hard fans of the brilliant House M.D television series. This superb guide contains detailed analyses for every episode for the six seasons of the series. Inside the book you will read original interviews/comments from producers, directors, writers and actors about all things House. Characters, plots, props, timelines, and more get great analysis and explained in great defined detail. I would recommend this book to anyone that has spent the last 6 years obsessing over the show. It is truly a great companion book to have.
I've seen no more than 6 episodes of HOUSE, M.D., but that was enough for me to enjoy and benefit from "Chasing Zebras." House is not my kind of guy--too rude--but the show appealed to me for some reason. This book helped me understand why. House claims he only cares about solving the medical mysteries, yet somehow you sense that he really has compassion for many of his patients. The book explains the subtle comments and signs that indicate he does. It reflects skillful scriptwriting and acting. In addition, the book's in-depth analysis of House as a brilliant but troubled person humanizes him and creates a level of sympathy that somewhat excuses his behavior. The other main characters are profiled as well. These profiles are a reminder that the more you know about someone--on TV or in real life--the more connected with them you feel.
What this book really did for me, though, was teach me to better understand and appreciate good scriptwriting. Author Barnett, whose own writing I found impressive, explains how the stories and the characters are developed and presented. I plan to watch the show more often, and will be looking and listening more closely for things that reveal motives and insights into the personalites of the characters. I think anyone reading this book will become a smarter viewer, not only of this series, but of other dramas.
It's been a while since I knew Barbara Barnett althought only virtually. I started to read her articles about House on her blog, Welcome to the End of the Thought Process, and I've always found them very exhaustive and passionate. In this Guide Barbara has transferred her passion and her deep knowledge of the show and I am sure all House fans will enjoy it as much as I did.
I am a huge fan of House M.D. and I am now a huge fan of Barbara Barnett. This book proved that no matter how many times you have seen the show, you cannot know everything about it. This book is a guide and reference book to the series that I hope will be updated yearly.
Excellent book. Wonderful analysis of each and every character and episode of the show plus lots of goodies that keeps you turning the page. A must read for the casual viewer and/or fan of the show. No doubt lots of effort has been put into this book.
