The Wire: Truth Be Told (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "Swear to God, it isn't a cop show..." (more)
Key Phrases: grain pier, drug crew, homicide unit, David Simon, Frank Sobotka, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Tony Kushner

Not the usual coffee-table photo book, but something substantial, complex, honest, challenging, revealing, funny and also unprecedented, unique-a book, in other words, worthy of "The Wire."

Product Description

Welcome to the critically acclaimed HBO drama series The Wire, hailed as "the best show on television, period" by the San Francisco Chronicle. The New York Times calls it "a vital part of the television landscape...unvarnished realism." Time declares that The Wire, "like its underfunded, workaday cops, just plugged away until it outshone everything else on TV."

The Wire stands not only as riveting drama but also as a sociopolitical treatise with ambitions beyond any television serial. The failure of the drug war, the betrayal of the working class, the bureaucratization of the culture and the cost to individual dignity -- such are the themes of the drama's first two seasons. And with every new episode of season three and beyond, another layer of modern urban life will be revealed. Gritty, densely layered, and realistic, The Wire is series television at its very best, told from the point of view of the Baltimore police, their targets, and many of those caught in the middle.

Rafael Alvarez -- a reporter, essayist, and staff writer for the show -- brings the reader inside, detailing many of the real-life incidents and personalities that have inspired the show's storylines and characters, providing the reader with insights into the city of Baltimore -- itself an undeniable character in the series. Packed with photographs and featuring an introduction by series creator and executive producer David Simon, as well as essays by acclaimed authors George Pelecanos, Laura Lippman, and Anthony Walton, here is an invaluable resource for both fans of the show and viewers who have yet to discover The Wire.

Hollywood has long used the cop drama to excite and entertain, and Hollywood has always dictated the terms. But The Wire is filmed entirely in Baltimore, conceived by Baltimoreans, and written by rust-belt journalists and novelists intimately familiar with the urban landscape. It's as close as television has yet come to allowing an American city to tell its own tale.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Pocket (September 14, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743497325
• ISBN-13: 978-0743497329
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #103,120 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

79 of 92 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gritty Sociology and Political Economy of Urban Crime, November 5, 2004

By	Ernest Yanarella "Ernie Yanarella" (Lexington, KY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Anyone interested in seeing what a group of creative and compassionate writers bound by little network interference can do with a subject matter and a place caught in the throes of globalization, deindustrialization, and mounting despair and hopelessness for a large segment of the population need go no further than this book. More penetrating and revealing than dry scholarly tomes on these subjects, the writers of this book divulge the often painful tensions of producing, writing, and filming "The Wire," arguably the best dramatic series on television. Precisely because it grows out of the knowledge and life experiences of the producers, writers, and actors who have lived in this city, the series has a ring of authenticity and pathos that past commercial crime series for the most part lacked. Building upon the critical acclaim of "Homicide," the producers and writers led by David Simon and the late Bob Colesberry take "The Wire" to a new level of quality, realism, and art. The discerning watcher is rewarded with complex character sketches, twisting and demanding plots, and stunning filming that almost literally keep the viewer glued to the screen. In addition, the series puts a spotlight on both the irrationalities of the contemporary drug war and the humanity and moral complexity of even the most hardened criminal or drug kingpin. Humor, tragedy, callousness, and irony. Love, sex, drugs, and rock'n roll. Compassion, despair, hope, and avarice. All these ingredients combine into an extended annual series that peels open a layer of the city of Baltimore through stories that tell us much of the hellish possibilities and tender and healing moments of urban America slouching into the first decade of the new Millennium. This is a book with chapters by many of the series' principal contributors. It is a work that deepens one's appreciation for the series' creativity and genius, as well as its profound tragic sense of life and unrelieved tensions. Covering the first two seasons of the program, the book enhances the true fan's knowledge of the series with delightful vignettes, juicy tidbits and nuggets, and honest portraits of the characters who populate the series and the actors who inhabit those characters. Once started, the avid viewer will not be able to put it down. Guaranteed!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars First Timers Only, December 29, 2007

By	LVT06 - See all my reviews

As with the earlier review, because this book is mostly episode summaries of the TV series, it doesn't give die-hard fans any real production or factual background. There are some interesting sidebar sections about the writers, cast and the city that will appeal to fan interest. But if you've followed all the seasons and own the DVDs, this book won't add much to your appreciation.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars One for the fans, October 28, 2007

By	Juha K. (Helsinki, Finland) - See all my reviews

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This book will be the most rewarding if you're already familiar with The Wire as well as David Simon's earlier work (Homicide; The Corner).

I thoroughly enjoyed the interviews (such as the one with a real-life drugs kingpin), background stories (like the tale of the "real Bubbles") and trivia (cameo roles, music picks etc.) They brought a lot more depth to the show and made me love it even more.

Episode capsules from the first two seasons take up quite a bit of the book, but there's still plenty to discover for devoted fans. Those unfamiliar with the show should probably start with the DVD sets before picking up this book.