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All the Pieces Matter
All the Pieces Matter: The Inside Story of The Wire | Jonathan Abrams
17 posts | 10 read | 14 to read
The definitive oral history of the iconic and beloved TV show The Wire, as told by the actors, writers, directors, and others involved in its creation Since its final episode aired in 2008, HBO's acclaimed crime drama The Wire has only become more popular and influential. The issues it tackled, from the failures of the drug war and criminal justice system to systemic bias in law enforcement and other social institutions, have become more urgent and central to the national conversation. The show's actors, such as Idris Elba, Dominic West, and Michael B. Jordan, have gone on to become major stars. Its creators and writers, including David Simon and Richard Price, have developed dedicated cult followings of their own. Universities use the show to teach everything from film theory to criminal justice to sociology. Politicians and activists reference it when discussing policy. When critics compile lists of the Greatest TV Shows of All Time, The Wire routinely takes the top spot. It is arguably one of the great works of art America has produced in the 20th century. But while there has been a great deal of critical analysis of the show and its themes, until now there has never been a definitive, behind-the-scenes take on how it came to be made. With unparalleled access to all the key actors and writers involved in its creation, Jonathan Abrams tells the astonishing, compelling, and complete account of The Wire, from its inception and creation through its end and powerful legacy.
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review
FreeReadAndWrite
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It‘s come to my attention that people don‘t know there is such a comprehensive book about The Wire. The interviews, which build upon one another just as the seasons did, are so insightful that they actually brought me around on season 2. I listened to audio with very talented voice actors who sounded exactly like their real life counterparts, and it was so great I bought a hard copy just to have. Let it enhance your rewatch like it has for me! ❤️

Rachel_nyc I had no idea! Thanks for sharing. 6y
Kimberlone Now I want to read this! I am always recommending this show to people 6y
FreeReadAndWrite @Kimberlone SAME! If you love the show definitely read this book. I'm LOVING rewatching it with new eyes. 6y
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Kimberlone @FreeReadAndWrite more likely to read the book than rewatch. The fourth season totally wracked me emotionally and I don‘t think I could endure it again. Also, Wallace! 6y
FreeReadAndWrite @Kimberlone wallaceeeeee 😩 6y
Kimberlone @FreeReadAndWrite i recently blew a friend of mine‘s mind who is currently watching the show for the first time who had no idea that Wallace was played by Michael B Jordan! 6y
SomedayAlmost The Wire is stellar TV writing. Raised the bar! 6y
Anton This book is great, and it made me realize how much of the writing staff was made up of novelists! 6y
75 likes2 stack adds8 comments
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Samplergal
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#nonfiction2019. This one is for something on my TBR pile over a year.

alisiakae What did you read for the survival prompt? 6y
75 likes2 comments
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Samplergal
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Pickpick

Excellent for true fans of “The Wire”. ❤️#nonfiction2019 #mountTBR

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Samplergal
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I have had this for at least two years and I‘m going to read it this week. My favorite show is The Wire, and this is a collection of interviews of all the members of cast and crew. If you‘ve never seen The Wire, it was written as a book, each episode like a chapter. Truly an amazing series. #nonfiction2019

bookish_wookish I loved this show! 6y
FreeReadAndWrite OMG I LOVE THIS BOOK. I‘m now rewatching the show after reading it & it somehow got better. If anyone‘s considering adding this to their stack I really recommend the audio - it‘s written as a series of interviews & they got voice actors that sound SUPER similar to their real life counterparts 6y
Samplergal @FreeReadAndWrite ❤️❤️❤️ 6y
Samplergal @bookish_wookish ❤️❤️❤️ 6y
106 likes2 stack adds4 comments
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readordierachel
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This is still on my tbr but comes highly recommended from my friend @FreeReadAndWrite My favorite character from the show is Omar ❤, masterfully played by Michael K. Williams. I'm hoping to read it this year and then rewatch the whole series.

(Loose interpretation of #omarsharif, I know, but the best I could do!)

Thanks for a super fun photo challenge @Cinfhen and @vivastory 😁
#musicalnewyear

vivastory Omar was one of my favorite characters. Michael K Williams also plays one of my favorite characters in Boardwalk Empire. I've been meaning to read this one. It's a good idea to do a rewatch afterwards. Thanks for posting, Rachel! 6y
readordierachel @vivastory Thanks for hosting! I've been wanting to watch Boardwalk Empire, cuz I heard Michael Shannon is in it. 6y
readordierachel @vivastory Now I doubly want to watch it for Michael K. Williams! 6y
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batsy Michael K Williams was brilliant in the show 🙌🏽 6y
vivastory @readordierachel Michael Shannon has a great role in it. 6y
vivastory @batsy I think Omar's death was definitely one of the more jaw dropping moments of the show 6y
FreeReadAndWrite Yay! Thanks for the shout out. Anyone planning a rewatch of The Wire, read this book first! I‘m rewatching now & this book gave me an entirely new appreciation. I didn‘t think that show could get any better BUT THEN IT DID 🙌 6y
readordierachel @vivastory @batsy Yeah, I did not see that coming! He really was an unforgettable character. 6y
vivastory @readordierachel @batsy @FreeReadAndWrite One of the most disturbing aspects of the show is how realistic it is. I've heard a lot of lawyers & people in law enforcement say it's the most realistic tv series about drugs. 6y
FreeReadAndWrite @vivastory yeah, I agree. I used to work in community programming with gang members and cops in neighborhoods and I think it‘s realistic on both sides. I also think David Simon is kind of a pretentious ass but I‘m pretty impressed with the lengths of ethnographic study he did to write Homicide & The Corner before doing The Wire. 6y
batsy @readordierachel @vivastory Yes, jaw dropping is the perfect description for how it was! 6y
BarbaraBB I didn‘t know there was a book. Loved the series. And Stringer Bell 😍 6y
Cinfhen This book sounds fascinating! Loved seeing your posts❣️❣️❣️Thanks for joining in 💜 6y
100 likes14 comments
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SAFinlay
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‘All the Pieces Matter‘ - & they so do. A lightening fast read, informative & entertaining, & delightful, a worthy oral history of the making of surely TV‘s best ever drama & finest collaborative writing. The Definitive TV Novel!

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Anton
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Any book that makes you want to go back a re-watch the series it chronicles deserves ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.

Samplergal Bunk! My favorite series ever. So well written. I have this book but haven‘t gotten to it yet. #soManyBooks 7y
Samplergal When I lived in Baltimore, I was down the street about 4 miles from some of the places in season two. So fun to find where they would shoot. 7y
6 likes2 comments
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Anton
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This book is really making me want to do a series re-watch.

vivastory I will definitely be reading this. I love the format of the book 7y
6 likes1 comment
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Anton
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ANDRE ROYO (REGINALD “BUBBLES” COUSINS): If you say you like The Wire, that means you like reading books. That means you give a fuck about the human race. It made you feel like you bettered yourself in the crowd when you say, “My favorite show is The Wire.” All of a sudden, people look at you differently. It became a badge of honor to tell somebody, “Did you hear about The Wire? You got to watch The Wire.”

CatAndKindle The Wire is a great programme 7y
Samplergal Bubs! 7y
6 likes2 comments
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Anton
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Thanks to the library I'm reading this oral history of The Wire, one of the best television series of all time.

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Cormac1
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"Once you finish and you get to that last episode, you can't say, 'I don't know,' anymore- Andre Royo

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meganmayfair
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A must for fans of The Wire.

DrexEdit Welcome to Litsy @meganmayfair ! I did not know about this book. So glad I do now! Stacked! 😊 7y
meganmayfair @DrexEdit thanks! Yes, a great find. Great stories from the cast and crew. 7y
42 likes6 stack adds2 comments
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Samplergal
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I'm going in soon. Finishing some curtains then reading all night.

82 likes1 stack add
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Samplergal
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I just got book mail!!!! Yay me!

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Samplergal
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I‘m so excited! This is available for preorder and I pulled the trigger. The Wire is the most brilliant writing ever and changed all@those series that came after. Written by novelists, it showed. Life will stop when this hits my mailbox! 😄

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TheBookStacker
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I'm almost finished watching The Wire and I got this awesome Galley waiting for me as soon as I finish. I love this show so much, it's definitely one of my favorites up there with The West Wing and The Sopranos!

BarbaraBB Stringer Bell 😍😀 7y
TheBookStacker @BarbaraBB I love me some Idris 💙 7y
BarbaraBB Me too. I stopped watching after he left the series, though I now understand I shouldn't have..? 7y
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Cathythoughts Loved Sopranos too 7y
Samplergal I just pre ordered. Best series ever. I‘m from Baltimore and know David Simon a little. I‘m so exited to get this soon. 7y
Samplergal @BarbaraBB oh you shouldn‘t have. It evolved and wrapped up so beautifully. 7y
31 likes6 comments