“All the Pieces Matter” by Jonathan Abrams edited in Canva
Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, meaning that if you click on one of the links and purchase an item, I may receive a commission at no cost to you. All opinions, however, are my own, and I do not accept payments for reviews.
Welcome back my lovely readers! Somehow, some way I managed to read a book in February. I think I’m finally on track to making this a habit! This love month was full of ups and downs for me: I celebrated some fun milestones like turning 26 and ringing in 4 years of my relationship! I also endured yet another oral surgery, and that can really put a damper on things. But, despite this month being a little tougher than usual, I managed to read something, and it was a book I’ve been meaning to read for a very long time!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jonathan Abrams, much like the last author I read, is a New York Times bestselling author! One of his other books—Boys Among Men—is about basketball prodigies who went straight from high school to the NBA. He is a self-proclaimed “late convert” to watching The Wire and expresses the joy he felt in showing the program to his wife for the first time.
ABOUT THE BOOK
All the Pieces Matter is a collective remembrance of the creation of The Wire comprised of interview responses from creators, writers, directors, actors, and others credited to its legacy.
First of all, if you haven’t seen The Wire yet, this show demands to be watched. The episodes are acted exquisitely, its themes and subject matter are unfortunately timeless and relevant. Although presented through a unique and holistic lens, it is written by people who have real-world experience in the concepts and story arcs the show is rooted in. And, if for no other reason, you should watch it simply because it is widely acclaimed as one of the best tv shows of all time—at least watch it for the hype.
This book is wildly fascinating to me because, as enthralling as the show is, it is equally as interesting to read about how it was created. Especially approaching the book from an acting background, reading how the actors perceived their characters or certain scene breakdowns was incredibly enlightening when thinking back on the show as a whole. Plus, a lot of the interviews are pieced together in such a way that certain cast and crewmembers essentially respond to each other’s opinions and either disagree wholeheartedly or expound on another facet of the same opinion, which adds even more depth.
This show, exponentially more so than others I’ve seen, portrays extremely colorful, nuanced, and raw characters and storylines that I reflect on often, even years after watching the show. Consequently, hearing how it was all manufactured and why certain choices were made (down to lighting, costumes, plot points, dialogue, etc.) shed a whole new light onto the work of art that is The Wire and basically allowed me to experience it all again as if it were the first time.
ADDITIONAL DETAILS
- Genre: Television Criticism
- The Wire flopped ratings wise for the entirety of its airtime and only excelled long after it ended
- Abrams first got actor Michael B. Jordan to consent to an interview and struggled to get the rest to agree
This book is thoroughly entertaining for fans of The Wire. The honest opinions and unedited language of everyone associated makes for a sincere behind-the-scenes look at the show and its legacy. This is my favorite book I’ve read in a long time, and I caught myself stopping every page or so to tell Keegan what I learned, which, to me, shows how exciting I found the content. I give it 5 out of 5 stars. ★★★★★
Have you read this book? Wanna chat about it? Any questions? Please let me know your thoughts in the comments below! ♡
INTERESTED? CLICK THE IMAGE BELOW TO CHECK OUT THIS BOOK!
