The World According to Star Wars

I have been searching for an intelligent, and intellectually written book on Star Wars for a while now. There are so many fascinating and deep discussions to be had based around this series, but most of the resources available are almost mockingly simple and shallow. I have tried multiple different books that promised this only to be disappointed (like the drama of Star Wars). But this book was exactly what I wanted! The author is a genuinely intelligent man who genuinely loves Star Wars and is capable of communicating complex concepts about, and in reference to, the world of Star Wars with out making it sound childish and cheesy.I especially love the range of topics because it flows like an organic conversation, like sitting down with a very smart individual and letting them just talk about what they love. Absolutely brilliant and has given me so much to think about with a new perspective on many things in regards to both the world and my beloved Star Wars.

I bought this little book following an outstanding lecture by the author that I recently heard. Coincidentally on archived cable TV, I had the chance to watch all first 6 Star War films in a 2-day marathon. I was initially put off by the book because its format is a bit confusing--since I didn't know the films in detail, his use of the word "Episodes" in the Contents not representing the film “episodes” was confusing, and the chart on page 143 was even more confusing as I tried to figure out the sequence of films. Also, nowhere were their short summaries of the plots of each film. But, I looked at several other Star Wars books elsewhere, and everywhere there seemed a paucity of plot summaries. I almost wonder if copyright prohibits summarizing the story in a clear way in "unauthorized" books. These and other criticisms I could mention aside, this is an outstanding book by a brilliant author, even if the topic is outside his usual professional arena. But, the author does explain how he developed a profound interest in Star Wars. Basically, he chose to address a wide variety of topics which put the epic venture in various relevant social contexts and widely explore just why the Star War series is both so popular and so significant. As with so many other books on Star Wars I have seen, one can become very confused if one has not seen the films with enjoyment, curiosity, and a good memory. Having not read the extensive other literature on the films, I nevertheless suspect that this book is one of the essentials.

One of the universal traits of fans of any topic or genre is the innate desire to talk to others about their personal passion. In The World According to Star Wars by Cass R. Sunstein, most definitely an enthusiastic Star Wars fan, Sunstein has been given the podium so to speak to direct a number of his thoughts about Star Wars across various topics to the general readership. The result is a fun, light read, which only hiccups a few times when Sunstein steps a little too far trying to excitedly pull too much non-Star Wars into the picture.Cass Sunstein, a Harvard Law professor, brings the analytical mind of his profession to bear in discussing various elements of Star Wars the franchise. Across ten chapters, referred to as ‘Episodes,’ Sunstein grapples with Star Wars in two different ways. First, Sunstein explores why exactly Star Wars is popular in the first place, beginning with the original film in 1977. The exploration of its popularity leads to discussion of the themes of the film and following trilogies, such as the Christian theological components, the family elements, and the political statements that constitute the fabric upon which our intergalactic Bayeux Tapestry is stitched upon. Second, the author deliberates on how Star Wars can be applicable to real life, providing examples within the Star Wars universe to demonstrate aspects of the real world. This extends to everything from real world perception of athletes to a lengthy side trip into how Constitutional law has evolved over the course of the United States’ history.The result is almost always entertaining, though be warned, in the course of explaining how for example popularity of a topic can grow, Sunstein unflinchingly dedicates a number of pages to academic approaches and studies. Undoubtedly, he has reduced them to their barest parts for ease of understanding, but at times, the weeds still grow a little high and the reader’s attention threatens to wander away with hopes of getting back to the true topic at hand, Star Wars. There are a couple of instances of this occurring, but they are generally brief and do provide a new perspective to frame the how and why of Star Wars’ popularity or the manner in which the Emperor Palpatine may not have expected the rebellion to be as successful as it was.The roughest chapter, surprisingly, is the second to last, dedicated to Constitutional law. Literally Sunstein’s bread and butter, and perhaps because he is a passionate teacher of the subject, it’s a section that overstays its welcome. Granted, as survivors of a Constitutional Law class ourselves, our own knowledge may have made the topic a bit more ho hum than it truly is, but nevertheless, the chapter felt a few pages too long. Length is an issue for The World According to Star Wars, as it’s a fairly short book, only 180 pages, discounting notes, index and acknowledgments. It’s also published in a physically smaller format, which stretches out the page count with pages that have full sized text but are not printed on your typical full sized page.None of these complaints represent a reason not to sit down and read The World According to Star Wars, as it is a thoroughly enjoyable work. It does offer bits of information about the origin of Star Wars, which makes one want to immediately run out and purchase J.W. Rinzler’s heralded history of the making of the film. Likewise, from a fan perspective, it’s fun to engage in a conversation with the text over the Star Wars related topics Sunstein raises, such as the proper viewing order of the current films or the even more controversial issue of ranking the films by quality (perhaps the most contentious moment in the book). Sunstein also offers one of the best distilled explanations of Joseph Campbell’s monomyth, providing a framework which allows for easy application to not just Star Wars, but every tale or story that has embedded itself into our cultural consciousness.If you are a fan of Star Wars, you will enjoy Cass Sunstein’s The World According to Star Wars. If you enjoy analytical evaluations of different subjects or genres, you may also enjoy this work. The World According to Star Wars, at its current Amazon price of $12/13 is affordable gift to any Star Wars fan, including one’s self, which guarantees a light and enjoyable discourse on one of our favorite topics.

Here is what I expected: Legal analysis of Star Wars, science fiction, or anything really.What I got: Some cursory analysis of Star Wars, familiar to anyone interested enough in the series to pick up a copy of this book and devoid of meaningful legal analysis that sheds light on our constitutional system or the one submerged beneath the Empire.My takeaway: Not worth it. If you are interested enough in Star Wars to be considering this book, then it doesn't provide anything interesting (and most of the book will frustrate you as Sunstein flips between wildly speculating and plagiarizing from reddit). If you are a committed Star Wars fan (as I am), though, the book is enjoyable for its focus on the early history of Star Wars alone. For that, I give it three stars. But in the end the book is just one person's summary of various Star Wars theories without any of the interesting analysis you might expect from someone as qualified as Sunstein.

Even though this arrived after christmas the year I bought it my boyfriend still loved it and to this day still has it. He's the biggest Star Wars nerd and it was perfect for him!!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Written by someone who loves Star Wars, even the parts, characters, and movies that are not universally loved, the author does an excellent job of illustrating Star Wars history, it's place in our society, how the series was influenced by politics, religion, and culture, and vice versa

Excelente libro, es muy claro en todos sus pensamientos.

A volte un po’ troppo su Star Wars ma il titolo lo giustifica

This book is an analysis of the Star Wars saga that doesn't take itself as seriously and is one of the most honest I've read. It acknowledges that Star Wars prefers to show not tell. Thus, the Star Wars saga is open to multiple interpretations, and a source of endless discourse. The book highlights the cross-cultural appeal of Star Wars and the common ground it can build for dialogue. This is also a helpful book in these times and with the revelations of bots and hackers using The Last Jedi (and likely The Rise of Skywalker) to drive up the divide and polarization in the USA.

I read this book in just under a day. It's a light but engaging read for any Star Wars fans who feel that it contains obvious resonances for many of life's personal and political challenges. In terms of how Star Wars became the phenomenon that it is, it is a fascinating read in view of the low expectations many people had of it before it was released. As someone who is interested in network theory and social change, this book resonates very nicely with books such as "The Power of Habit" by Duhigg and the writings of Watts. This is a very accessible read and the book wears its intelligence lightly on its sleeve. A good summertime read!

Arrived promptly and as described - thank you. Bought for a star wars fan, so I'm sure he'll be pleased with it.