All the Pieces Matter: The Inside Story of The Wire®

I just stumbled onto this book, but when I did, I had to read it. The Wire was my favorite show for years, and the kind of deep dive offered here was very valuable. Virtually the entire cast and a lot of crew provide an extensive oral history of the Wire, and I tore through it really quickly.Quite often you come across articles and books that describe a creative work through the perspective of a writer, or a number of actors. The approach here is more broad-based, focusing on the look of the show, and it's relationship to the Baltimore community, as well as the up-front talent.Any fan of the Wire,or anyone interested in how great TV is made, often despite the studios and networks, will find something of interest here.

Abrams is a fantastic reporter who excels at earning his subjects' trust. This is a treasure trove of anecdotes and insider info for anyone who loved The Wire. Some knowledge of the show's events and themes is probably a prerequisite for enjoying or even understanding the book, since many of the interviews proceed from an assumption that the reader knows the show intimately. For real Wire obsessives, the most interesting contribution may come from series co-creator Ed Burns, whose reclusive nature has kept his voice hidden from most of the discourse up until this point but shows himself here unafraid to barbecue a few of the show's sacred cows.

overall, the book is entertaining. Fans of the wire will enjoy the stories, particularly the off the set camaraderie among the cast. I would have liked to have seen more balanced reporting; the author leaned too much on Andre Royo, Michael K. Williams, and Wendell Pierce to name a few. Little from Wood Harris and other characters critical to show's intrigue. Author chose curious points of focus. Example, dedicates more time/analysis to the character Snoop than any other character. Snoop's a fine character but curious to dedicate that much ink to a bit character.I'd recommend this with reservations that enthusiastic Wire fans temper expectations.

I got into the television show, The Wire, late like many viewers. I had been reading all the press and finally decided to catch up on the first three seasons prior to season four, widely considered to be the best of the series, in 2007. It was ground breaking in its realism, season long story arcs and the overall theme of the futility of institutions such as police, the government, schools, and the press. Jonathan Abrams has produced a book, All The Pieces Matter: The Inside Story Of The Wire, in which he interviews cast and crew about the ground breaking former HBO series, whose popularity seems to increase as each year passes. Obviously, this is a book for fans of the show. The are some interesting anecdotes and insights into how the show was made and obstacles they faced to get five seasons for an HBO series with a low viewer audience. I enjoyed the look back at my favorite TV series of all-time.

The author interviewed David Simon, Ed Burns, Nina Noble, three other major writers, several directors, and a huge number of the cast. It discussed the casting, the locations, the sources of the characters and stories, behind the scenes with HBO, and a bunch of just amazing gems.You'll learn about how Bunk got the job, that Naymond's mom is actually a great person in real life (and who she based her horrific character off of), and the joke that Frankie Faison (Burrell) told when Kima was in the hospital.This is fantastic. You'll devour it in days.

Excellent behind the scenes look at the best show ever on television. Lots of contributions from all the major cast members (who are still with us) as well as insight on the driving forces behind the show. Highly recommended for Wire enthusiasts.

Very disappointed in this "book." I didn't focus on the fact that it said "oral history" in the description. I don't really understand how this so-called book can even have an author - he hardly wrote anything himself. The entire thing is transcripts of what people involved in the show have said. The problem is it is never clear when they said this, were they together at a panel of some sort, or were they interviewed together or individually, there are no questions posed or topics introduced, it's just long quotation after quotation, just streams of thought. At first I thought they were having a conversation but I don't think so since what they are saying doesn't seem to flow like dialogue. Sometimes it is just pure rambling. I'm sure I would enjoy listening to audio of them on a panel discussing this stuff, or being interviewed, but reading a transcript is quite dull and again there absolutely no context given. Additionally, there is a lot of input from very minor characters, and not nearly enough from major characters, which I thought very strange. It's just a very awkward presentation that I've never seen before in any book. If the "author" took what these cast and crew members said and then wrote an analysis from it - it would be much more readable and enjoyable.

With in-depth analysis from all the major players, this book delivers a great inside look at how creative decisions and interpersonal conflicts led to such an amazing series. Input from co-creators David Simon and Ed Burns is particularly valuable to understand why the series went in the variety of directions it did. One enhancement that would’ve aided this reader would be a summary of each season (either within the text or as an index), although there’s enough context and discussion to gradually ascertain what happened for those with faulty memories when it comes narrative details and the sprawling cast. Overall, this is a wonderful way to remember the unforgettable series and those who made it so special.

Incredible read, highly recommended to any Wire fans. Perfect gift!

An absolutely fantastic read. One thing I love in particular is that each time an actor is speaking they put the character name in brackets so you know who is speaking. So many oral histories just put the character/title of the speaker once, and it can be difficult to track.

Terrific oral history of the best tv show of all time. Insightful and thoughtful. An invaluable document. Highly recommended for fans of the show.

A must have companion to the brilliant series.

I enjoyed the book with a lot of insight on one of the greatest series ever. Must read for the fans of the wire

MUST READ FOR FANS OF THE WIRE

If you liked The Wire, you will love this book.

Very good book my boyfriend loves it.

Outstanding read for any Wire fan!

Excellent read.

Fast and easy

Perfect gift for my husband