Essential for fans, with a revelation on every page.
A multivocal history of one of the greatest TV shows ever made.
Imperioli and Schirripa, who played Christopher Moltisanti and Bobby Baccalieri on The Sopranos, took the occasion of the pandemic to watch every episode (86) of the series and then dissect it with the help of cast and crew. This book draws on the resulting podcast, with 44 cast members and 20 crew members, including creator David Chase, in tow. There’s plenty of news here—e.g., that Michael Rispoli, who played Jackie Aprile, and Steven Van Zandt, who played Silvio Dante, were both in the running for the role of Tony Soprano. James Gandolfini eventually won that role, and it’s hard to imagine anyone else in it. On that note, as the authors write, “Can you imagine The Sopranoswith Lorraine Bracco as Carmela, instead of Edie Falco? Turns out that very easily could have happened.” Bracco, though, opted to play Jennifer Melfi, the psychiatrist, by virtue of the fact that she represented an intelligent Italian woman, altogether too rare in film and TV portrayals. The authors locate the origin of the series in a 1996 indie movie directed by Steve Buscemi called Trees Lounge, a film in which not much happens but in which many of the cast members of The Sopranosmade appearances three years before the series launched. Devotees will revel in the stroll into series minutiae, from the accompanying music to how characters were slated to die (said Tony Sirico, aka Paulie Walnuts, to a writer, “You ever write a script where I die, first I die, then you die”). In many sections, the conversation goes deep: Who would have noticed that when Tony and Dr. Melfi appear together, their clothing colors “either match or clash”? Of course, there’s plenty of discussion about the last scene of the final episode, with Schirripa opining, “I feel Tony Soprano is alive and well and living in New Jersey.”
Essential for fans, with a revelation on every page.Pub Date: Nov. 2, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-06-309002-6
Page Count: 528
Publisher: Morrow/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
PERSPECTIVES
A blissfully vicarious, heartfelt glimpse into the life of a Manhattan burlesque dancer.
A former New York City dancer reflects on her zesty heyday in the 1970s.
Discovered on a Manhattan street in 2020 and introduced on Stanton’s Humans of New York Instagram page, Johnson, then 76, shares her dynamic history as a “fiercely independent” Black burlesque dancer who used the stage name Tanqueray and became a celebrated fixture in midtown adult theaters. “I was the only black girl making white girl money,” she boasts, telling a vibrant story about sex and struggle in a bygone era. Frank and unapologetic, Johnson vividly captures aspects of her former life as a stage seductress shimmying to blues tracks during 18-minute sets or sewing lingerie for plus-sized dancers. Though her work was far from the Broadway shows she dreamed about, it eventually became all about the nightly hustle to simply survive. Her anecdotes are humorous, heartfelt, and supremely captivating, recounted with the passion of a true survivor and the acerbic wit of a weathered, street-wise New Yorker. She shares stories of growing up in an abusive household in Albany in the 1940s, a teenage pregnancy, and prison time for robbery as nonchalantly as she recalls selling rhinestone G-strings to prostitutes to make them sparkle in the headlights of passing cars. Complemented by an array of revealing personal photographs, the narrative alternates between heartfelt nostalgia about the seedier side of Manhattan’s go-go scene and funny quips about her unconventional stage performances. Encounters with a variety of hardworking dancers, drag queens, and pimps, plus an account of the complexities of a first love with a drug-addled hustler, fill out the memoir with personality and candor. With a narrative assist from Stanton, the result is a consistently titillating and often moving story of human struggle as well as an insider glimpse into the days when Times Square was considered the Big Apple’s gloriously unpolished underbelly. The book also includes Yee’s lush watercolor illustrations.
A blissfully vicarious, heartfelt glimpse into the life of a Manhattan burlesque dancer.Pub Date: July 12, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-250-27827-2
Page Count: 192
Publisher: St. Martin's
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2022
An engrossing and ominous chronicle, told by a master of the form.
Documenting perilous times.
In his most recent behind-the-scenes account of political power and how it is wielded, Woodward synthesizes several narrative strands, from the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection and Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel to the 2024 presidential campaign. Woodward’s clear, gripping storytelling benefits from his legendary access to prominent figures and a structure of propulsive chapters. The run-up to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is tense (if occasionally repetitive), as a cast of geopolitical insiders try to divine Vladimir Putin’s intent: “Doubt among allies, the public and among Ukrainians meant valuable time and space for Putin to maneuver.” Against this backdrop, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham implores Donald Trump to run again, notwithstanding the former president’s denial of his 2020 defeat. This provides unwelcome distraction for President Biden, portrayed as a thoughtful, compassionate lifetime politico who could not outrace time, as demonstrated in the June 2024 debate. Throughout, Trump’s prevarications and his supporters’ cynicism provide an unsettling counterpoint to warnings provided by everyone from former Joint Chief of Staff Mark Milley to Vice President Kamala Harris, who calls a second Trump term a likely “death knell for American democracy.” The author’s ambitious scope shows him at the top of his capabilities. He concludes with these unsettling words: “Based on my reporting, Trump’s language and conduct has at times presented risks to national security—both during his presidency and afterward.”
An engrossing and ominous chronicle, told by a master of the form.Pub Date: Oct. 15, 2024
ISBN: 9781668052273
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 15, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2024
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