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Publisher comments
The Sopranos is one of the most acclaimed – and popular – shows in the history of American television. Described by the New York Times as ‘the best American TV drama ever made’ and by The Observer as a ‘modern masterpiece’, it has a huge cult following in the UK with over 2 million viewers tuning in weekly to watch New Jersey Mafia crime boss Tony Soprano juggle his deadly life in the mob with his suburban family life and his psychiatrist.
The Sopranos: A Family History takes an in-depth look at the world of Tony Soprano with family, friends, therapists and the ever-present FBI telling the inside story of his schizophrenic life. We learn about all the people who both love him and drive him crazy - his wife Carmela, his children, his nightmare of a mother, Livia and all of his nefarious mob cronies down at the Pork Store – Christopher, Silvio, Paulie Walnuts, and the rest. And of course, it’s all wrapped up in the reflections of the woman who knows his darkest fears and secrets, his shrink, Dr Jennifer Melfi.
Written in a tongue-in-cheek mock-journalistic style, the book gives the whole background, past and present, on the Sopranos ever-expanding web of love, deceit and psychotherapy. It traces the family from its origins in Italy and includes never-before-seen FBI reports, rare family photos and letters, eyewitness accounts of Tony in high school, staff reports on Livia at the Green Grove Retirement Home, excerpts from Christopher’s action-packed screenplay and a ‘Body Count’ of all the speople killed by the crime family. Also included is a special ‘Mobspeak’ glossary so you can tell the difference between capos, cugines and mayonnaisers, as well as cast profiles, in-depth episode summaries and a long interview with the brilliant creator and executive producer of The Sopranos David Chase.
Allen Rucker is a veteran, award-winning American TV writer and the co-author of the best-selling satire, The History of White People in America. Most recently, he wrote the cable special, Family Values: The Mob & the Movies. Allen went to college with Sopranos creator David Chase and has known him for 30 years.
