About The Book

When The Wire premiered in 2002, many were surprised that HBO would take on a cop show, one of broadcast television’s favorite genres. But The Wire was no average show. It started with a cops-and-criminals tale set in a Baltimore housing project and spun out from there. A sprawling, textured portrait of an American city in decline, The Wire moved from the streets to the docks, and from city hall to the public schools. The ultimate companion to the celebrated show, The Wire: Truth Be Told is a must-have book for all fans, including essays from writers David Simon, George Pelecanos, Laura Lippman, and others; interviews with the show’s creators; captivating behind-the-scenes details on the making of the show; fascinating true stories behind favorite characters; hundreds of photos; overviews of each of the The Wire‘s five distinct seasons; and entertaining summaries of all sixty episodes.

Praise

“The Wire will knock the breath out of you . . . literary television that broadens the mind and blows the heart open . . . a beautiful, brave series.” —Virginia Heffernan, The New York Times

“The breadth and ambition of The Wire are unrivaled . . . taken cumulatively over the course of a season—any season—it’s an astonishing display of writing, acting, and storytelling that must be considered alongside the best literature and filmmaking in the modern era.” —Tim Goodman, San Francisco Chronicle

“Weaving a sprawling tapestry of both the TV drama and the Baltimore cityscape, Alvarez, a Baltimore Sun reporter for 20 years and The Wire staff write, has compiled engrossing, definitive coverage certain to lure HBO viewers into bookstores.” —Publishers Weekly

Awards

Nominated for a 2011 Edgar Allen Poe Award for Best Critical/Biography