The Sopranos: A Family History

by Allen Rucker, David Chase (Creator)

Discusses the history of the fictional family, including information about Tony Soprano's childhood and life as part of the Soprano family, and provides information about the cast of the HBO series and a synopsis of the first two seasons.

Genres: Tv, Pop Culture, Fiction

Hardcover

First published November 1, 2000

About the author

Allen Rucker is an American writer and author. Born in Wichita Falls, Texas, and raised in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, he earned a B.A. from Washington University in St. Louis (1967), an M.A. in American Culture from the University of Michigan (1969), and another M.A. in communication from Stanford University (1977).

Reviews

[Brian]

This companion book to the great HBO series The Sopranos purports to be based on the “voluminous research notes” that “noted Mafia expert Jeffrey Wernick ... had compiled on the Soprano crime family.” In other words, it treats the Sopranos as a real-life Mafia family, and it contains “genuine” FBI transcripts, witness interview statements, and other documents.

(The fictional Wernick, played by Timothy Nolen, appears in a TV interview that Christopher Moltisanti watches in the eighth episode of Season One, “The Legend of Tennessee Moltisanti.”)

The book describes the genesis of the TV series as follows: “TV writer-producer David Chase decided to create a dramatic series based on the lives of the Sopranos. Through a stroke of good fortune, he gained access to Jeffrey Wernick’s unedited research files.” The book notes that not only are the show’s stories “strikingly close to the real-life drama,” but even more remarkably, “the actors are so similar in look and tone to their real counterparts.”

The book goes on to include a good interview with David Chase, profiles of the primary cast members, and detailed episode recaps. It also features a “body count” section that includes short bios of all the characters who died, either by violence or otherwise.

The book is very informative and a lot of fun. Unfortunately, it only covers the first four seasons of The Sopranos, but even so, I would recommend it to any fan of the series.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun book for those of us who didn't watch the series but know enough about it to want to understand more. Written at the end of Season 2, it tells you about all the characters and episodes from the first 2 seasons.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best Sopranos book ever!! Thanks, WJ!!

[Moki Javier · Rating 4 out of 5]

TIME TO BUST THIS OUT ALONG WITH THE DVDs. #ripjames

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

First and Second Season Edition. Beach Trip May 2001.