The Wire is the greatest novel I've ever read, except it's a TV show. This recommendation may be indicative of my diminutive literary acumen, I'm aware of this, but I've never quite experienced a protracted sprawling epic of a story that held my interest before. Remember I like reading comics (not that there's anything wrong with that, and there are exceptions in the medium e.g. Watchmen). The Wire has multiple characters, multiple story threads that tie together, moral ambiguity, hyper realism, corrupt officials, sympathetic villains, and by the end of it all, it feels like it was worth the time that it took to watch it (that's a lot of it's). It gave me that greedy feeling where you can't stop watching, but where you hope it never ends*. After the final episode was finished, I reluctantly ejected the DVD. I was sad it was over, but happy that I'd experienced a masterpiece. The Wire is the greatest TV series of all time. The internet would have you believe that this assessment is based on my being white, but don't let my pigmentation fool you, I'm only 4/7's white (depending how many generations you go back). No, I think I like The Wire because it's good.
me being white
Stephen King, prolific hack or evil genius depending on who you listen to, once said something to the effect of (warning I have about as a reliable a memory as most people): how can you expect some one to be moved by what you've written if you've never had that feeling yourself. Well, now I've had that feeling. Sort of. The proof is in pudding as they say, but what if you want cake? I think you see where I'm going with this. Eat it too. I opened a book not long after the completion of my fondly remembered greatest TV show ever, and it was also good (it's the Atonement by Ian McEwan, almost finished).
Wow, could it be The Wire was my sitting under a bodhi tree while on the road to Damascus moment? I've gone to church for 30 years and never had a revelation like this before. My brain has been totally re-wired (ha). The secret I think, as corny as it sounds, is that I now care about fictional characters as if they were real people. A sign that my deep and abiding misanthropy (perhaps a residual relic of my aforementioned 30 years of piety) is fading. This can only bode well for humanity at large. Do you know what this means? I can read. Watch out when I start writing.
*some one else made up the greedy feeling quote, but I can't remember who
