Review: "Don't Stop Believin', The Unofficial Guide to Glee"

A lot of unofficial or unauthorized GLEE books claim to be the ultimate must-have for any fan of the hit FOX series. Well with Don’t Stop Believin’: The Unofficial Guide to Glee, this is the only book I have read so far that should be considered a must-have. As a new member of the GLEEK GUIDE staff, I was asked (as my first official job) to write a review of this book. As soon as it came in the mail, just flipping through the pages and glancing at what was to come made me excited to sink my teeth into what was sure to be a great GLEE book.

After telling readers about the format of their book, authors Erin Balser and Suzanne Gardner start things off with two chapters dedicated to the origins and making of the show. We learn, among things, creator Ryan Murphy’s collaboration with writer Brad Falchuk, similarities between GLEE and Murphy’s series for the WB called POPULAR, and the impact GLEE has had in the music and television industry.

After these chapters we hit the section that most fans know about: cast biographies. However, after reading them, you realize that most fans think they know about the cast. Each cast biography features some information that has not been circulating the Internet, including their original audition songs, similarities (if any) to their respected characters, their background in theatre/film/music, and more. This section is what starts off the journey into this wonderful and informative book.

Finally, we reach the episode guide. This section is not an ordinary episode guide that you may see or read in other books. Besides the original air date and summary, you get behind-the-scenes info on each episode. After the episode summary, the authors explain what they think were the best and worst moments of the episode, then the subsections that follow are what really got me interested. Highlights for me included “Behind-the-Music” which features background info on each song that was performed, and “Give My Regards to Broadway” which has the musical references and how they relate to the episode, and “Off-Key” which gives us the details about little blips or bloopers made during editing.

The authors of Don’t Stop Believin’ were also able to get interviews with a few of the cast members which include Stephen Tobolowsky (Sandy Ryerson), Heather Morris (Brittany), Kent Avenido (Howard Bamboo) among others. These interviews are something I would have read that would have considered this book “official” because of their in-depth discussions.

This book is a MUST-HAVE for any Gleek!! Get it… now!! This will make a great gift for the holidays!

**** ½ out of 5 stars

Order online at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or ECW Press.