This is a total must read for both casual and supers fans of The Sopranos! The oral history reads like Michael Imperioli and Steve Schirripa are reading this book to you. They have amazing interviews with the cast and crew of the show, as well as countless memories of filming the show and getting to know one another offscreen as well. I loved it!

The Sopranos was the first great tv series that I have seen, more than 20 years ago, and it stayed among my favorites for all that period. Two years ago I rewatched it, wondering whether I may be disappointed – nope, despite two decades of many great shows, this one still is among the best.

I know that I am not alone in that opinion – and this book was published for all of us. You will love it if you've loved the show – there are so many details from the set, memories of the cast, and just fun facts.

Thanks to the publisher, William Morrow, and NetGalley for the advance copy of this book.

Obviously, this is a read for Sopranos fans. If you don’t like the show, move on. The way it is written, it is basically like a string of interviews about how the show was made. Starting with how the show found its cast, and then broken up into seasons ( as the seasons progress, of course new cast is added. When someone new pops up in the show, they are added to the chapter of the season they started in, as opposed to the casting at the beginning which is saved for first season cast.)

The authors obviously have an extensive knowledge of being in the show, since they are two of the actors from it! This also explains why they were able do get so many people on board for the book. They also have a podcast ( I didn’t know of the podcast until I picked up this book, haven’t checked it out yet.) The book was inspired by the actors not realizing how much people still cared about the Sopranos 20 years later, until they starting looking on social media when the pandemic hit.

I truly enjoyed reading how everything came together, from casting to antics on set. They highlighted a bunch of my favorite memories from the show ( especially when Tony has “business” to take care of while taking Meadow do look at colleges), and I found out a lot of interesting things about the behind the scenes world. Read the book, then rewatch the show!

The review may be posted in part, in full, or severely edited on my blog.
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The downside is that this comes off as a condensed version of the podcast. I can't completely confirm this as I am not up on the current episodes (I have very little kid-free drive time these days), but I have listened to it here and there. Enough to know that at least parts of it are definitely transcribed. That said, there are transitional passages written in that were done specifically for the book.

On the other hand, this isn't wholly a "bad" thing. If for whatever reason you aren't listening to the podcast, you can still get to the meat of the experience. As the saying goes: "Nostalgia is a hell of a drug" and this was a nice little dose.

Overall, I did enjoy it, but I'd only listened to the first 5 or 6 episodes of the podcast so a lot of the book was new information. If you've listened to all or most of it, you may want to give this one a quick flip through before deciding to go ahead.

As a huge fan of The Sopranos as well as the podcast, Talking Sopranos, when I was provided with an advanced readers copy of Woke Up This Morning, I was ecstatic.

I thought I would fly through this book, but there was a piece of me that never wanted it to end. So I took my time. A chapter here and there, just enjoying the experience of getting to know all the behind the scenes details.

Having listened to Talking Sopranos, I knew very much of what was going to be written, but there were still a few surprises. Michael Imperioli and Steve Schirippa did an impressive job splicing their interviews with Sopranos cast and crew members together.

I loved revisiting each of the episodes with them and hearing their personal stories.

More than anything, while this book was obviously an honest and revealing book about the age of The Sopranos, which is undoubtedly one of our greatest television shows of all time, it is also a tribute to James Gandolfini.

Jim or “Jimmy” as he is so lovingly called by his former costars, was a man who made you feel valued. He was a GOOD person, and of course I loved reading about all of the characters, but their candid memories of Gandolfini really struck a chord with me. I kept thinking “Wow, he seems like such a good person. We need more of that today.”

And as I turned the final page in the book, I realized, this book is not just for the fans of The Sopranos.

This book is for James Gandolfini.

Thank you, Michael and Steve for sharing this work.

And thank you to NetGalley for this advanced reader copy.

I loved “The Sopranos” and I love getting behind the scenes stories, so I really enjoyed this book. There was a lot of information that I hadn’t heard before, and now I’m going to re-watch the entire series with a new perspective. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I've listened to a few episodes of Michael and Steve's podcast Talking Sopranos and enjoy what I heard. They have a good odd couple energy and are able to make their non-Sopranos tangents entertaining. (I especially enjoyed Steve calling out the worst celebrity tippers from his time working in Vegas.)

This book compiles a lot of the Sopranos-centric interviews and musings from the podcast and I found it to be very informative and entertaining. You really get the feeling of how much of a family this cast and crew became and it makes me want to revisit the show.

This detailed account of The Sopranos TV series is a window into the production, cast, and crew of what some have said is the greatest TV show of all time. Imperioli and Schrippa interviewed directors, writers, actors, and others who were part of creating this show. The interviews are honest, humorous and enlightening. The authors' voices give an added layer to the information. Their tone is both conversational and entertaining.

Beginning with a journey that includes their 20th Anniversary in conversation tour to their 'Sopranos' re-watch to their smash hit podcast, 'Talking Sopranos'--Steven Schirripa and Michael Imperioli finally bring their witty banter and master class insight to book form with 'Woke Up This Morning'. There have been many literary and theatrical comparisons made to what influenced 'The Sopranos' and how the show continues to influence all these years later. The global reach of this show is what fuels the desire to keep talking about it, revealing layer after layer of its genius and relatability. Here, led by Imperioli and Schirripa, several of the actors and creators, themselves, discuss their stories and experiences for readers. And the confluence of creatives is indeed stellar. There are not two better custodians of 'The Sopranos' lore than Schirripa and Imperioli. Their friendship, outreach, and warmth is as much a gift to their audiences as we imagine it must be to those who know them and work(ed) with them in real life. They are the natural keepers of a television legacy that remains timeless and enduring. And we thank them deeply for it

Really excellent and entertaining oral history of one of the most popular and critically acclaimed series ever. Insider insights and an affectionate tone make this a joy to read. Great for fans of the show as well as collections dealing with media and cinema.