Don't Stop Believin': The Unofficial Guide to Glee

by Erin Balser, Suzanne Gardner

The kids in McKinley High School’s glee club, New Directions, might not be the most popular, but Glee is unquestionably a runaway hit. Since its premiere in May 2009, Glee has exploded as one of the most popular hours on TV, earning an astounding 19 Emmy nominations in its first season. In addition to the show’s staggering success, Glee’s songs have been heating up the music charts, with 25 tracks on the 2009 hot 100 list, a hit-rate topped only by the Beatles when they had 31 hits in 1964. Don’t Stop Believin’ pays tribute to the glorious mash-up of music, comedy, drama and social commentary that has put Glee and its band of misfits in the spotlight. Written by gleeks extraordinaire Erin Balser and Suzanne Gardner, the book is jam-packed with: • an in-depth episode-by-episode exploration of the show, focusing on themes, storylines and main characters • all the details on the hit songs in every episode, behind-the-scenes happenings and the show’s entertainment and cultural references • exclusive interviews with Glee actors including Stephen Tobolowsky (Sandy Ryerson), Heather Morris (Brittany), and Ken Avenido (Howard Bamboo) • personal stories from fellow gleeks about what the show means to them • biographies of the principal players and guest stars • the story of the making of Glee and how it was brought to life by creator Ryan Murphy • fun and informative sidebars • terrific on- and off-set photos of the cast Capturing all the highs and lows of this ground-breaking series, Don’t Stop Believin’ is a show-stopping guide to Glee’s journey — the perfect companion for fans who demand an encore once the curtain falls.

Genres: Nonfiction, Tv, LGBT, Canada

290 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2010

Reviews

[Crissy Calhoun · Rating 5 out of 5]

Because my job is rather awesome, I get to read books ahead of the pub date and this is one I was looking forward to. This book is PACKED with info on GLEE and everything that goes into making an episode sing -- from the music to the wardrobe to the actors to the choreography to the little factoids only a super fan would know. I'm one of those grumpy "first half was better than the second" Glee fans, but every page of Don't Stop Believin' kept my interest. Five Rachel Berry gold stars!

[Alea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don't Stop Believin' in my mind was pretty perfect when it comes to giving all the dish and facts on Glee. It starts off with a few chapters on how Glee came to be and backgrounds for all the main cast. Then it dives into the bulk of the book, breakdowns of all the episodes.

I loved how the episodes were broken up into sections, so say you weren't interested in the best Sue quotes from the episode (How Sue Cs It) then you could just skip that section, but who wouldn't be interested in that! I personally read and enjoyed all the sections, my only comment would be that it would have been nice to have a Brittany quote section, though her quotes often popped up in other sections of the recaps. I also thought it was cool that there was a section that compared Ryan Murphy's other show Popular to Glee (That's Pretty Popular), which made me decide it was about time to watch Popular again, and so I am.

I think this guide lends itself wonderfully to all sorts of Glee fans, the ones like me that want to gobble up all the information all at the same time and read it straight through, and those that would prefer to leisurely flip through when they are watching a certain episode, it's all here. There is even a small section of color photos in the middle, not so large that it eats up the rest of the book but enough to give your eyes a rest half way through.

If you are a fan of Glee, hands down this Glee guide is for you!

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not the type of person who would spend money on a unofficial guide to a TV series. The reasonable price of this book--$10 to $14 dollars depending on where you look--would help to change my mind. This book is full of new facts that even avid Glee fans will find interesting. Even the two small subsections I did not enjoy could not take away from my enjoyment of this book.

Please check out my full review here

[Ashley Lockhart · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was an absolutely wonderful book! It was extremely comprehensive and was organized so well. I love the little quotes and the episode listing along with the music for each episode. Anyone who is new to Glee could read this book and be fully caught up for Season 2! The pictures are great additions as well, but I think my favorite part were the stories from other Gleeks. They were inspiring and heart warming and really made me love Glee that much more.

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished catching up on S1 of Glee and this was perfect to read alongside my watching! Really enjoyed the trivia, the behind the scenes info, and the comments on the songs, as I sometimes didn't know them so it was nice to find out about the artists, etc. Two thumbs up!

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book touches on pretty much everything you might want to know about the first season of Glee. From where it all started through the in-depth analysis of each of the first 13 episodes the authors offer a lot of interesting information.

Having seen all the episodes I skipped over the synopsis of each episode, but I read pretty much everything else. I liked the balance between loving the show, but at the same time being able to admit where the flaws lie. Sometimes there was a little too much explanation about what something meant, and not as many juicy details about some of the casting decisions, but I still walked away knowing a lot more about the show than I did before.

[heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm so excited to read this! I can't believe I won a copy through first reads. The only problem is going to be keeping it out of the kids' hands long enough to enjoy it myself!

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, some of the facts and backstage info was fascinating... and then most of it was dull. I skipped over a lot. Maybe I just don't care *that much* about Glee, but it wasn't the most interesting thing in the world.

[711amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

all glee fans need to read. my favorite character is brad the piano guy. you will find out what i am talking about if you read the book ;)

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read for anyone who is a Glee fan. It recaps episodes, highlights, low points and gives info about the cast.

[Wendi Olson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy the bits of trivia this book includes. Guess that makes me a Gleek!

[Indah Threez Lestari · Rating 4 out of 5]

59 - 2013

[Debra Battle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although there were something I wish were in the book it was nice to look back at the first season of shows for one of my favorite show on TV.

[Dana]

Does anyone know where I can find this cause I don't really see it in Barnes and noble...help please :)

[Megs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Total and utterly frivolous read on my part. Just feeding my interest in all things Glee.