The Wire and America's Dark Corners

<p> In post-9/11 America while all eyes were on Iraq and Afghanistan <I>The Wire</I> (2002-2008) focused on the dark realities of those living in America's disintegrating industrial heartlands and drug-ravaged neighborhoods striving against the odds in its schools hospitals and legal system.</p><p> With compelling story lines and a memorable cast of characters <I>The Wire</I> has been compared to the work of Tolstoy and Dostoevsky with a level of detail rarely seen in a dramatic series. While the show garnered critical praise and a loyal following a discussion of its political aspects--in particular Bush-era America--is overdue.</p><p> This collection of new essays examines <I>The Wire</I> in terms of the War on Drugs the racial and economic division of America's cities the surveillance state and the meaning of citizenship.</p>