DVD Review: Breaking Bad: The Complete First Season

Breaking Bad: The Complete First Season
(DVD Breaking)

 High school science teacher Walter White is diagnosed with lung cancer and decides to cook meth in order to pay for treatment. The first season explores him and his partner Jesse – a former student of his – in their attempts to set up a mobile lab, produce the best meth available, and then sell enough to make a profit. Along the way he deals with the drama of having cancer and keeping the meth a secret from his pregnant wife and DEA agent brother-in-law.

 

The show is well-cast and laid out nicely in 5 seasons. You can clearly see Walter transition from innocent science teacher to hardened-criminal-mastermind Heisenberg. There is some comedy but the show gets much darker as it goes along.

 

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try the prequel spin-off series Better Call Saul, Weeds or Sons of Anarchy] [Also available in traditional print format.]

 

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this television series ] | [ official Breaking Bad Facebook feed ]

 

Recommended by Carrie R.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

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Sex on the Moon

Sex on the Moon: The Amazing Story Behind the Most Audacious Heist in History
by Ben Mezrich [629.4 Mez]

The true story of Thad Roberts, a third-year NASA co-op, who stole moon rocks in July, 2002 from a NASA safe and tried to sell them online. So titled because he put a small bag of samples from Apollo 11 on a bed beneath the sheets and he and his girlfriend had sex on the moon rocks. The story begins at high school for Thad as his strictly religious father throws him out of the house for having sex with his girlfriend. They eventually marry while he attends college and wins a co-op to NASA. Thad is living the dream (at least for us space fans) but his marriage is falling apart when he meets a fellow co-op. Spurred by his desire to impress her, he embarks on this insane scheme. Interesting to see how easily he actually accomplished the theft, and wish the author had mentioned how NASA changed security protocols (if they changed protocols and did heads roll?), but as a frustrated space cadet this reader couldn't believe how he threw it all away. It's especially interesting to follow the story of the European rock hound who answers Thad's offer to sell the moon rocks. You'll spend most of your reading time slapping your forehead with your hand saying, "What was he thinking?!" but you can't put down this tale of stupidity until the bitter end. -- recommended by Charlotte K. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[Also available in downloadable audio, book-on-cd formats.]

[ official Ben Mezrich web site ]

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month.

New Customer Review - The Death Instinct

The Death Instinct
by Jed Rubenfeld [Rubenfeld]

Did you know the first terrorist act on American soil was in 1920? It was then that a wagon filled with dynamite blew up on Wall Street injuring or killing close to 400 people. The perpetrators have never been named or punished, but Rubenfeld's novel, which involves psychoanalysis, Madame Curie and radiation, World War I and police work make an exciting what-if about the topic. Not a quick or easy read, but definitely enjoyable.

Have you read this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New Customer Reviews appear regularly in the pages of the BookGuide web site. You can visit the Customer Reviews page to see them all and/or submit your own, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually as we receive them.