The Tao of Bada Bing!: Words of Wisdom from the Sopranos

Who would have thought there is a logical link between the centuries-old tenets of the Tao Te Ching and the "whack-y" antics of TV's most un-Zenlike family, the Sopranos? The editors of this book, that's who! With some of the best and most enlightening dialogue from all 4 season of The Sopranos, The Tao of Bada Bing! offers a truly unique way of reliving the great writing from the show. One of the most original TV tie-in books I've ever read.

For all lovers of the show, the Tao of Bada Bing is the most exciting thing since Ralphie was killed. The editors had the amazing insight to see that putting together the words and wisdom of the Tao with parts of the exhilarating scripts from the Sopranos. At a first glance it is hard to understand how the Sopranos could possibly follow the words of the Tao but as you get into the book you can't help looking at the Sopranos from a completely new perspective. When you read the book it is impossible not the be swept back into the emotions and action of the show, the scripts are just too well written! For all those who are counting down the days until the new season arrives, this book will be perfect to hold you over.

This book is terrific! It groups together thematically most if not all of the main themes and plots of the Sopranos, like Tony's therapy or his relationship to his mother, and allows you to follow their development from season to season. And the quotes from the Tao Te Ching really add a spiritual perspective to life on the Sopranos.All of the excerpts from the shows are presented in easy to follow dialogue format, and my friends and I were reading them out loud to each other all day! Funny, sometimes very serious, and always faithful to the spirit of the show.

Fans of the Sopranos will love this brilliant little book, which explains at least part of the 5-season show's extraordinary popularity -- its intellectual heft. Gathered here are more than two dozen aphorisms by the ancient Chinese philosopher, Lao Tsu expanded by actual dialogue from the Sopranos series. What possible link could television's most popular mobsters have with a millennia-old Chinese philosopher? Plenty, it turns out. The self-identified "sad clown," Tony Soprano (a "capo" can never be a "stunade" -- stupid), wryly identifies his kinship with the Far East in one of his exchanges with his psychiatrist: "Tony: `Well, I am improving. I mean, you gotta participate joyfully in the suffering of the world....' Dr. Melfi: `Your thoughts have kind of an Eastern flavor to them.' Tony: Well... I've lived in Jersey my whole life.'"It's a small leap from Lao Tsu to another Confucian protégé, Sun Tzu whose "The Art of War" resonates loudly with goombah philosophy, as in Tony's crack: "If your opponent is of choleric temper, irritate him." (episode 308). Like Sun Tzu, the mob is ever mindful of the need for logistics, strategy, and tactics to avoid "taking a hit" -- "the best battle is the battle won without being fought." To avoid Hell and other inconveniences, the invariably Catholic mobsters cynically cast themselves as soldiers locked in perpetual guerrilla warfare - a concept first defined by Sun Tzu. Like all warriors, though, Tony and his boys often ignore that Master's premiere injunction: that there are no winners in war. This delightful gloss is an indispensable key to the continuing appeal of "The Sopranos." In addition, The book is beautifully designed; I've bought several copies as gifts.