Reduced Shakespeare: The Complete Guide for the Attention-Impaired

[Ed Exec]

First admission: I don't actually read the books on the Recommended
Reading List prior to recommending them.
That being said, I have enjoyed and appreciated the many conversations
I have had in the process of coming up with this year's list.
Since this year's list was confirmed much later than last year's, I'm
much later in getting into the list of books myself. So, for my trip
to the Edinburgh Festival, I thought it was most appropriate to bring
along the first book in the Reading List - the offering recommended
for the Reduced Shakespeare's upcoming production of "Completely
Hollywood (abridged)." It's all about Shakespeare, so what better to
bring to England.
I have the pleasure of knowing the book's authors Reed Martin and
Austin Tichenor. There are very few books that I have read where I
can actually hear the voices of the authors themselves. This is one
of those delightful exceptions. It's like an evening kicking back
with the guys and enjoying their insight and humor. Unfortunately, it
has led to many strange looks from my fellow passengers on trains,
patrons in restaurants and other public venues where I laughed out
loud or dropped my head into my hand in response to their comments on
the Bard's life and legacy.
I've seen a lot of Shakespeare's works performed and have a fairly
decent working knowledge of many of the plots and characters, but this
is a great reference that expands my understanding of what I've seen
and what I haven't. More importantly, I'm enjoying the process and
the education immensely. I'm just going to have to stop looking up
and observing the response to my enjoyment of the book. I hope you
join me in this enlighting and entertaining resource.