Welcome to the Family

The Explosive Story Behind Fast & Furious, the Blockbusters that Supercharged the World

By: Barry Hertz

Narrated by: Barry Hertz

An exclusive look inside the surprising history and contentious future of Hollywood’s most unlikely blockbuster—the Fast & Furious franchise—a series that uncannily anticipated the shifting currents of pop culture while changing the business of global entertainment at the same time.

What do Miami drug traffickers, bloodthirsty Yakuza warriors, Corona-soaked backyard BBQs, Dame Helen Mirren, and a duct-taped 1984 Pontiac Fiero-turned-rocket-fueled spaceship have in common? They are all essential elements of the ever-expanding, logic- and laws-of-physics-defying Fast & Furious universe: the most entertaining, outlandish, and secretly genius Hollywood creation that everyone has taken for granted – until now.

Through an escalating series of high-risk maneuvers – from synapse-stretching stunts to timeline-bending narratives to explosive PR wars between the biggest, baddest, baldest egos in showbiz – the Fast family (and it is a family above all else) has redefined the art and commerce of popcorn moviemaking. And the gang did it all while staring down the kind of monumental, soul-rattling challenges – the death of a star, the upheaval of an industry – that would have crushed the speed and spirit of any other filmmaking team.

An unauthorized journey into the makings of a cinematic saga unlike any other, Welcome to the Family exposes the stranger-than-fan-fiction journey of the franchise from the ground up. Through rigorous behind-the-scenes reporting and incisive cultural commentary, writer Barry Hertz’s ride-or-die epic details every single twist and turn of Fast & Furious drama, a quarter mile at a time. By the end, you will believe a car can fly.

Who's this for?

I'm not actually a true fan of the franchise but I like Diesel and I like cars etc. I saw this being discussed online and thought maybe it would get me into FF and get me to watch more of the movies. Great!

However I'm sad to say the book is just a walkthrough of the films' production background with very few surprising details or interview snippets from the big names involved.

So I'm not sure who this book is for. If you're a super fan, you'll most likely already know everything, and if you're not yet a fan you'll probably find it a little uninspiring.

I feel bad saying that because clearly the author put a lot of work into it, and his reading performance is fantastic.

Informative

I love the FF series and I love these type of BTS books. The author did a great job and he narrated his book well. A fun listen if you’re into these films