Do Not Detonate Without Presidential Approval, edited by Wes Anderson and Jake Perlin, is a wonderful collection of essays that are interesting in and of themselves but, when taken as material that helped shape the "world of the work" in Anderson's Asteroid City, they become things to consider in relation to each other and, thus, the film.

Wow, that is a bit of a convoluted sentence I just wrote. I'll try to make sense of it. First, the essays (and photographs and interview) are quite interesting each on their own. It helps to make sure you know the time when each was written, and which were written specifically for this book, as well as maybe a little about what is written about.

Knowing that what makes a Wes Anderson movie special is the overall atmosphere, the attention to detail and the juxtaposition of elements that separately might not add much but together makes a statement, or at least creates a feeling, then the essays take on a different purpose in reading them. It might be less important that you know much about the movie Borges is talking about and pay more attention to the qualities he is highlighting. Doing this throughout the book, then watching Asteroid City, brings everything into conversation with each other, with you as moderator. The film may have Anderson as moderator, but in the creation that results from your viewing, you take over that position. And this book gives you some of the background to better understand what Anderson did.

Of course, there will be some who will see the film and feel embarrassment for Anderson, you know, because they know better how to make a film. They certainly have more experience, with more critical and popular acclaim. It couldn't be that they simply didn't like it, no, that is far too pedestrian. It sounds so much more (faux) intellectual to speak to how poorly it was done. All I know is I'm glad I don't have a similar outlook on life, if I don't like something, I am confident enough to just say I don't like it, not try to make my subjective opinion into an objective flaw. But I am getting off topic.

Whether you like or dislike Asteroid City (I happened to have liked it, though not as much as some of his other work) this collection will help you appreciate what he did. If you mostly just want to read the essays you will be richly rewarded, these are quite interesting and can lead you down some intriguing rabbit holes if you choose to look things up.

I would recommend this to fans of Anderson's work as well as movie buffs who seek the substance in a film rather than whether a special effect meets their (so-called) quality level. If you're an active reader and moviegoer, you'll find a lot here to enjoy.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via Edelweiss. ( )