3 Books to Read After the Series Finale of ‘Better Call Saul’
Since Better Call Saul ends tonight, many fans are looking for other ways to stay engaged with the AMC series. Fortunately, there are a few book titles related to the show that can give fans a new perspective on Saul Goodman. Here are three books that will take fans deeper into the lore of Better Call Saul, including a memoir from leading man Bob Odenkirk.
‘Why You Better Call Saul’ book written by a lawyer
Steven Kesloqitz, Esquire, published Why You Better Call Saul: What Our Favorite TV Lawyer Says About Life, Love, and Scheming Your Way to Acquittal and a Large Cash Payout in April 2017. The book examines Jimmy McGill’s many personas through the legal perspective.
Fans know the end of Jimmy’s marriage with Kim Wexler (Rhea Seehorn) is the catalyst in his becoming Saul. However, Why You Better Call Saul examines the reasons Saul embraces the persona.
Is it to attract clients, or is it a reflection of his true self? The book also examines Saul’s behavior from a real lawyer’s perspective: to what extent does Saul break the rules to which attorneys are bound? Other notable topics in the Better Call Saul book include “what Jimmy McGill, Mike Ehrmantraut [Jonathan Banks], and Dexter Morgan [Michael C. Hall] have in common” and what “Jimmy’s most important relationships teach us about the outside influences on one’s psyche.”
‘Better Call Saul and Philosophy’ book
Joshua Heter and Brett Coppenger’s Better Call Saul and Philosophy is a collection of essays that explore the show’s philosophical themes. This includes Jimmy’s brother Chuck (Michael McKean), who has a psychosomatic ailment. Additionally, the book touches on Mike Ehrmantraut’s ability to bury his grief with his career as a “fixer.”
“Readers can join alongside struggling-but-cocksure attorney Jimmy McGill as he goes through a series of transformative experiences and scenarios,” the book’s description says. “Featuring the work of contemporary philosophers, Better Call Saul and Philosophy offers its readers a chance to delve deeply into a wide range of philosophical issues the show presents, including the nature of good and evil, personal identity, free will and determinism, the law as it relates to morality, the ethical implications of the war on drugs, death and dying, and many, many more.”
Bob Odenkirk’s memoir ‘Comedy Comedy Comedy Drama’
Better Call Saul‘s leading man released a book in March 2022. Instead of focusing on the show, Odenkirk’s book highlights his entire career, including his start in comedy as a writer on Saturday Night Live and his work on Mr. Show with Bob and David.
“I called the book Comedy Comedy Comedy Drama [because] … I was just concerned that someone would pick up my book thinking I want to read this story of this actor I like, or whose shows I like,” Odenkirk said on the Sunday Sitdown podcast. “Then all this crap about comedy, I’ve never heard of any of this. What’s Tenacious D? What’s Tim and Eric? That’s my life. This other stuff [Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul] is the tag end.”
Still, the AMC shows do come up in the book. Odenkirk added: “This has been an incredible journey and place to go. I hope to get to do more drama but my life ….”
Watch the series finale of Better Call Saul on AMC at 9 p.m. ET.
