Welcome to the Family
The Explosive Story Behind Fast & Furious, the Blockbusters that Supercharged the World
Contributors
By Barry Hertz
Formats and Prices
- On Sale
- Nov 25, 2025
- Page Count
- 352 pages
- Publisher
- Grand Central Publishing
- ISBN-13
- 9781538771051
Price
$14.99Price
$19.99 CADFormat
Format:
- ebook $14.99 $19.99 CAD
- Hardcover $30.00 $40.00 CAD
- Audiobook Download (Unabridged) $27.99
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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.
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“The unlikely rise of a band of speed-freaks is one of modern Hollywood’s most compelling stories. Barry Hertz recounts the saga behind the saga with a book that’s as pacy as a runaway Mitsubishi Eclipse and as zesty as a lime-soaked Corona. If you’ve ever wanted to get under the chassis of this splendidly ludicrous movie franchise — from NOS-blasted action to turbo-charged egos — now’s your chance.”Nick de Semlyen, author of The Last Action Heroes
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"Barry Hertz captures with insightful reporting and witty storytelling how this little calendar-filler clawed and fought its way to the top of the entertainment pyramid, with drama wild enough to rival the franchise’s notorious “car in space” stunt. Even if you’re not a Fast fan, the story of this saga is such a fun read you’ll keep coming back for every chapter with delight."Richard Rushfield, co-founder and editorial director of The Ankler, author of American Idol: The Untold Story
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"Barry Hertz's Welcome to the Family is a swift, absorbing, and occasionally guffaw-inducing book that mixes first-hand reportage and wide-angle cultural analysis with lively, unpretentious film criticism, and which also admirably refuses to stay in its lane, swerving away from mere fan service to scrutinize the ethos —and egos—fueling a franchise defined in equal measure by joyriding exuberance and blindsiding tragedy."Adam Nayman, author of David Fincher: Mind Games
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“Barry Hertz reveals a surprising truth about Hollywood: the most revolutionary movie franchise of the 21st century doesn't involve superheroes or Stormtroopers. His incredibly entertaining book hit me like a big boost of NOS: it was an adrenaline rush that I couldn't put down.”Alan Siegel, author of Stupid TV, Be More Funny: How the Golden Era of The Simpsons Changed Television–and America–Forever
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"Barry Hertz’s deeply reported and wildly entertaining look at the world's biggest, beefiest franchise is no mere love letter. By investigating every shocking twist and turn of the Fast & Furious drama across a quarter century, Hertz deftly reveals the hidden history of modern Hollywood."Stephen Rodrick, senior writer at Rolling Stone, author of The Magical Stranger: A Son's Journey into His Father's Life
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"Hertz’s prose is muscular...Readers who can’t get enough of speed and steel will find this a ride worth taking."Kirkus Reviews
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