Consider this a Pop Literacy year-end gift: the recommendation of a deeply engrossing read for the average book fan, an extra fantastic read for writers of all mediums and genres, and a round-up of some of the finest dramas to ever unfold on the small screen. All those things come courtesy of Life’s Work: A Memoir, the personal and professional autobiography – and unofficial writing how-to – from Emmy and Peabody Award-winning Deadwood creator and writer David Milch.

Milch, also a former Yale professor and writer and producer of some of the most iconic episodes of seminal cop dramas like Hill Street Blues and NYPD Blues, shares delicious details behind the scenes of all his TV adventures … but is just as candid about life behind the camera, including a traumatic childhood that sparked many of his TV stories, a decades-long gambling addiction that cost him literally millions of dollars, and, finally, his current struggles with Alzheimer’s, prompting fellow legendary writer Susan Orlean to share of the book, “This is David Milch’s farewell, and it will rock you.” And, as always, we share what else has been topping our to-be-read piles.

Read more:

• Life’s Work: A Memoir by David Milch
• Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing: A Memoir by Matthew Perry
• Queen Bees and Wannabes: Helping Your Daughter Survive Cliques, Gossip, Boys, and the New Realities of Girl World by Rosalind Wiseman
• "NYPD Blue" on Hulu
• "Hill Street Blues" on Hulu
• "Deadwood" on HBO Max

Pop Literacy is proudly sponsored by Libro.fm.