When the first Star Wars movie came out in May 1977, I was 8 years old. I don’t know why I went to see it. I was horrifying my parents with my love of Charlie’s Angels (I remember nothing about the plots, only the hair and the costumes). I was entirely earthbound. But somehow I saw the movie and fell in love. My friends and I went from playing Charlie’s Angels to playing Charlie’s Angels in Star Wars (still horrifying my parents with that) because there was only one girl in Star Wars (Aunt Beru didn’t count) and we learned trying to claim the Princess Leia part led to huge fights. My dad watched all the scifi movies and tv shows he could get his hands on, but Star Wars was my entry point. Star Wars was mine, it wasn’t something we shared. My parents took me to see The Empire Strikes Back and probably dropped me off at the theater to see Return of the Jedi. But as much as I loved the movies, I didn’t get into the extended universe the grew up around it. I didn’t realize a whole culture had grown up around Star Wars. In the last 10 years I’ve tiptoed around the edges of the Star Wars universe. I love some things, hate others, and haven’t caught up on a lot.
Riley Silverman’s Exploring Tatooine: An Illustrated Guide is fun and would be great for any family Star Wars library. The colors and illustrations are bright and engaging with text that gives enough information to prompt memories and prick my interest. The book is organized by location so you get layers of story overlapping in many places. I’m not the fanniest of fans, but this let me engage in 46 years of world building without becoming overwhelmed.
I’ve had a lot of fun flipping through it and I’ll revisit it again when I finally watch The Mandalorian. I’m also very pleased that my copy has been signed by the author.
If you want more Riley Silverman goodness, check out her podcast, Strumpets and Flagons. it isn’t Star Wars, but it’s a lot of fun.
