23rd Precinct: The Job

Rating:
Summary: Engrossing from page one!
Review: I'm not a particular fan of police books, but this one is different: every word of dialogue was spoken by an actual person living the everyday life of a cop in New York City. And every word of description comes from a moment actually experienced by the author. It's hard to imagine actually riding around in a police car under the conditions the author describes. It's hard to imagine coming within inches of some of the crazy people in this book. (Not the cops, generally.) It's amazing that some of the people she interviewed actually said the things they said out loud to a stranger.

The cops in the 23rd precinct come across as mainly thoughtful and articulate people who have been through an awful lot. They (and the reader) understand the demands made on them by the citizens of the neighborhood, and are quite sympathetic and even compassionate. What's amazing to me is how badly the city government and the police bureaucracy treat these cops. If other precincts are like this one, people need to read this book and rethink their attitudes.

I lived in New York City for 20 years.

Rating:
Summary: Bad Television Show In Words...
Review: If you are a cop or in law enforcement this book might be worth your while. However, you're better off skipping this one; there are too many other good books out there. Since when does piecing together interview after interview, quote after quote pass for good writing? I get the feeling that Schulman spent time as a stenographer. There are so many people, so many different angles in this book that I don't even think Schulman could keep track of it all.

Rating:
Summary: Not the best cop book on the market...
Review: The glimpses into cop work are brief, over-dramatized, and lacking the emotional power of other works by authors such as Gina Gallo. It is a sincere attempt to reveal the inner workings of NYPD but the author fails to achieve this. I found myself losing interest after chapter 2, which is a shame, because the subject is an ever-engrossing one.

Rating:
Summary: A short glimpse beyond the thin blue line
Review: This book consists mainly of observations and conversations of the front-line cops of NYPD's 23rd Precinct. It does a good job of capturing many of their true feelings about the often thankless job of policing one of the city's toughest neighborhoods. The tone of the book, however, can get a little depressing. I could have done with a little less of the cynicism present throughout the book. Reading the book, you could really sense the extreme lack of pride, or maybe the author didn't bother to give more attention to those who are still truly in love with their jobs.

For a more detailed update on the improvements made to the NYPD, I recommend also reading Bernard Kerik's "THE LOST SON". For those who are interested in reading about women in the front lines of justice, I recommend Gina Gallo's "ARMED AND DANGEROUS" (although this one's about the Chicago Police Department, not the NYPD).

Overall, this is a good effort as far as books of this genre goes.