Rating: 
Summary: Exceptionally powerful, thought provoking and honest
Review: "Armed and Dangerous: Memoirs of a Chicago Policewoman" is an exceptional book by Gina Gallo, a woman who has been there, done that with uncommon courage. Now she writes with honesty, sensitivity and skill about her observations and experiences -- some funny, some tragic and many worthy of discussion on institutional bureaucracy, crime and domestic violence and so much more.Her world is multi-dimensional as she is: a former artist and counselor who found herself in the uniform of a cop. Thankfully, she has lived to tell her story.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent, Moving, Accurate and Interesting
Review: 'Armed & Dangerous' and 'Crime Scenes' are two of the best books written by police/and or about police officer's work since David Simon's 'Homicide' back in 1991. You really get a feel for the victims, for the whole picture painted of a crime scene as it goes down, and it breaks your heart or makes you furious in equal measure... You hate the indifference and evil of the bad guys, and bleed for the pathos of the innocents whose lives are ruined. Excellent book. An objective look at the life of a police officer in any city -- an an accurate expose of the bureaucracy, the sometimes incompetence and pettiness of the top brass, the secrets, the lies, the cameraderie and the CYA. Run out any buy these -- and whatever else she writes in the future ! You'll never be bored by Gina Gallo's evocative tales. A five star without question !
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Summary: reminiscent of best Vietnam memoirs
Review: ...ARMED AND DANGEROUS...is the story of an evolution. A memoir of the author's cop life from her days as a recruit through the events that led to her retirement, this book sets all the events, bizarre and mundane, that take place in the cop life within the context of one person's experience, and it is a moving, unforgettable read. You really do come away from this book knowing what it must be like to be a cop. And evidently if you are a cop you come away with all your own particular experiences confirmed by the universal truths that Gina Gallo, in unpretentious, direct and hardhitting language, so ably and vividly describes. This is a terrific book. It reminds me of some of the best Vietnam literature...--it's that intense, that personal, that memorable.
Rating: 
Summary: Wow - this book took guts
Review: After reading this book I can really appreciate the "blue wall of silence" and what it must have taken Gallo to break it with this writing. With an Aunt and a Brother in law who are both big city cops, I now have a renewed appreciation for what they go through. Heartbreaking stories which bring the job to life made me appreciate all the more the cops that go out there and do the job every day. More than anything though, I think this memoir does a great job of touching on cop life from many different angles -- the dogs, the harrassment, the gangs, the drugs -- extremely effective. This one will ring in my mind for a long time, but very worth it.
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Summary: On Patrol with Gina Gallo
Review: An adrenaline-pumping, speeding squad car of a book. Brutally honest and thoroughly engrossing. More please!
Rating:
Summary: Powerful
Review: Armed & Dangerous is an excellent book whether you are considering a career in law enforcement or not. Gallo begins her story with her father, who was shot on Easter, describing the pain of being a child of a police officer. She vowed never to become an officer, but life's circumstances forced her to change her mind.
From there, she takes the reader on a roller-coaster ride from her days at the Academy to the day she resigned from the Chicago Police Department. Her depiction of the Academy made me wonder if this was fiction because I couldn't believe the brutal fashion in which the trainers handled future officers. A few of them left the Academy with permanent disabilities and no chance at a law enforcement career. She tells us how the rest of them made it through that grueling period, by banding together and forming a team. Being a team player is the most important skill in police work.
I felt like I was right there with her as she described her first day on the job with a slacker for a field trainer and how that trainer deserted her when she needed him to back her up. She tells us what it was like to kill a man and what that did to her soul. She tells us what it's like to see a mutilated baby and then have to be professional in dealing with his murdering mother. And, she tells us what it's like to have to go to the same neighborhoods to deal with the same people day after day. There are lots of heartbreaking stories in this book and some incredibly funny ones, too.
I found myself laughing out loud at the craziness and the stupidity of both the criminals and the corrupt officers. More often than not, however, I felt disgusted by the drug addicts and the political games of the department brass. Throughout this book, I wondered how she managed to keep her humor when faced with the pain, the terror, and the good ol' boy mentality that tried its best to keep her in the trenches. The end saddened me, but it was typical.
Armed & Dangerous stripped me of all my notions about police officers and what they do for a living. Gallo is a powerful writer, and I applaud her for having the courage to write this book. Throw away those police procedural novels. They pale against Gallo's book.
Rating:
Summary: Great Read!!!
Review: At last, an interactive experience of life in big-city law enforcement! In a relentlessly authentic voice, Gina Gallo translates every nuance of the police experience into an unparalled copspeak primer for those who've never worn the badge. Forget cop stories as a spectator sport. Gallo pulls you into the action with "the real police", presenting the reader with the same visceral punch, emotional blindsiding and residual angst that haunts anyone who's been there. In my years as a Chicago homicide detective, job success often depended on equal parts of tenacity, intelligence and guts. Gallo's book provides this in spades along with an unflinching scrutiny of our own vulnerability. This book elevates cop docudrama to a new art form. I'm proud that Gallo is one of our own, even prouder of her courage and talent in telling our stories.
Rating:
Summary: Great Read!!!
Review: At last, an interactive experience of life in big-city law enforcement! In a relentlessly authentic voice, Gina Gallo translates every nuance of the police experience into an unparalled copspeak primer for those who've never worn the badge. Forget cop stories as a spectator sport. Gallo pulls you into the action with "the real police", presenting the reader with the same visceral punch, emotional blindsiding and residual angst that haunts anyone who's been there. In my years as a Chicago homicide detective, job success often depended on equal parts of tenacity, intelligence and guts. Gallo's book provides this in spades along with an unflinching scrutiny of our own vulnerability. This book elevates cop docudrama to a new art form. I'm proud that Gallo is one of our own, even prouder of her courage and talent in telling our stories.
Rating:
Summary: Shooting Straight From The Heart
Review: Do NOT leave ... until you buy this book. Gina Gallobrings us the straihtforward, honest, too-strange-to-be-anything-but-real story of her 16-year career as a Police Officerin the City of Chicago. From the first day of the Training Academyto the "routine" call that ended her career, Gina tells itlike it is in the world behind the badge. If you've ever read a bookthat runs the full gamut of emotions, you'll understand what I'mtrying to say here. From laughing out loud to holding back tears withthe turn of a page, you'll be spellbound. Go ahead....try to remainstoic as Gina relates the story of having to kill a man just aftercompleting her training. Try not to laugh as she paints a word pictureof a domestic dispute that ends up with one of the combatants walkingaround, fully concious, with a hatchet sticking out of the back of hishead. Try not to flinch when she gives every detail of the assaultthat ended her career.......I dare you. Gina's ability to put intowords the emotional and physical challenges of a thankless job iscertain to catapult her to the top of the charts. Be one of the luckyfolks that can say "I read her first books and have been hookedever since" BUY IT NOW
Rating:
Summary: WILD Tales From The Front Lines
Review: Gina Gallo writes sharp, tight stories about her life as a cop and the many bizarre and fascinating individuals she met along the way. Any writer would envy her gift for spare, lean description and terse, authentic dialogue. "Armed And Dangerous" surpasses her fine "Crime Scenes" and should soon be a major feature film, or perhaps a dark television series. The ending will damn near break your heart. This book is highly recommended to anyone who wants to actually taste the experience of a street cop in the 'hood.
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