Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0965446964, Paperback)
Amazon.com: As a Harvard graduate and regular writer for the New Yorker, Edward Conlon is a little different from most of his fellow New York City cops. And the stories he tells in his compelling memoir Blue Blood are miles away from the commonly told Hollywood-style police tales that are always action packed but rarely tethered to reality. While there is action here, there's also political hassle, the rich and often troubling history of a department not unfamiliar with corruption, and the day to day life of people charged with preserving order in America's largest city. Conlon's book is, in part, a memoir as he progresses from being a rookie cop working the beat at troubled housing projects to assignments in the narcotics division to eventually becoming a detective. But it's also the story of his family history within the enormous NYPD as well as the evolving role of the police force within the city. Conlon relates the controversies surrounding the somewhat familiar shoo! ting of Amadou Diallou and the abuse, at the hands of New York cops, of Abner Louima. But being a cop himself, Conlon lends insight and nuance to these issues that could not possibly be found in the newspapers. And as an outstanding writer, he draws the reader into that world. In the book's most remarkable passage, Conlon tells of the grim but necessary work done at the Fresh Kills landfill, sifting through the rubble and remains left in the wake of the World Trade Center attacks on 9/11 (a section originally published in The New Yorker). In many ways, Blue Blood comes to resemble the world of New York City law enforcement that Conlon describes: both are expansive, sprawling, multi-dimensional, and endlessly fascinating. And Conlon's writing is perfectly matched to his subject, always lively, keenly observant, and possessing a streetwise energy. --John Moe
(retrieved from Amazon Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:58:10 -0400)
Wikipedia in English (2)
There are some truly hilarious moments in the book. There are also some where you wonder how people can be so cruel to each other. Conlon does a good job of explaining the "Job" as it is. This is not a book in which the police can do no wrong and every bad guy is caught. It is also not a book in which all cops are on the take or crooked. The picture he paints is of a department in which the overwhelming majority of cops want to do the right thing. They want the drugs and guns off the street, but their arms are tied by an ever growing beauracracy. The roadblocks that come up time and time again are no different than those experienced in the corporate world, which is to say that "management" is often times more interested in looking good than doing what is right. The sad part is, for the police department, those selfish decisions have grave consequences.
I've read a few of these police memoirs. Several of them were high speed, white knuckle, shootout type books. Kind of like Rambo in print. This book, while including many scenes in which the adrenaline was no doubt pumping, takes a softer approach. The "action" sequences are told with a kind of laid back demeanor. Here's what happened. Here's the players involved. Here's how it went down. etc...... In short, the stories were very New York-esque. If you look on the back cover and see Edward Conlon's picture, you'll understand where I am coming from. He has that big city look about him. The kind of look where you are not going to impress him. He's seen it all in his years on the "job". Yet, there are plenty of instances in the book in which his softer side is shown. He makes it a point to let you know that cops are no different than everyone else out there. In fact, they probably care more about people than most of us. After all, why would you want to spend all night chasing down crack dealers and junkies for what some consider a meager wage risking all kinds of injury and possible discipline in the event that you violate some criminal's rights if you didn't care?
Overall, this was the BEST cop memoir I have ever read! Good luck trying to put this one down. (