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3 Works 44 Members 1 Review

Works by Richard Esposito

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KABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!!!

I was asked to review Bomb Squad: A Year Inside The Nation's Most Exclusive Police Unit by Richard Esposito & Ted Gerstein. Obviously I jumped at the chance because A). I am male and...umm...that's it actually. I am male and therefore anything involving a bomb squad is awesome. So when I got the book I got right into it and ended up pretty pleased with it.

The book follows the NYPD Bomb Squad Unit for a year or so, following the officers/detectives on their runs and preparation. There was also some background information on bomb making and stuff like that. So far so good, right? Well, here's the thing about this book. The stories told by the squad members are really interesting. Some of the stories about defusing a dangerous bomb were intense, keeping me on the edge of my seat. The problem with the book is that there is poor flow throughout. It was difficult for me to find any rhythm while reading. I just couldn't follow a storyline; it was more like reading totally different stories with the only connection being the Bomb Squaders.

There was also a fair amount of talk about the Bomb Squad dogs, who are REALLY important in detecting explosives. I'm sure a lot of lives have been saved because of the excellent training the dogs (and their handlers) receive.

While most of the book was a bit disjointed, the end was spectacular. Being the NYPD Bomb Squad, they were obviously involved with the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center. Hearing 9/11 stories always gets to me and these guys were intimately involved, to the point of losing one member when the buildings collapsed.

I think the biggest lesson I took from this book is that these guys are willing to do anything for the safety of their city (and probably other cities as well). They regularly place their lives in danger in order to protect the citizens of New York. That's a pretty awesome responsibility they hold, and these guys are more than willing to take it on.

On the negative side, the authors spelled Vietnam wrong. They spelled it "Viet Nam". They also used the word "manikin", instead of mannequin. I realize it is technically a correct spelling, but that's ridiculous. Luckily for them, their spelling embarrassments were overcome because the Bomb Squad uses puppies! Hurray for puppies!!!

Rating: 3.5 out of 5
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lettersonpages | Jul 21, 2008 |

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