Entertaining musings and memories of a retired Boston cop, ...
590461
Entertaining musings and memories of a retired Boston cop, in his own words.  He touches on some of the less savory aspects of local history, such as the mob and busing in the 70s.  It's a quick read, and would be of interest to law enforcement or Boston history buffs.  Pictures are included to enhance the experience.
3264695
Col. Fitz-Enz's account of his time in Vietnam is a very entertaining look at a seldom-explored profession within the Army- that of a communications officer.  While the Colonel started out as a photographer -not your typical career field for the army, but certainly a good one -his experience as first a platoon leader then company commander gives us a small look at what it was like back then; funny how some things have yet to change. His book is not set in a strict chronological order, but you get a feeling of how events transpired and their effect on his career. I highly recommend this book for those who have been or are contemplating careers as Signal officers.
1435130
This was a very pleasurable read. It allowed me to revisit a bygone era and served-up much of my childhood to me, with many of its happy memories. I believe any Montrealer-in-exile would enjoy the book. (Even non-Montrealers might get a kick out of it.)
4693201
My mother-in-law recently bought this for my husband to read while he was out on a temporary disability, and, since he only reads his car magazines, guess who settled down in front of the wood stove to read it?  In "Massachusetts Curiosities," authors Bruce Gellerman and Erik Sherman, both Massachusetts residents, write with an amusing tongue-in-cheek humor that is both engaging and entertaining.  They traverse the Bay State to bring us all kinds of interesting "curiosities" that show us just how interesting this state is to learn about.

In Boston, "The Tortoise and the Hare" sculpture calls Copley Square its home, and Boston's Public Garden is where the famous "Make Way for Ducklings" sculpture resides, a favorite of children and adults alike. The State House is topped by a gilded pine cone, the symbol of  Maine, which was part of  Massachusetts until 1820 - and a "Sacred Cod" and "Holy Mackerel" reside within.  (Who says stuffy politicians don't have a sense of humor?)  The Great Brinks Robbery happened in Boston's North End in 1950, and the North End is also the location of the great molasses tidal wave of 1919.  My grandmother used to tell me stories about that one, and until I read this book, I always thought it was an exaggerated bunch of hooey (or is that gooey?).

But the fun doesn't stop with Boston.  We learn about the "bugging" of Natick, the Museum of Burnt Food in Arlington, and the birthplace of Fig Newtons, Necco Wafers  and Marshmallow Fluff.  (How long has my husband been eating that goop and I didn't even realize it's still being made in Salem?)  Easton lays claim to the world's largest (and possibly only) shovel museum, and the Toll House Cookie (of Nestle fame) was invented in Whitman.  We learn the history of the "chair wars" that began in Gardner in 1905, and discover that, yes, there actually is a Podunk, USA.

I learned so much history about my state.  This book holds a lot of sweet memories for me, too, like eating at The Union Oyster House with my Dad, riding the carousel at Paragon Park with my much older neighbor who was, well, five, and  taking my parents to a restaurant at Minot Light for their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary (which cost me a king's ransom of $25).  Battleship Cove ... Lizzy Borden ... Nantasket Beach ....  Is this reading more like a memoir that a review?  Sorry ... now where was I?  Field trips to Plimoth Plantation ... the Mayflower ... summer vacations on Cape Cod ... eating at the Toll House Inn with my grandparents ....

This is much more in depth and meticulously researched than other curiosity books I've read.  The authors' love of the state is evident.  Let's face it, Massachusetts is cool.  I've always known it.  Now it's been proven.  From the Vested Grasshopper atop Faneuil Hall (his vest is actually a time capsule) to the Toilet Museum in Worcester (pronounced "Wisstah"), if you decide to join the authors for this wacky trip around the Bay State, rest assured you won't be missing a thing.
2470472
In a remarkable journey, often nostalgic, Art is able to provide a sense of introspection through humor. Nobody escapes his treatment - senate, congress, diplomats, lobbyists, FBI, supreme court, presidents, talking heads, and the average "Joe".  Often mixed with gentle irony, each "snippet" makes a point elegantly.  His reflections on the Sep 11 tragedy is moving.  The changing scenario with respect to homeland security and the new "thought processes" in Washington provides an opportunity to see the sometimes illogical aspects of our new lives. Overall, an excellent collection, reminding once again why Art is such a beloved personality in the newspaper world for such a long time. A must-read.
4955615
<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Cop-Hater-87th-Precinct/dp/B007MDDD52/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Cop Hater (87th Precinct)</a>&nbsp;is an engaging book that holds up well considering it was written in the 1950s.  It is primarily a police procedural, and even includes facsimiles of police forms throughout the book.  But it is also a crime mystery that tests the reader to figure out who the culprit is before the author reveals it.  In that sense, it can be enjoyed on several levels.

The writing style is very lean.  At times the language is dry and reveals some of the differences from the period it was written.  This is nothing like the tongue in cheek detective novels of Chandler and Gault that are full of laugh out loud moments.

Observations come from different characters as opposed to a central protagonist's inner monologue.  That's because each of the officers in the 87th can be a central character at one point or another.  But several chapters are also written from the villain's perspective.  It can be risky to write this way but McBain ties it together here.

McBain says in his introduction that he did more research on this one than he did for subsequent novels, and it shows.  The follow up, The Mugger, is not nearly as good in my humble opinion.

There is an undercurrent of the symbiotic and adversarial relationship between the police and the press.  I wish that theme was explored more deeply in the book, but it's interesting nonetheless. While some aspects of the plot may seem predictable by today's standards, you have to place this story in historical context.  It breaks a lot of ground and the flaws are not fatal flaws.  When you think about when this was written, a lot of this book is surprisingly relevant today.

CONCLUSION

Not all readers will be wowed by the technical things that McBain does here.  But I can see why this would be recommended reading for any aspiring writer.  There are some things that I wish were done differently, but ultimately I must say that I enjoyed it.  I don't think you have to read this series from the beginning to enjoy it.  But starting at the beginning helps you see how the writer progresses.  And as it turns out, this first book is much better than several that came after it.  So I recommend it.

Enjoy.
3112701
This was like being taking back in a time machine to an era of policing that I would imagine and hope is far removed from today's procedures and polices. We are talking here of the real "Life on Mars" and "the Sweeny". This is the memoirs of Larry Henderson who was a Scenes of Crime Officer (SOCO) for Londons Metropolitan Police during a period from the seventies to nineties attending various crime scenes from murder, blackmail and robbery. His career entailed working for various departments which included becoming the head of the Flying Squads forensic team during a period where bank and post office raids were a common occurrence together with the Friday factory wages snatch. The nature of crime was far different then.

The book is divided into a number of concise readable chapters that in chronological order links Larry's career with the cases that he attended to. You can easily dip in out as you please. A number of famous people including politicians I'm sure will be familiar to the reader are encountered.

This book not only gives a fascinating insight into the world of forensics before the advent of DNA testing but also shows how the jealousy and obstructionist behaviour of the long established fingerprint personnel led to the constant thwarting of Larry's career. The internal corrosive politics of the time and the embittered policemen that Larry encountered is a constant theme of the book.

This book certainly gives an insight into the stress and frustrations that came with such a role as you at times were not only faced with difficult colleagues, ruthless criminals but also the vagaries of the legal system. An interesting aspect of the book was the presence in the background of the faceless security services and what role they may have had in the politics of the time. That they were certainly bugging the prime minister of the early period of the book Harold Wilson is alluded to here.

Although strangely Larry was not technically a policeman but a civil servant his book is a great reference if you not only would like to know about the forensics aspects of policing but also an historic document that covers some of the famous cases of the time. I enjoyed this book immensely and would recommend it to those who have an interest in the subject.

I received a free review copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest unedited feedback.
1003721
Just reading about the "wagon" men is enough to warrant getting this book.  The dialogue alone is worth the price of admission.  On Cabrini Green shows the lighter side of a cop's life.  Sure, there's murder and some darkness as there is in life, but what happens around these events is a stitch.  Murphy was working overtime for these cops--if it could go wrong--it did.  This book was a fun read.
731017
Public Parts is an entertaining historical novel about a man who thinks he can change the way his father's auto parts store is run in Brownsville, Brooklyn. It is 1971, and Larry Levine is dissatisfied at work and at home, and believes Public Auto Parts can be more modern than the way Big Moe operates it. The problem is not just about the generation gap, it's also about the opposing forces controlling and protecting the business and the neighborhood. At the start of the book, a questionable suicide in 1941 of Abe "Kid Twist" Reles resurfaces when detectives burst into Big Moe's office. Larry has known that Abe and his father were best friends, and Abe worked for "the Mob's accountant" Meyer Lansky, but when his father takes an extended vacation the following day, Larry takes a crash course in protection and control, family loyalty and corruption. What makes this novel a great read is Harris' engaging writing and Larry's humor, hubris and humility.
3134452
This is a super insight into Bob and how his mind works to come up with the routines he has done.
A lot of the stories he tells, I remember vividly and they take me back to the funny days of TV. That
was before all of the junk the networks are passing off as entertainment today.
Miss seeing you Bob!
999670
I'm not sure who will enjoy this book more: baby boomers who watched Leave it to Beaver, policemen (the opening shows Ken Osmond getting shot as an LAPD officer), those who were born in Glendale or grew up in the San Fernando Valley and its environs, or those who like memoir. I enjoyed it for many of these reasons. There are chapters that are hilarious as you learn what happened to Ken Osmond after he left acting, and those that are extremely sad as he deals with depression. Osmond has lived a fascinating life and overcome many obstacles. This reader loved going back in time to learn what became of Eddie Haskell, especially since I've met and recognized his character in real life. Christopher J. Lynch has done a wonderful job of co-authoring this book which has a Foreword by Jerry Mathers. This is escape reading that makes you think and remember.
2214245
Although this is a collection of reminisces that jumps around a bit, I still found it highly enjoyable. Sullivan was quite the character and had many an exciting adventure rounding up outlaws and bad men. He is also a creature of his times, as shown by his arresting a black woman merely for the "crime" of being married to a white man, something that was illegal in the Texas of the 1890's. Be warned that the last chapter of the book is a collection of poetry and songs that he and his friends wrote - and it's pretty maudlin and hokey, but still a good peek into the mindset of the working man of the times.
395856
Good trip down memory lane for those who have fond memories of Chennai (then Madras) like me. Good writing style that sustains the readers interest, amusing anecdotes.
453437
This compelling memoir and social history of Brooklyn and America in the mid-twentieth century is both entertaining and instructive. The author, who grew up in the "borough of immigrants and underdogs," clearly knows how to tell a tale. I was fascinated by his Mark Twain-like adventures through the Prospect Park woodlands, his trips to the Brooklyn Riviera, which was Coney Island in the 1950s; his descriptions of the ecstatic reactions of Brooklynites to their home team winning the World Series in 1955; and his escapades in and out of the hallowed halls of Erasmus Hall High School, the alma mater of Barbra Streisand, chess-wiz Bobby Fischer, and Neil Diamond.

Brooklyn Boomer also provides a rich overview of what was going on in the United States during the 1950s including chapters on TV programs that took place during the "golden age of television;" the birth of rock and roll, Playboy, female contraception, and the suburbs; America's obsession with cars; and a fascinating account of beatniks, science, and technology--the latter elucidated in a timeline going from the h-bomb to pantyhose. There is also an appendix that spells out by year prices and the cost of staples in the 1950s (e.g., in 1950 the minimum wage was 75 cents an hour, the average salary was $3,800, gas was 27 cents a gallon, and it cost 3 cents to mail a letter). Illustrations of famous people and places of the era are provided as well.

 Whether you are a nostalgia buff, a fan of memoirs, or someone interested in learning about the most formative decade in the past 80 years in explaining present times, I think you will find this book of immense interest. Highly recommended.
4804530
I enjoyed and appreciated the book on several levels:

-It was a trip through technical nostalgia for me from my first encounter with a Bendix digital computer in 1956, to the hand calculating machines, early computers with limited memories and speed, the KayPro Computer, the SOSUS system, use of statistics, and on.

-It was also a trip through management and management systems including the increasing recognition of the equality of women. I also recall the various methods we tried to manage people and projects.

-She certainly made excellent use of her intelligence and capabilities.  The author also demonstrated that "variety is the spice of life" with her many positions and her energetic drive.  Her foray into the horse racing business was surprising and amusing.

-The fact that she was involved in so many important events and knew important people also makes her sort of a "Forest Gump".  Of course this analogy doesn't hold for long since she never wore braces or mentioned that she could run fast.
3382838
"I Remember Me" is a collection of personal memories from Carl Reiner. My memory of Reiner goes back to his days with Sid Caesar. I admire the man, but like the various sketches on "Your Show Of Shows," some of Reiner's remembrances are interesting and funny, and others are not. Nevertheless, I came away with a better understanding of the man... his love of life... his politics... his religious views... and his appreciation of family and friends. I was somewhat disappointed that he didn't write more about his involvement with "The Dick Van Dyke Show" and his encounters with its cast. In fact, he mentioned Van Dyke (the show and the person) only briefly. I did find the tales of his childhood and parents quite interesting, however. Most often his thoughts then turn to his wife and family, his days in the army, and a few show business friends. Carl Reiner has been around for a long time and continues to have a wonderful appreciation for the humor in life. And that's a good thing.
3274715
If you like watching Michael on TV, as most people do, you'll probably also enjoy this book.  Michael writes in a humble, humorous, and candid manner as he reveals his rise to prominence, as well as some of the problems that accompanied it.  I suppose an obvious theme of the book is that luck may have played somewhat of a role in the good things that happened to Michael, that if a break or two hadn't gone his way, we may have never heard of him.  However, I like to think that he has such a great personality that he would have eventually succeeded anyway.  The book provides a lot of juicy details that make this required reading for any of his serious fans.  It is highly entertaining and touching, too.  Avery Z. Conner, author of "Fevers of the Mind".