simfromstoke
04-09-2012, 09:41 AM
An Alphabet City Housing cops' memoirs of life on the beat in the projects back in NYC 1988.
title edit!- thread title should read
Alphaville: New York 1988: Welcome to Heroin City by Michael Codella
Im reading this ATM and I'm half-way through it (only brought it 4 days ago) so even though I haven't finished this book I still feel in a position to recommend it.
I've always had a fascination with NYC's open-air scene, especially from back in the 70's/80's and so-far Michael Codella's recounts of undercover life on the beat in the late 80's is quite a gripping read.
He is the son of a housing cop who's father was one of the original Sicilian immigrants who walked the other-side of the tracks as a first-generation wiseguy, so the family has quite a chequered history which throughout the book the author regales, intertwined with tales of shady grasses and junkies and hookers who he worked-over for info to try and get at upper-echelons of the NY heroin trade.
The book gives good-insight into 'the enemies' mindset (from a junkies POV!) and also generally the US cops (verses a British coppers) attitude on how to police the streets and in my opinion over-flexing their authority over the weakest of people in society(the easiest targets I suppose...)
However the book also reveals how the older-generation of cops also seem more-tollerant/less bothered to hustle us low-life junkies as they know that their daily grind does little to impact on societies want to get high at what-ever the cost and expelling excess energy busting junkies does nothing for the drug-trade
So far then a great read and well worth seeking out especially is you subscribe to the old adage -'better the devil you know'...
First published in 2010/11
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/alphaville-michael-codella/1103093376
-sim
title edit!- thread title should read
Alphaville: New York 1988: Welcome to Heroin City by Michael Codella
Im reading this ATM and I'm half-way through it (only brought it 4 days ago) so even though I haven't finished this book I still feel in a position to recommend it.
I've always had a fascination with NYC's open-air scene, especially from back in the 70's/80's and so-far Michael Codella's recounts of undercover life on the beat in the late 80's is quite a gripping read.
He is the son of a housing cop who's father was one of the original Sicilian immigrants who walked the other-side of the tracks as a first-generation wiseguy, so the family has quite a chequered history which throughout the book the author regales, intertwined with tales of shady grasses and junkies and hookers who he worked-over for info to try and get at upper-echelons of the NY heroin trade.
The book gives good-insight into 'the enemies' mindset (from a junkies POV!) and also generally the US cops (verses a British coppers) attitude on how to police the streets and in my opinion over-flexing their authority over the weakest of people in society(the easiest targets I suppose...)
However the book also reveals how the older-generation of cops also seem more-tollerant/less bothered to hustle us low-life junkies as they know that their daily grind does little to impact on societies want to get high at what-ever the cost and expelling excess energy busting junkies does nothing for the drug-trade
So far then a great read and well worth seeking out especially is you subscribe to the old adage -'better the devil you know'...
First published in 2010/11
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/alphaville-michael-codella/1103093376
-sim