Anyone who wants an inside look into the often-disturbing culture of inner-city policing should not hesitate to purchase this book. Mr. Juarez writes candidly and courageously about the problems and conflicts of law enforcement, but he also writes a moving account of his own personal journey. Stories of the author's upbringing in a working class, inner-city Chicago neighborhood are heavily drawn upon as Jaurez comes to analyze and ultimately question the morality of the entire criminal justice system, from the beat cop to the courthouse to the national agenda of the War on Drugs and War on Crime. The power of this book lies in the author's ability to take a sophisticated, broad view of the institutional prejudices of the American criminal justice system while providing deeply personal, and jarringly unfiltered accounts of life on the street.

This book is brutally honest and pulls no punches as it provides specific details of the underhanded practices of crooked cops: framing suspects, violent abuse, violent intimidation, theft, bribery, and vandalism. The book also details what seems like the very routine practice of falsifying reports to cover-up the offenses listed above, justify an unlawful arrest, or to guarantee a conviction. Mr. Juarez takes pains to emphasize that the overwhelming majority of the victims of such crimes are impoverished minorities. He even details how policies are emplemented specifically to avoid targeting middle and upper-class offenders.

Even though the officer exposes what seems to be widespread corruption and an institutional bias against poor minorities, I found it very fair. Juarez in no way exempts himself and provides numerous accounts of his own misdeads and his complicity in not speaking out when confronted with other officers' criminal acts. He also provides many examples of honest, hardworking cops and seems to conclude that the biggest problem facing criminal justice lies less with the individuals that make up the system than with the system itself.

As said in the title of this review, this memoir reads like a page-turing novel. Even given the disturbing details of misdeads and injustice, there were strong elements of an uplifting nature in this memoir as well. The author's own personal journey is inspiring and admirable. If only more of us had the courage to take an honest look at ourselves and the shortcomings of the institutions that surround us, we would find our culture in a better place. One can only hope this book might inspire others to that calling.

this book is wild. the author joins the police force and discovers a world of privilege and violence. he often uses these things to his advantage, though he isn't violent and racist like many of the other cops. then he ends up getting fired for a really dumb reason (although he probably should have been fired for not doing his job earlier!)

overall this book shows a police force that keeps down minorities and punishes people for stupid things like smoking pot. also they use force in a completely inappropriate fashion for their own pleasure. the one that sticks out in my mind is when they come across a homeless guy trying to stay dry, and they totally ruin his day for no reason except cruelty. another time, a couple of cops destroy these black guys' nice car just for the hell of it. it's pretty obvious where the likes of NWA got their lyrical inspiration! whether you think the author is immature or not isn't really the issue. by the way he handles his romantic relationships, it's pretty obvious he was immature! but he was also a good guy surrounded by a bunch of jerks who enabled each other in their "brotherhood," much like A STREET GANG. ironic, huh? as for judging the police force, well this book was written a while ago. it's possible things have changed a lot since then. i don't know. these cops certainly aren't the calm, super-rational, protocol-following types you see on the show "cops," that's for sure. there are good and bad people in any profession. there are great cops. of course regardless of what kind of job the police are doing, many laws and societal changes need to take place in america, instead of basically arresting people for being poor and the author addresses that this book is full of drama and interesting stuff. i enjoyed it.

I want to thank Mr. Juarez for writing such and honest hard-hitting account of his years as an officer in the Chicago Police Department. You have shown that anyone who puts on the badge must confront not only the bad actors in our society but also the demons
nestled in one's own psyche. This is cautionary tale with a deeply redeeming ending; a must-read for anyone who is considering a career in law enforcement.