Pimp My Read: The Weekly 90 Second Book Review

Pimp My Read: The Weekly 90 Second Book Review

“400 Things Cops Know: Street Smart Lessons From a Veteran Patrolman” by Adam Plantinga. Non-fiction, 197 pages

It’s irritating to read a book written in second-person and the publisher’s decision to print in “ragged-right” format adds to the awkwardness, but this is a funny, informative, slightly scary book. Written with self-deprecating humor and honesty “400 Things” reveals a world everyone has opinions and feelings about but, like myself, doesn’t know that much about.

The book is divided into 19 no-nonsense chapters: “27 Things Cops Know About Shots Fired”, “18 Things Cops Know About The Use of Force”, “28 Things Cops Know About Booze and Drugs”, “24 Things Cops Know About Their Coworkers”. “400 Things” consistently demonstrates integrity, compassion, and a healthy suspicion and intolerance for bureaucratic bullshit, cop shows, and firefighters.

The book is heart-rending and hilarious; informative and revealing.

As mentioned, a second-person ragged-right is jarring to read but this book’s ultimate worth is an honored place on the reference shelf next to a well-thumbed Thesaurus and Dictionary.  The information “400 Things” contains is essential, important, and laid out in an easy-enough-to-find manner.

Recommended to the casual reader and essential for the never-been-arrested writer who peoples a book with felons and cops.

Rob Loughran reads and writes a lot of stuff. Check it out at: Rob's Books.