My Father's Gun: One Family, Three Badges, One Hundred Years in the Nypd

Rating:
Summary: 100 years in the NYPD
Review: Anyone who ever wondered what it was like to be a cop in New York City should read this book. The author is steeped in police tradition -- his grandfather, father and brother all wore the badge. The book is particularly interesting because of the view it provides of life in New York over the past 100 years.

Brian McDonald's grandfather, son of Irish immigrants, joined the New York City police department in 1893. He was there during the height of Tammany Hall. He walked a beat as a patrolman and then rose quickly to seargent. He and his descendants each enjoyed the life of a copy and suffered because of bureaucracy, favoritism and the changing nature of the city.

In a way the story of these 3 generations is an excuse to tell the story of the NYC police department and the city it served. Though not a disciplined or complete history, this book quite effectively creates an anecdotal portrait that gives the reader a peek into a time and place not generally accessible.

Rating:
Summary: enjoyable, interesting
Review: As a member of NYPD, I have heard alot of talk on this book. also living in Rockland county,(also where the author lived) I can relate to differents points of interest in the book. I living a civil service family life, can compare the different aspects of "the job". My father being an officer of FDNY, me being the first cop. This books goes from the changes in the dept. through scandals and also working now shows what things havent changed. I highly recomend this book to anyone not just cops, it puts in perspective a cops life and what the family endures also. Once you start reading it is a hard book to stop reading, it isn't hard reading the book flows very smooth. I am not reader and for me to read a complete book is good.

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding
Review: Brian McDonald has given us a picture of 3 generations of a police family.He gives accounts from a number of war stories both humoruous and tragic. He seems to have the ability to touch a number of emotions in this book. "My Father's Gun" goes beyond cop stories to interpersonal family dynamics. Brian clearly shows us how being a cop effects the entire family. It was a great read , I couldn't put it down. I am looking forward to another book by Brian McDonald.

Rating:
Summary: Heartbreaking, Accurate picture of a Law Enforcement Family
Review: I am writing a book about a policeman from the same time period as My Father's Gun and would love to know if Brian McDonald might give me some feedback about the policeman's ball - what it was like; did children of police attend, etc.? My e-mail: [e-mail]. Thanks.

Rating:
Summary: Moving
Review: I came to appreciate the difficulties of being an honest and good NYPD cop.
This book helped me realize that all the heroic things cops do are ignored by the media, while the few mistakes are constantly highlighted.
Since 9/11 the media and the liberal left have improved somewhat, but not enough.
The courage and selflessness required to be a NYPD cop are amazing. While the NYPD is not above criticism, I think much of the criticism is misplaced, misleading and a result of misunderstanding.
I dare Al Sharpton to read this book -- maybe it could expand his world view a little bit more.

Rating:
Summary: Thanks for the heart, soul and information
Review: I just finished this book and loved it. I am writing a novel about a policeman (we had two in our close family, and each was a tragic person). McDonald's respectful yet honest telling was easy to read and easy on the heart. It gave me a lot of ideas for my book, especially how to write about the subject with more objectivity.

It was also wonderful information about police work and the history of NY'S P.D. in general. How about a movie, a miniseries or even its own weekly show? Frankie's is a great story about a great guy. He is no doubt gratified to have a brother who is so gifted - and so proud of him.

Rating:
Summary: Solid Memoir...but flawed
Review: It's been a long time, if ever, that a book such as this has reached so far into my heart. Anyone who has grown up in the 60's and in a small bedroom community of NYC cannot deny the truths revealed in this book. It is one of the best examples of an author not only laying his heart open but of his search for why we become who we are. The author does a splendid job of taking us down the main street of hometown USA and while whiling away the time in such an Eden, weaves the rich history of his family and the NYC police force. Thank you Brian McDonald, for capturing the Pearl River of my own youth and for giving us the world readership the background that brought you to those moments and beyond.

Rating:
Summary: A great summer read that has "legs": it stays with you.
Review: Mr. McDonald gives an honest, interesting and downright moving account of three generations of NYC policemen and their stories warts and all. It is done with humor and more importantly good solid writing. The book reads like a fine tale but brings you into the history of Mr. McDonalds' family their failures and successes. It is a wonderful summer read, for those who enjoy a bit of soul searching, fathers, crime and punishment but more importantly the American Dream. The pages turn quickly. I look forward to his next book.

Rating:
Summary: It's all in the family.
Review: The subtitle of McDonald's new nonfiction book says it all: "One Family, Three Badges, One Hundred Years in the NYPD."

But his family wasn't always a part of the book. At first, McDonald, a 45-year-old Manhattan writer, wanted to compose a traditional history of the NYPD with just a slight twist. "I wasn't going to do it about my family," he told APBnews.com. "I was going to do it about New York City policing being the last bastion of careers handed down over generations."

Then he went to an NYPD retirement party where a detective asked the crowd of about 150 how many of them were third-generation officers. About half raised their hands, and a whopping 15 said their police department heritage went back four generations.

"I knew I was on to something then," McDonald said, and he decided to turn to his own family as subject material.

At the time of his grandfather's service, corruption in the NYPD was epidemic. My Father's Gun is perhaps most vivid in its descriptions of an era at the turn of the century when many lawmen were criminals.

Devery, the crooked police captain who owned the city's baseball team, eventually was promoted to chief of police. His inspiring advice to his troops: "When ye're caught with the goods, don't say nothin'."

Brutality wasn't uncommon. Police Capt. Alexander "Clubber" Williams once put the law enforcement ethos into words: "There is more law at the end of the policeman's nightstick than in all the decisions of the Supreme Court."

"Little things like that give you some idea of what things were like," McDonald said. The NYPD "was unbelievably corrupt and incredibly colorful."

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding Glimpse into a Police Family
Review: Totally engrossing and well-written,My Father's Gun provides an excellent glimpse into a family that has served in the NYPD for three generations. It documents not just the lives of cops at work but also the often difficult and stressful home lives of their families. An excellent book for anyone considering a career in law enforcement and for anyone who appreciates good writing. Highly recommended