Chopper [Paperback]

Mark Brandon Read (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2002

Bullied at school and growing up dreaming of revenge, Mark "Chopper" Read determined to be the toughest in any company. He became a crime commando who terrorized drug dealers, pimps, thieves, and armed robbers on the streets and in jail—but boasts never to have hurt an innocent member of the public. His story is one of violence, betrayal by trusted friends, and murder. To read his book is to read a legend who has become one of Australia's—and now the world's—most unlikely literary success stories.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"'Apart from Irish whiskey, good cigars, Pontiac motor cars, and a pistol grip baby, what I love most is kidnapping smart-arse gangsters and taking their money.' 'So I shot Nick the Greek and burned his house down? So what? If you met him, you'd want to burn his house down too...' 'To the human filth I have bashed, belted, iron-barred, axed, shot, stabbed, knee-capped, set on fire and driven to their graves, I can only quote from the motto of the French Foreign Legion- Je Ne Regrette Rien!!!'" --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Mark Brandon Read now lives in Tasmania, far out of reach of the hundreds of criminals who want to put a bullet in his skull. He enjoys reading, cooking and caring for his electric chainsaw.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 282 pages
• Publisher: John Blake (August 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1904034144
• ISBN-13: 978-1904034148
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #987,443 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An alluring appetiser into Chopper's world, May 20, 2004

By 

W A BRANDI (rondebosch, cape town South Africa) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Chopper (Paperback)

This man has a style of writing which can be compared to no other. He is witty, funny, illiterate, genuine and above all: psychotic.

The book starts off great but halfway lost its grip over me as it became a decoupled series of short stories where he tells of friends he has had in prison. Despite this, some of the stories are hilarious!

Having read the book, I eagerly ventured onto the Web in search of more stories and tales of the feared Chopper Read. This was far more rewarding than the book itself, but obviously something I would not have done had I not learned of his background via the book.

Chopper definately made an impression on me, that is, I even christened a boisterous new kitten after him: Mark Brandon 'Chopper' Read.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The luckiest criminal to ever live, June 23, 2003

By 

T Uttley "T Uttley" (Leeds, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chopper (Paperback)

The autobiography of Mark Brandon Read `Chopper' gives us a unique and seldom told insight into the criminal underworld of Australia, particularly Melbourne. The story begins by an infatuation with guns, explosives and military history crossed-wired with a young child who spent a lot of time drugged up in a psychiatric rehabilitation prison. Mix two vital ingredients together and you're left with a dangerous man.

Probably the most sought-after criminal in Australia, Chopper acquired his enemies through his friends' enemies and from robbing the bank robbers and other similar criminals. He's killed plentiful, but protests "I'm no murderer...I'm a garbage disposal expert" and from a certain perspective, his tales hold a strong point of view. The only men he has claimed to kill are murderers themselves, drug dealers and rapists. Any other men he has killed may well have been innocent, but Chopper was acting purely in self-defence.

Spending most of his life behind bars, Chopper inevitably made friends with other inmates and also confronted his worst enemies. Cleverly thought out antics and plots to burn down prisons are just a range of things Chopper and friends would execute in an attempt to relieve boredom and pass time. Nevertheless he claims: - "It is a madhouse in prison - and twice as bad outside,"

Packed with hilarious non-chronological stories about imbecilic big shot gangsters; Close attempts to wipe out Chopper; And a world where criminals fear Chopper over the law; this book will keep you thoroughly entertained from start to finish.

In his own words; "You can fool some of the people all of the time, And you can even fool all of the people some of the time, but in the real world of blood and guts you don't fool Chopper Read any of the time."

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha!!, September 12, 2005

By 

Robert Gilleo "Weirdo" (Anytown, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Chopper (Paperback)

If you like books about facial stabbings with needle nose pliers, blowtorches on the soles of bare feet and short anectdotes about having ones ears removed, this is the book for you. Mixed in with some graphic imagery, is the witty humor of an Australian Robin Hood. He's a confessed torturer, murderer, theif, thug, extortionist, etc. Mark "Chopper" Reed's claim to fame is that he has never hurt an innocent person. Everyone he's hurt, mamed, killed has been a "crim" of some sort. His favourite kind crim to deal with is the drug dealer. To Mark they are the lowest of the low, and in his experience, the most spineless.

Yes, the imagery is a little graphic but the humor is witty and greatly balances the violence in this novel. Since the publication of "Chopper", Mark Reed has become one of Australia's best selling authors and celebrity. Also check out the rest of the 8 books in the Chopper Series.