Cop's Kid: A Milwaukee Memoir [Hardcover]

Mel C. Miskimen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 30, 2003

    B-Day, as it came to be known, finally arrived. It was a Friday. A school day. I identified with Cinderella as I watched Dad get ready for work. Holster, check. Gun, check.  Billy club, check. Handcuffs, check. . . . Saturday morning I got up early. Dad was already gone. Back to work. Ushering the Beatles out of town. On the table . . . there were two small bars of soap, slightly used, the words "Coach House Inn" still legible. One book of matches with four missing. And a note from Dad, "From their room." . . . No one else’s dad comes home from work with something that might, just might, have been intimate with a Beatle.
    Growing up, Mel Miskimen thought that a gun and handcuffs on the kitchen table were as normal as a gallon of milk and a loaf of Mrs. Karl’s bread. Her father, a Milwaukee cop for almost forty years was part Super Hero (He simply held up his hand and three lanes of traffic came to a screeching halt) and part Supreme Being (He could be anywhere at anytime. I never knew when or where he would pop up.) Miskimen’s memoir, told in humorous vignettes, tells what it was like for a girl growing up with a dad who packed a lunch and packed heat.

Editorial Reviews

Review

 "Cop’s Kid is an original and engaging look at the family life of a cop through the eyes of his daughter. It is also a cultural snapshot of people and events that shaped American life during the 1950s, ‘60s, and ‘70s."—Jonathan L. Overby, host and producer of "Higher Ground"

From the Publisher

Terrace Books, a trade imprint of the University of Wisconsin Press

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 154 pages
• Publisher: University of Wisconsin Press; 1 edition (August 30, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0299188809
• ISBN-13: 978-0299188801
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,323,534 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I'm a Cops Kid, too!, September 15, 2003

By 

Angie (Cudahy, WI United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cop's Kid: A Milwaukee Memoir (Hardcover)

Growing up in Milwaukee, with a Cop Dad of my own, I could totally relate with this book. Even though there are exactly 20 years between myself and the author, the similarities were amazing!

Author Mel C. Miskimen puts a hilarious spin on the life and times of having a Dad as a Police Officer. From bringing home trinkets of rock stars (in her case - The Beatles, in my case - the rock band Cinderella), to interrogating the boyfriends, this book had me cracking up! Each page delivers new humor on an old topic - Cop Dad's are strict rulers of the house, lawncare fanatics, and great big teddy bears.

In addition to the joys and perils of having a Cop Dad, Miskimen details Polish family life and growing up in 1960's Milwaukee. The holidays and trips to Busia's (Grandma's) house, family relations, and going to an "all girls" high school add delightful detail to an already entertaining book.

Once you pick this book up, good luck putting it down! With it's great, humorous writing style, I haven't read a book this enjoyable in a long time! It's like a cross between Erma Bombeck and Dave Barry.

5.0 out of 5 stars Funny, entertaining, and familiar!, January 11, 2012

By 

Kelly K (Wisconsin) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Cop's Kid: A Milwaukee Memoir (Hardcover)

Mel Miskimen's book is a hilarious walk down memory lane for anyone who grew up with a father who worked on the police force. My father was a police detective for a Milwaukee suburb from the `50s to the early `90s, and the parallels between her childhood and mine are incredible. From running the boyfriends through background checks, to the rules (no motorcycles, tattoos or long hair), to recording license plate numbers in the little brown book, I was laughing throughout as I recalled the very same experiences. Her book made it very clear police officers share a dominant work culture mentality that drives our heroic, yet over-protective dads.

This book is a funny and entertaining read for anyone, and a MUST read for those of us who are cops' kids!

5.0 out of 5 stars Sharp Wit of Funny Writer, September 15, 2003

By 

Amy Jenkins (Wauwatosa, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cop's Kid: A Milwaukee Memoir (Hardcover)

Mel Miskimen's book "Cop's Kid" is wonderfully funny and entertaining. If you've been lucky enough to hear her voice on public radio -- it's all the better. Yet her voice does come through in her writing. The quirky cast of characters will make you laugh out loud and will stick in your memory.

What I enjoy most about Mel's writing is that all the while she's making fun of her relatives, and of herself -- she avoids the negative cynicism that's common to many humor writers. You get the feeling that Mel loves to be surrounded by the offbeat. At a time when our nation is more sensitive to the sacrifices of those who serve and protect, along comes this fresh, human point of view.

I highly recommend this book, not just for cop's and cop families-but for any one who needs a lot of good laughs with an underlying appreciation of how wonderful it is to live in a world full of weirdo's.