The Lost Son: A Life in Pursuit of Justice [Hardcover]

Bernard B. Kerik (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 12, 2001

An astonishing story of bravery and honour: One man's quest-against incredible odds-to make a stand against crime...and to uncover the painful truths of his own background. From the sagging row houses of Paterson, New Jersey to the cocaine fields of Colombia, from the razor wire of Rikers Island to the streets of New York City, Bernard Kerik has dedicated his life to a single goal: to fight the injustice he sees around him. A jail warden with a black belt and a background in international security and anti-terrorism, he took a substantial pay cut to become a beat cop on the streets of Times Square in 1986. A fearless narcotics detective, he went undercover to buy drugs in Harlem, seized millions of dollars of cocaine from the druglords of the life of a fellow officer. In the 1990s, as the city's Commissioner of Correction, Cali cartel, and was awarded the Police Department's Medal of Valor for saving he ended the hellish violence at Rikers Island and transformed it into a model of its kind. Today, as Kerik directs the largest municipal police force in the world of 55,000, his battles continue. And yet Bernard Kerik's greatest battle was not pitched on tough city streets, but within himself. For, even as he was driven to seek justice in every corner of the world, this extraordinary man never looked back until he reached the top. And when he did, he faced the greatest unsolved case of his life-the tragic mystery of his own mother, who abandoned her young son forty-one years ago.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Bernard B. Kerik was appointed the 40th police commissioner of the City of New York by Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani on August 21, 2000. Prior to his appointment, he served as commissioner of the Department of Correction. He served with the New York Police Department in both uniformed and plainclothes duty for eight years, and was awarded the prestigious Medal of Valor, among many other awards for meritorious and heroic service. Before joining the NYPD, Kerik served as warden of the Passaic County jail, the largest county adult correctional facility in New Jersey. Kerik spent three years in the U.S. Army as an MP, assigned to Korea and to the 18th Airborne Corps, where he trained Special Forces personnel at the John F. Kennedy Unconventional Warfare Center in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Bernard B. Kerik lives in New York City.

From AudioFile

NYPD Commissioner Kerik's personal story is interesting and inspiring. As a young man, he is often in trouble and even quits school. He gains a sense of purpose in the military and embarks on a career in law enforcement that culminates in his becoming commissioner. There's a secondary story line in this book: his desire to understand why his mother abandoned him and what led to her death. Ron McClarty's reading is good; his deep, tough voice sounds like what an NYPD officer should sound like. McClarty offers some excellent vocal characterizations, especially the voices of some of Kerik's colleagues in law enforcement. Be warned that not only do the voices sound like NYPD officers, but the strong language used does, as well. M.L.C. © AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow (November 12, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060009012
• ISBN-13: 978-0060009014
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (57 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,014,131 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Guy Writes Boring Biography, February 9, 2005

By 

Burt Weyhing (Treasure Island, FL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Lost Son: A Life in Pursuit of Justice (Hardcover)

As biographies of interesting people go, especially for a guy as colorful and gutsy as Bernard Kerrick, this book is disappointingly BORING.

The book is poorly written, with an over-emphasis on Kerrick's childhood and alcoholic/prostitute mother who was murdered after he was taken from her custody. The book becomes mildly engaging in the chapters where Kerrick takes over running Rykers Island and subsequently the NYPD, but the book waits far too long before bringing us up to modern events.

Another strong criticism is Kerrick's persistance in constantly singling out NYPD officers by name and carrying on about how great they are, what heroes, their sacrifices etc. Yes, fine, we get it. They are heroes. But this book is about YOUR life. Its as if he promised like 200 drinking buddies to include their names in his book and didn't want to reneg. Also, the butt kissing to Guliani teeters a bit on the excessive. Yes, Guliani is a grat man and kissing his butt is OK-just do it on your own time Bernie.

21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gritty Portrait of an Outstanding, No-Nonsense Leader!, December 20, 2001

By 

Donald Mitchell "Jesus Loves You!" (Thanks for Providing My Reviews over 109,000 Helpful Votes Globally) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Lost Son: A Life in Pursuit of Justice (Hardcover)

Caution: This book contains a lot of coarse and vulgar language and subjects. The purpose seems to be to provide honest texture about Mr. Kerik's life, rather than to provide shock value. Unless such things are very offensive to you, you will probably be able to look past them to the underlying story.

I delayed reading this book because the publicity about it was somewhat misleading to me. I thought that the book would simply capture the story of another outstanding police leader. Fine, but I don't normally think of police leaders as ranking among the great leaders. Was I ever wrong! I wish I had read this book when it first came out. I intend to read it again . . . and again!

I found this book to be one of the most inspiring and moving autobiographies that I have ever read. Mr. Kerik is the real life version of the sort of dedicated crime fighter that the movies love to create out of their imaginations. His story makes even The French Connection pale for me.

"You will read about true everyday heroes." That statement is profoundly true about this book. First, Mr. Kerik is clearly such a hero. Second, he has also worked with a lot of heroes and describes a lot of them. Third, as a leader, Mr. Kerik also takes great pleasure in finding and honoring heroes. Those three perspectives permeate every page.

The book has three primary story lines. The main one is how a tough kid who dropped out of high school found his way to become the 40th Police Commissioner of New York City. A secondary one is his search for his roots, which reveal some pretty daunting facts that he handles very well. The third one is added at the end, which is to describe the events of September 11th from the perspective of trying to direct the police response from the scene near the World Trade Center. Any one of these story lines would have made this an outstanding book.

Mr. Kerik's character has many unusual qualities. Although he is a person with little formal education, he is very interested in learning and applying new and better ways of doing things. With his talent, he could have made a lot of money doing things other than being a New York City police officer. But he wanted the challenge the job brings. Some of the roles he has taken on (such as running Rikers Island) would have been too much for almost anyone else. Yet he could look past the problems to focus on the important values of treating those who work and are imprisoned there with dignity, safety, humanity and fairness. In addition, he has lots of courage. He played undercover roles in the drug trade that could have cost him his life on almost any day. Perhaps the most appealing of his qualities is that he doesn't see any of this as being very special, and goes out of his way to point out others who did more.

Although it would be a joy to share with you all of the things I found remarkable about Mr. Kerik in this book, you'll enjoy discovering them for yourself by reading his words more than if I interpret them for you.

Where do you have a passion to do the right thing? Are you pursuing that passion? If not, how could you?

Turn loose all of your creativity and energy to accomplish something important . . . for all of us . . . and for yourself!

30 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars AN EXTRAORDINARY STORY OF AN EXTRAORDINARY MAN!, November 15, 2001

By 

Sandra D. Peters "Seagull Books" (Prince Edward Island, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Lost Son: A Life in Pursuit of Justice (Hardcover)

Bernard Kerik is no ordinary man. Bernard Kerik is a man of extraordinary courage, character, determination, and integrity who has committed his life to fighting the world's injustices. He is a man with a mission and his task, at times, seems almost an endless impossibility. From a Times Square beat cop and an undercover police officer buying drugs in Harlem, to righting the wrongs of Rikers Island, Kerik is truly a man whose shoes would be very difficult, if not impossible, to fill.

The book is well written and mind absorbing from start to finish. One important message readers can take from this book is having the courage to stand up for what one beleives in and the fortitude to stand up for those who are not able to stand up for themselves. This is a tremendous book written by a man of exceptional honour and valor. The book is deserving of far more than a five-star rating; it deserves all the stars in the universe.