My Life in the NYPD: Jimmy the Wags (Paperback)

~ James Wagner (Author), Patrick Picciarelli (Author), Don Imus (Introduction) "I got out of the navy in October 1967..." (more)
Key Phrases: past burglary, average cop, foot post, New York, Sergeant Reddy, Ninth Precinct (more...)

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Onyx (March 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451410246
• ISBN-13: 978-0451410245
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #397,142 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best non-fiction NYPD Book I've ever read, June 5, 2002

By	Naz (New Jersey United States) - See all my reviews

I picked this book up in of all places an Eckards drugstore and expected something that would keep my interest yet not be very memorable. Instead what i got was one of the finest books I have ever read period. The reason this book works so well is because Wags has no ego. No stories are present in a way to make him a hero and honesty rings throughout the entire book. The other reviewers have already mentioned the layout of the book so I will only say that this book contains stories you will never forget. I work in NYC and it is extremely interesting to read about the City in to 70s and 80s when it was cesspool..it really makes one appreciate Guliani and the miracle he performed. If I had to draw a parallel to this book, I would compare it to the best of Wambaugh. Wags write about so many fascinating characters that each chapter is like a mini book unto itself. Very importantly, Wags finishes each story with an update on the individual and or event, so you are not left wondering what happened. All in all, the finest police writing I have ever read.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the ring of truth, March 18, 2002

By	Michael L. Landau (Rome, New York United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This second book by the 'Wags' is a thrilling ride through the streets of lower Manhatten with the siren going full blast. Written in a no-nonsense style, here is a book about New York that you can really get your teeth into. If you know NYC, then you know that there is little, if any, exaggeration. Truth is indeed stranger than fiction, and every one of the weird situations and perverted personalities has the ring of truth. What a great adventure it was for me, who was a teenager on the streets of New York, to read what was really going on behind the scenes, the stories you never got to read. This isn't just a book about brutality in the streets. Wagner is a cop with a heart, and had a passion for his job. Although the tone is often nostalgic, it is never overly sentimental or mawkish. Here is a beautiful kaleidoscope of the city in all its rawness. Read it and see!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Authentic, fast paced and action packed, March 27, 2002

By	Linda Linguvic (New York City) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

James Wagner, nicknamed "Jimmy the Wags" is a retired New York City street cop who, with the help of writer Patrick Picciarelli, also a retired cop, describes his police experiences in the Lower East Side of Manhattan in the 60s, 70s and 80s. It's an authentic voice that rings with the cadence of the city and the job he worked day after day, dealing with the dregs of society and everyday crime, as well as some of the major social issues of the time.

We first meet Jimmy as a nine-year old boy, listening to Dragnet with his police officer father in their Staten Island home. We follow him through the police academy and then out to the streets. We meet his fellow cops and feel the pressures of the job, watching some of them turn into alcoholics or commit suicide. We see how many of the rules are bent to accommodate the reality of what is going on in the street. We're right alongside Jimmy, feeling his anger and despair when he goes to funeral services for fellow cops brutally gunned down. We meet celebrities and junkies and Hell's Angels and other assorted oddball characters. We're surprised at some stories, and we cringe at others and wonder how one man could have experienced so many outrageous things. Then we realize that these are the highlights of a long career, all compressed into a fast paced, action packed narrative with something new on every page. It's a good story, well told. Recommended.