Sunday, February 14, 2010

Go Ask Alice

Go Ask Alice, by an anonymous author is the story of a young girl who starts life on the straight laced side, until she is exposed to drugs. Her life then goes on a downward spiral from there. She runs away from home, starts dealing drugs, and sells her body. Yet somehow, after all of this, she was able to get off of the drugs and return to a normal life...for a while. Her former friends were brutal to her, and would not allow her any peace. She would constantly be called names like a goodie goodie, and would be pushed and jostled in the hallway at school. One day, she was even sexually assaulted. Finally, towards the end of her diary, she was babysitting for a neighbor when it happened. Someone laced some chocolates with Acid and slipped them to her. She went on a bad trip for a week. She had to spend time in a mental hospital which was sick, and somehow managed to make it out alive. She found new friends who stayed away from drugs, and was on the right path. In her last entry everything seems like she is on the right path. Unfortunately, we are left with a message at the end she died two weeks later from a drug overdose, unsure of whether it was intentional or murder. Although this was a quick, easy read it was still a good book.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Blue Blood

I just finished the book Blue Blood by Edward Conlon. This is the autobiography of a New York City Housing Police Officer in PSA 7 in the South Bronx. It documents his career from a regular patrolman to the Narcotics Division to becoming a detective. The book also includes some of his family history, from uncles and distant relatives who were also police officers. Conlon remembers many events from his older days, such as calls where he would he would have to fight with criminals or deal with death. Although it is a very serious topic, Conlon adds some humor to his discussion. He is always able to lighten the mood by adding a little joke here and there. It is very interesting to hear the extensive cases that Conlon investigated once he got to the Narcotics Division and the Detective Division. This was a great book, and I highly reccomend it.