The Lost Son: A Life in Pursuit of Justice

by Bernard B. Kerik

Book Overview

When terrorists destroyed the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001, former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard B. Kerik was at the scene within moments. In the ensuing months, he helped Mayor... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060009012
• ISBN13: 9780060009014
• Release Date: November 2001
• Publisher: William Morrow & Company
• Length: 361 Pages
• Weight: 2.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.5" x 9.4"

Customer Reviews

HOW THE MIGHTY HAVE FALLEN...

This is an engaging, well-written memoir of a man who came from a disadvantaged background, a high school drop out who, with a little help from his friends, pulled himself up by his boot straps, eventually becoming New York City's fortieth Police Commissioner in 2000. Born to an alcoholic mother who worked as a prostitute and was eventually murdered, Kerik grew up in the mean streets of Newark and Patterson, New Jersey, and eventually dropped out of high school. A devotee of martial arts, he become a third degree black belt and joined the military, a career choice that was to give focus to his life. From then on, it was a natural segue into law enforcement. The book takes the reader on a trip down memory lane through Kerik's colorful life from his inauspicious birth to the 2001 World Trade Center attack. Kerik details his rise from warden of a Patterson, New Jersey jail to a member of the NYC police Department, then NYC Commissioner of Corrections, and, ultimately, NYC Police Commissioner. Police buffs will especially enjoy Kerik's war stories of his days as a foot soldier of NYPD, from his early days as a rookie cop to his faced paced, adrenalin rush days as a member of the DEA/NYPD Task Force. Very loyal to friends and family, Kerik is clearly a complex man with a lot of natural ability, a virtual diamond in the rough with an uncanny knack for rising to the top in whatever he does. Despite his lack of formal education, Kerik was always able to think out of the box and adopt new ways of looking at old problems. This, coupled with natural leadership ability, made him a force with which to be reckoned. His friendship with Rudolph Giuliani, in those early days when Rudy was running for Mayor of New York City, eventually helped secure Kerik a prominent berth in city government. Whether it was as the Commissioner of Corrections, where he was able to bring Riker's Island, a local NYC penal colony, up to snuff, or as Commissioner of NYPD, where Kerik did much to quell community dissatisfaction with the police, Kerik did manage to leave his mark. Still, there are little hints of an Achilles heel and chinks in the personal integrity of this man of supposed steel and honor that are revealed in this book. I was struck by the fact that Kerik, while Police Commissioner, seemingly thought it was alright to use resources of the NYC Police Department to try and unravel the mystery surrounding his mother's death years earlier in Ohio. Even though years later he was eventually made to pay back the money that those investigative efforts cost, I was surprised to see that at the time he was using members of the NYC Police Department as his own private investigators, he did not think that this was an inappropriate use of public resources for a private matter. Unfortunately, this little chink in his personal integrity would come to bite him on the butt when Giuliani recommended him in 2004 to President Bush for the position of Secretary of Homeland Se

Gritty Portrait of an Outstanding, No-Nonsense Leader!

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

My husband says "EXCELLENT!!!"

I am writing this review for my husband who is a total non-reader and not very computer literate. He said this book was one of the best and most accurate accounts of the law enforcement life. He has been in law enforcement for 15 years and has heard about Commissioner Kerik over the past couple of years. Other law enforcement should strive to be as committed as Comm. Kerik. My husb says read this book!! It will make you more proud of America's REAL heros...policemen and firemen. GOD BLESS USA AND GOD BLESS NYPD, FDNY, NY EMS AND OUR BOYS OVERSEAS!!

AN EXTRAORDINARY STORY OF AN EXTRAORDINARY MAN!

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.