• Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said

  • By: Philip K. Dick
  • Narrated by: Phil Gigante
  • Length: 7 hrs and 44 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (1,009 ratings)

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Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said  By  cover art

Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said

By: Philip K. Dick
Narrated by: Phil Gigante
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Publisher's summary

"Dick skillfully explores the psychological ramifications of this nightmare." - The New York Times Review of Books

Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said grapples with many of the themes Philip K. Dick is best known for - identity, altered reality, drug use, and dystopia - in a rollicking chase story that earned the novel the John W. Campbell Award and nominations for the Hugo and Nebula.

Jason Taverner - world-famous talk show host and man-about-town - wakes up one day to find that no one knows who he is - including the vast databases of the totalitarian government. And in a society where lack of identification is a crime, Taverner has no choice but to go on the run with a host of shady characters, including crooked cops and dealers of alien drugs. But do they know more than they are letting on? And just how can a person's identity be erased overnight?

©1974 Philip K. Dick (P)2014 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

What listeners say about Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

An excellent reading of an amazing book

'Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said' may go down as one my favorite books. The story is packed so densely with metaphor that it probably warrants multiple readings. The only other Phillip K. Dick books that I've read are 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep' and 'The Man in the High Castle', both of which I enjoyed I lot. I found the story of this book both more creative and more compelling.

I have heard people say that they shy away from PKD because his writing is sexist. Some of the stuff in this book can also be interpreted as racist. The only thing I can say is that you must stick it through to the end. Sexism, racism, and bigotry exist in this book the same way they exist in real life: as elements of the world surrounding and permeating the characters. By the end of the story, some of the characters identify these negative traits in themselves and thereby push through them, others don't. Interpret the treatment of these social issues however you would like, but I believe that Dick puts them in the story to call them out, not to support them.

I listened to the audio version of this story, read by Phil Gigante. Gigante did an excellent job with the wide range of characters and I never found myself getting distracted by his voice and tone choices. Overall production quality of the audio tracks was also superb. If you have an 8+ hour drive, get this audio book.

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35 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Choose wisely

I didnt feel any connection to any characters and at no point was in awe of the setting/society created by PKD. I listened to Ubik and A Scanner Darkly so I was very excited by this book, but that ended quickly as I struggled to get bu this story. I think I’m in the minority, but I would not recommend.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

PKD Comes Alive!

This is a fantastic performance of PKD's 'Flow My Tears.' The narrator provides an excellent diversity of voices and dramatizes the whole story with an engaging rhythm. I loved it!

As a PKD book, it's slightly different than most I've read as the protagonist is an alpha male with a cocky swagger, a famous TV personality and singer with plenty of mistresses. Early in the novel he finds that his identity has been erased and nobody knows who he is. He goes from famous to a nobody, struggling to survive in totalitarian state.

The novel has some similarities to 'Do Androids Dream' in that the protagonist questions his own existence, and seems to bounce around between two worlds. There is also the policeman who is trying to figure out who he is and track him down.

It's a fun and engaging performance that keeps you questioning what's really going on. Classic Philip K Dick. You'll enjoy!

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great book plagued with a morally bankrupt reader.

Google Phil Gigante and you'll find that he's been found guilty of sexually abusing children. I didn't know about this until i found out halfway through the audiobook and felt disgusted. The audio for this book should be rerecorded by someone else.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Confused and Confusing ________________________😱

5 stars is great
4 stars is good
3 stars is OK
2 stars is poor
_______________________________________________________this is only worth a listen if you are a P. K. Dick fan.
I am a fan . . . and still I nearly quit the listen 2 or 3 times ____________________________________________😱

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Mixed feelings

I have mixed feelings about this book. This is probably my third time through it.

The first time I read it It reminded me a lot of the movie Dark City. There were things about the novel that bothered me but I thought I had discovered a new favorite PKD novel.

The first time I listed to it from Audible I returned it because of the incest and the F-bomb is dropped a lot.

I'm reading and listening to a lot of PKD and so I got and listened to it again. It is a really good book. But be warned about the elements I described above.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Love dick

Dick does it again this time with more drugs and more cops and incest too

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Classic PKD

An interesting thought experiment, based on a simple principle, although I'm afraid Dick's explanation of a possible mechanism for it struck me as obfuscation through complication.

The narrator was a joy for me to discover, especially his capability for female voices. The various females did end up sounding a little too similar, and his implementation of them was perhaps too sultry, but I was impressed nonetheless.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

very good and deep.

I can see why the book is so famous and well known. it's very unique.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Not the best production

Lots of mispronunciation

Felt like the story itself was disjointed and incoherent.

Not my favorite Dick novel.

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1 person found this helpful