StreetCreds

Second Edition

By: Zach Fortier

Narrated by: Steven Bateman

StreetCreds is a look inside the world of street gangs and the cops that work them.

I worked the street for many years before I entered the Gang Task Force, joining it with the idea that I could rise to the level of violence of any banger I encountered - a really stupid idea. I wanted to "earn back" the respect of the citizens for the police; I grew up in this city, and I worked its streets the best way I knew how, feeling that I had a firsthand understanding of what the citizens were experiencing. The increasing frustration at gang crimes, drive-bys, robberies, never feeling safe with your kids in your own neighborhood - I wanted to do what I could to make that fear go away. Once I was inside the task force, though, the reality was a rude awakening for me.

The task force was poorly managed and staffed by detectives mostly out for themselves, and the internal politics made success incredibly difficult and almost impossible - almost, but not quite. Witnessing bad cops, brutal crimes, and realizing the department had been compromised, the cost was much higher for me personally than I anticipated. I left the unit two years later, severely broken, edgy, and dangerously damaged. StreetCreds is the story of how all that came to be. Hold on for a reality check.

©2012 Zach Fortier (P)2013 Zach Fortier

Great Story, HORRIBLE narration

Where does StreetCreds rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Good book, the author paints a great visual picture, but the narrator was so bad to my ears, I almost gave up a number of times.

What did you like best about this story?

True life, opened up an understanding of a world I know absolutely nothing about.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Steven Bateman?

Scott Brick, Richard Ferrone, George Guidall, Dick Hill -- I could go on, but basically, anyone besides this guy. I'll probably avoid books he narrates in future. I almost never write reviews, but was compelled in this case due to the narrator.

Disappointed all around.

Much of it started to sounds the same. Material for good stories but not well written, author too self-absorbed to be likeable