BOOK REVIEW by Tom Fox, Author - Drummer Boy Willie McGee, Civil War Hero and Fraud; Hidden History of the Irish of New Jersey
Towards the end of the movie Bang the Drum Slowly, the knowledge that the main character, a New York baseball player, is dying is revealed to his teammates. “It’s so sad it makes you want to cry,” says a grief stricken coach, only to have another add, “It’s so sad, it makes you want to laugh.” Brian Martin has accomplished both those enigmatic sentiments with the wonderful editing of his father’s memoir, Proud to Have Been a NYC Transit Cop.
Captain John R Martin’s meticulous memory of what it was like to have been Irish growing up in New York, a loving husband and parent, and one of the most respected law enforcement officers of his era is revealed twelve years after his death in the hands of his son Brian.
Captain Martin, a WW II member of the most famous generation in American history, was responsible for the Transit cops achieving parity with the NYC police, a feat many thought impossible. But this memoir is as much a family love story as it is an historical document, and it succeeds on both levels. If you care anything at all about what it was like living in New York in an era now gone, or just want to revel in an irresistible American tale, get a copy of this book. It will make you cry and laugh, and dream of days gone by. Captain John Martin was a special man, and this remarkable effort of his son is living proof.
