It depends on how you approach this book. On one hand, this is Whitus' collective thoughts on several situations. It is filled with his alpha-male angle, his better-than-you attitude, and really paints himself in a positive light no matter the situation. And that is fine. Just know that going into this book it is extremely one-sided; his perspective based on memory, I'd imagine, as I doubt he planned to summarize so much over his vast career. This book is interesting. It is a bit disjointed and rough around the edges, but interesting for sure. I am not a PC guy by any stretch - but even I had issue with his position that inmates are "inherently scared of dogs..." (pg. 110). Umm...did I read that wrong? Having read this book, I know he was the first boots inside Columbine, the first to shoot a pistol out of the hand of a suicidal teen (using a bean-bag shotgun round), and probably the first person to use said round on a bear's butt. That didn't work as planned and was a bit comical. But mostly, it appears that if Whitus wasn't at or on the scene - the job wouldn't have been successful. He does point out (over and over) all that he learned from Columbine and another incident where a vehicle can be used as a weapon. Loads of call-outs on those two. Was his job tough? You bet your butt. Demanding - absolutely. Did he sacrifice? I'd say so. All armed men and women in uniform, here or abroad, make sacrifices. I'm glad to have tough-as-nails guys and gals in those positions. Is this dude cocky? Oh, most definitely. However, I think one must look past that. He earned numerous medals (16), of which five were for Medals of Valor. I think you need a bit of Alpha-cocky attitude to survive. Book-wise. The flow is a bit off. He'd be in the middle of a story, then rail on liberals or some other diatribe. 3 of 5 Stars - ARC provided.
From the Publisher:
More than just a retelling, Bullet-Riddled is an in-depth look at the day-to-day of S.W.A.T and focuses on the men and women who inherit so much pain to keep us safe.Nowhere is this more apparent than in the aftermath of the Columbine tragedy. The following days saw major changes within S.W.A.T. Men cracked, leaders folded and the entire country demanded changes. But these changes, like all reforms, met with stiff resistance from the old guard. Friendships turned into rivals and the infrastructure of S.W.A.T began to unravel. As resignations piled up, Grant rebuilt the entire team from hand-selected recruits. He finally had his elite team, one that would face new demons and disorders.
