BAYNARD WOODS is a freelance writer living in Baltimore. His work has appeared in The New York Times, The Guardian, The Washington Post, and many other publications.
BRANDON SODERBERG is a reporter living Baltimore and was previously the Editor in Chief of the Baltimore City Paper and a contributing writer to SPIN. His work has appeared in The New York Times, Vice, The Village Voice and many other publications.
"This book made me want to cry and scream at the same time. It's
the story of an elite group of police officers in Baltimore who
spent years stealing, lying and physically attacking people in the
city. The FBI prosecuted the officers with the same statutes that
it uses to take down organized crime, and the book reads like a mob
story. Except it's not the mob - it's the police." --NPR, Best
Books of 2020 "[A] riveting read." --The Baltimore Sun
"The nearly unbelievable tale of widespread police corruption in a
squad whose leader ran it 'like a war machine.' Woods and Soderberg
meticulously reveal a group within the Baltimore Police Department
that became a criminal enterprise all its own...Few readers will
close this page-turner doubting that the Gun Trace Task Force was
anything but the most corrupt police group in the U.S." --Kirkus
Reviews
"A meticulously researched tale of greed, public pressure, and
absolute power. Fans of The Wire, The Shield, and Training Day will
devour, as will readers of true crime and students of urban affairs
and public policy." --Library Journal (starred review) "Baltimore
journalists Woods and Soderberg cut to the heart of corruption with
precision and impartiality. This is an important book about
community and the police intended to protect and serve it. True
crime with humanity at its core." --Booklist "True crime
aficionados won't want to miss this engrossing exposé."
--Publishers Weekly
"I Got a Monster is a gem, a sobering look at the most corrupt
police unit in the most corrupt police department in America--and
the miracle it took to bring them down. Baynard Woods and Brandon
Soderberg brilliantly guide us through this journey with a diligent
on-the-ground reporting style that has become rare, holding up a
mirror to our broken system and forcing us to see that the "few bad
apples" theory is a myth--crooked cops are supported by crooked
prosecutors and crooked politicians. The whole system needs reform.
Their research is as remarkable as the way in which this book was
crafted--this was the best investigative journalism book I've read
in a long time and it's truly a must read." --D. Watkins, New York
Times bestselling author of The Cook Up and We Speak For Ourselves
"A sobering and unflinching story of corruption, a city plagued by
poor leadership, and a citizenry that has always deserved
better....A reminder that corruption is the result of people making
choices to benefit themselves at the expenses of the general
public. It is an important and necessary read." --DeRay McKesson,
author of On the Other Side of Freedom: The Case for Hope "The Wire
is a Mother Goose fairytale compared to stories revealed by
Soderberg and Woods. Baltimore is a favorite punching bag of
reactionaries who wouldn't know their way around Fells Point. If
you really want to understand both the horror and hope in this
remarkable city, you need to read I Got A Monster" --Dave Zirin,
The Nation "A deeply researched and artfully written look at the
blighted and benighted city of Baltimore, as seen through the
dismal prism of the last decade. No matter if you're a police drama
enthusiast or an activist against racism and law enforcement
corruption, this is a book for you. Think The Wire, only all true
and with footnotes."
--Mike Sager, author of The Devil and John Holmes, contributing
editor to Esquire "I Got a Monster tells a vivid story that cuts
through the turbulent events that have shaken Baltimore in recent
years. In doing so, it shows everything that is wrong with policing
in the inner cities of America." --Ioan Grillo, Author of El Narco
and Gangster Warlords "At once a page-turning account of the
dramatic rise and fall of a criminal enterprise disguised as a
police squad and a portrait of a city struggling against entrenched
corruption. Woods and Soderberg's meticulous, gripping narrative
moves from high-end waterfront condos to the vacant rowhouses of
West Baltimore to police headquarters as it unspools a story of
extravagant criminality, greed, and betrayal." --Rachel Monroe,
author of Savage Appetites: Four True Stories of Women, Crime and
Obsession "A masterpiece of reporting" --Laura Wexler, author Fire
in a Canebrake "Riveting, propulsive, and illuminating. Woods and
Soderberg take readers deep inside the world of police corruption.
With exhaustive reporting, trenchant analysis, and lyrical
storytelling, this is literary journalism at its best." --Wil S.
Hylton, author of Vanished: The Sixty-Year Search for the Missing
Men of World War II
"Talk about a real life horror story. I Got a Monster tells the
history of cops who preyed on the poor and vulnerable black folks
of Baltimore and the system that made them feel free enough to do
it. Told with narrative power and journalistic precision this book
should be required reading for anyone interested in understanding
how and why so many people in this country fear the police and
their unchecked power." --Victor LaValle, author of The Changeling
|
Ask a Question About this Product More... |
|
