Product Description
In 1968, 1 percent of the New York City Police Department was female. When Kathy Burke joined the NYPD's ranks in June of that year she was one of only ten women in a class of 950 recruits. But the determined Burke had no doubt that she was born to be a cop, and in her twenty-three-year career she rose to be the most highly decorated female detective in the NYPD's history. Detective is her story.

By turns caustic, funny, and matter-of-fact, Burke describes what it was like for a young woman to be surrounded by often hostile male officers and the uphill battle she fought to prove herself and earn their respect. But earn it she did. From her beginnings as an undercover cop making drug buys on New York's most dangerous streets to posing as Mrs. Patz to capture extortionists in the Etan Patz case to investigating the Mafia, Burke worked in some of the NYPD's most elite units on its most high-profile cases, eventually rising to the rank of detective first grade, the very highest in the detective bureau.

Burke vividly portrays every aspect of a cop's experience, taking readers from the discos where she flirted with drug dealers to the halls of Congress, where she testified about drugs and corruption with a paper bag over her head (to protect her undercover persona), to a deserted street in Queens where a tragic shooting would forever change her career and her life. Burke is brutally honest in her criticism of NYPD leadership and corruption within the department, in her accounts of the physical and emotional toll taken by the job that she loved, and in her descriptions of the sacrifices -- sometimes even the greatest sacrifice of all -- that cops must make.

Detective is a revelatory and inspirational story of life lived without apology, of stubborn courage, and of a woman who triumphed over doubts, recrimination, and personal tragedy to truly become "one of New York's Finest." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Tough Cookie
Kathy Burke, as portrayed in this book, is abrasive, opinionated, and tough as nails.If she wasn't I doubt shewould have been successful in her chosen profession.She endured a lot, not only from the criminal element but her fellow officers.
The book is well written and tells a great story of triumph over adversity.

NYPD story from the 1970's
I was interested to read Kathy Burke's story because there isn't much info on the "gender integration" of police departments in the 1960's. Burke joined the NYPD in '68, a time when the NYPD was mostly male. The women on the force were mostly "police matrons" assigned to search and transport female prisoners.

Unfortunately, most of Burke's experiences (at least those detailed in the book) weren't good. She was assigned to do undercover work posing as a junkie, which put her in extreme danger. There's one scene where her (all male) colleagues forget to check on her and she's nearly killed by someone three times her size. Worst of all she loses her gun! But an older Black cop, making rounds in the area, advises her of her choices; she can tell her partners to just help her get back her gun, or she can turn them all in and be stigmatized as a troublemaker.

Burke spent most of her 23 year career out of uniform. She had an unbelievably difficult time, dealing with sexual harassment from her boss, no getting her own beat, having to work undercover all the time, and finally, she was shot by a mafioso and everyone blamed her. it was outrageous.

But thankfully, things have changed. More women join police departments every year, and stories like these are hopefully a thing of the past.

Outstanding
This story is amazing from the first page to the last.From Burke's rough childhood through her riveting years as a cop, it is impossible to put the book down.Hirschfeld delivers some powerful writing and allows every character to come across as they were, for better or for worse.

A female SERPICO story if there ever was one.

Great Read
This story kept me in the edge, I couldn't put the book down.Thankfully it wasn't 1,000 pages, I stayed up all night just to finish it. ALL NYPD cops should be mandated to read this book.

Great read
"Detective" belongs on the same shelf as Robin Moore's "French Connection" and Peter Maas's "Serpico." Kathy Burke's career with the NYPD was exciting, contentious, tragic--yet ultimately groundbreaking and triumphant. Burke battled crooks, killers, corrupt cops, nasty superior officers, and her own demons. That she had the guts to deal with all that--and more--is the fuel that propels this compelling book. ... Read more

Product Description
This book is a work to be read in preparation for further discussion of curriculum. ... Read more

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*Reinforces the structures and language already covered in the Coursebook *'Extend Your...' pages (optional) offer students more challenging practice in reading and writing skills and structures ... Read more

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Wavelength is the ideal series for students who want natural conversational English --presented through topics, characters and situations they can relate to. The full-colour Teachers Books are fully interleaved with pages of the Course Book and include photocopiable activities for every unit. ... Read more

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Nine stories that take the reader on an amazing journey to exotic cultures and time. The collection includes folk tales from China, Africa, India, South America and Europe. ... Read more

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This series emphasizes the development of students' fluency and accuracy through relevant language and skills. There is a clear system of vocabulary presentation and development, with constant lexical recycling. In addition, all structures are presented in context and practised through exercises. The course contains a learner-training programme to help students develop study-skills and promote independence. There is also a flexible reading and listening programme with optional exercises, allowing the teacher to use the material to suit the needs of the class. The writing programme is systematic, with clear progression reflecting students' needs, and there is an integrated pronunciation programme. ... Read more

Product Description
Lorelei Lee and her best friend Dorothy take the world by storm in their search for the ideal suitor, the richer the better. Lorelei meets an American millionaire who might just be the one.Gentlemen Prefer Blondes was made into a delightful classic film starring Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell (1953) and features the song 'Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend'. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Blondes DO have more fun
You could say that author/screenwriter Anita Loos invented the chick-lit genre. Her entertainingly fluffy satire "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" certainly fits the bill, with its love-seeking heroine and amusing jokes. It never dips far below the surface, but its lightness is part of its appeal.

"A gentleman friend and I were dining at the Ritz last evening and he said that if I took a pencil and a paper and put down all of my thoughts it would make a book." Meet Lorelei Lee, a pretty blonde socialite with a love of jewels, men, and luxury. She has a married boyfriend, but is convinced to go abroad so her name won't be "smirched."

So Lorelei and her pal Dorothy head off to Europe, bumping into exalted people (like "Dr. Froyd") and winning the hearts of wealthy men, in between days-long parties. Gold-digging, millionaires, money and love all get wrapped up in the tangle of Lorelei's everyday life...

Lorelei first appeared in Harper's Bazaar, and a short story stretched out into a full-length novel that appeared in serials. A first edition sold out almost instantly. Now Lorelei has countless descendents -- sure, those determined gals have been updated for the twenty-first century, with jobs and Web access. But light women's fiction could be seen to stem from Loos's novel.

A satirical edge runs through "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes," poking fun at the jazzy gals whom Loos had to deal with regularly. Loos doesn't spare anything -- the book is riddled with intentional typos, like "encyclopediacs," "safires" and "maskerades" (yet she can spell "champagne"). The shallowness of the flappers is best shown in straight-faced jokes about the latest Parisian styles of buttons. Loos's satire doesn't bite down to the bone, but it does scratch lightly in a deliciously catty way.

Lorelei has an entertaining mix of determination, idiocy, and a constant belief in her own towering intellect. She's so much fun it's hard not to like her, in spite of the fact that she's an utter airhead. She talks matter-of-factly about how she has "almost one of everything" (diamond-wise), and tries to reform the entire world (without success, needless to say).

Gentlemen may prefer blondes, and people seeking a fun light read may prefer "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes." If you are in the mood for vintage chick-lit, Loos's witty little novel is a fun diversion.

Read "for real" which made it even funnier
The reader tells Lorelei's diary-story with an openness, a directness thatcharms the listener.This is a real Lorelei, not a cartoon, and thereforeeven funnier. ... Read more

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* Reinforces the structures and language already covered in the Coursebook *'Extend Your...' pages (optional) offer students more challenging practice in reading and writing skills and structures ... Read more

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*Studying is made enjoyable with inspiring material, drama, quizzes and cartoons *The strong grammar syllabus combined with a contemporary approach motivates students, developing accuracy and confidence with plenty of practice and support *A graded reader is included with every coursebook.These contain original stories linked to the Reading for Pleasure pages in the Coursebook ... Read more

Product Description
The emphasis of the "Workout" English language course for intermediate to advanced students is on developing students' fluency and accuracy through relevant language and skills. The course features: a system of vocabulary presentation and development, with constant lexical recycling; structures presented in context and practised through meaningful, intellectually challenging exercises; a learner-training programme to help students develop study-skills and promote independence; a flexible reading and listening programme; an integrated pronounciation programme; a systematic writing programme; and regular revision tests. ... Read more

Product Description
The emphasis in "Wavelength" is on natural, everyday English with human interest topics that appeal to adults of all ages and backgrounds. Language is presented through light-hearted, humorous contexts with lively, realistic activities making every lesson stimulating and different. The interleaved teacher's resource book contains photocopiable activities and tests and is designed for at-a-glance lesson planning. ... Read more

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Read about the strangest things in the universe other worlds, strange objects and peculiar happenings. How much do you believe? Encounter the evidence and make up your own mind! ... Read more