Jersey Tough

This entertaining true crime memoir chronicles one man’s redemptive journey from motorcycle gang enforcer to undercover police officer. The only patch-wearing outlaw biker to become a sworn police officer—and live to tell his tale In 1977, Wayne “Big Chuck” Bradshaw was Jersey tough. He was a member of the outlaw Pagans bike gang, a One Percenter, and had earned his colours in a world of boozing, bloody bar fights, and high-stakes crime. But after getting too close to extreme violence, Bradshaw made the life-threatening decision to change his path. The toughness Bradshaw used to survive biker life led him to a distinguished and heroic career as an undercover narcotics officer for the same New Jersey police department that had once arrested him. Bradshaw tells his story with the truth of the streets, from his time in the U.S. Army to his decision to join the Pagans, to the wild adventures of working narcotic stings. He rode with truly dangerous criminals and then returned to those same places as a cop. He tracks down fugitives in Jersey’s toughest neighbourhoods, risks his life rescuing dozens from a fire in a seniors’ residence, and volunteers in the aftermath of 9/11. Jersey Tough is an unflinching memoir of personal struggle, of battling with darkness, and ultimately of redemption. Praise for Jersey Tough “Bradshaw delivers both unflinching honesty and gritty, raw action in this fast-moving thriller.” —Joe Pistone, a.k.a. Donnie Brasco “Fast-paced, brutally honest, and compelling.” —Lisa Pulitzer, New York Times–bestselling author “As a former sergeant-at-arms in one of the other “Big Four” motorcycle clubs, I can confirm the authenticity of the biker tales graphically revealed on these pages. Epxosing his courage as well as his frailties, Big Chuck bares all with surprising candor.” —Glenn Heggstad, author of Two Wheels Through Terror “[An] immensely entertaining memoir. . . . This fascinating book is true-crime writing at its best and will appeal to anyone interested in the sordid dealings of America's criminal underworlds.”—Publishers Weekly

After solving the assassination case of his beloved uncle, Colt finds himself truly alone, ditched by his girlfriend. However, there’s not much respite or time for introspection for him: he’s called on again to solve a new murder case, along with a suspiciously related cold case. What follows is another gripping tale in the backdrop of the Garden State’s sights and scenes, including its picturesque beaches, casinos, and the rural Pine Barrens. In New Jersey Noir: Cape May—Book Two of his Jack Colt Murder Mystery Novels series—William Baer continues to enchant and spellbind. PRAISE FOR NEW JERSEY NOIR: CAPE MAY: In Jack Colt, William Baer gives us a private detective perfectly suited for the Garden State: gritty, charming in spite of himself, sidesplittingly hilarious and incomparably authentic. Baer proves himself the Sinatra of Noir, the Edison of Intrigue, the Springsteen of Suspense—and a rightful heir to Hammett and Chandler. Far more fun than a night out in Atlantic City or a weekend at the Jersey Shore. — Jacob M. Appel, author of Millard Salter’s Last Day PRAISE FOR WILLIAM BAER: “New Jersey Noir introduces an ultracool hometown detective from Paterson, set perfectly in his well-detailed locales. The writing is crisp, sarcastic, wryly funny, steeped in New Jersey lore and anecdotes that add great historical and cultural dimensions to its mystery.” — Robin Farrell Edmunds, Foreword Reviews (Five-star review) “A brilliant debut novel . . . precise prose, perfect pacing, stunning imagery, complex characterization, grand historical and cultural contexts, and a superb sense of place.” — Hollis Seamon, author of Somebody Up There Hates You “Not since Donna Tartt’s The Secret History have I read a novel as mesmerizing, engrossing, and delectable as William Baer’s New Jersey Noir. In prose as fast-moving as a bullet, Baer compels the reader to keep flipping pages more and more rapidly. The writing is taut and gut-wrenching.” — Terri Brown-Davidson, author of Marie, Marie, Hold On Tight “Baer evokes a cinematic chiaroscuro New Jersey—specifically Paterson—its history and politics limned over a baseline of Springsteen, doo-wop, and Whitney Houston.” — Dennis Must, author of Hush Now, Don’t Explain ABOUT THE AUTHOR: William Baer, a recent Guggenheim fellow, is the author of twenty-two books including New Jersey Noir; Times Square and Other Stories; One-and-Twenty Tales; Companion; The Ballad Rode into Town; Formal Salutations: New & Selected Poems; Classic American Films; and The Unfortunates (recipient of the T.S. Eliot Award). A former Fulbright in Portugal, he’s also received the Jack Nicholson Screenwriting Award and a Creative Writing Fellowship in fiction from the National Endowment for the Arts.

“In this post-COVID era, leaders are being tested as never before, and Steve Adubato offers smart solutions to make any leader more effective.” —NEAL SHAPIRO, PRESIDENT & CEO, THE WNET GROUP (PBS) “Steve Adubato does a masterful job of uncovering many of the core principles that can lead to world class leadership. You will read and reread this book for years to come.” —MICHAEL CLINTON , AUTHOR, ROAR INTO THE SECOND HALF OF LIFE In this powerful follow-up to his last book Lessons In Leadership, Emmy® Award-winning anchor and leadership coach Steve Adubato, Ph.D. teaches readers how to navigate “The Tough Stuff” using practical tools based on challenging and relevant real-life experiences. With Lessons in Leadership 2.0: The Tough Stuff, readers will learn to steer others through difficult economic times, mentor rising leaders, provide straight talk to underperforming employees, connect on digital platforms, and lead your organization through significant change and uncertainty.

The ultimate insider to Chris Christie’s 2016 presidential campaign delivers a definitive biography of the popular and controversial governor of New Jersey—including the true story behind the Bridgegate lane-closure scandal. Journalist Matt Katz has been covering Christie since 2011 and has seen firsthand how the governor appeals to the public through his tactics, rhetoric, and personality. In American Governor, Katz weaves a compelling on-the-ground political narrative that begins with the roots of his family’s journey to America and takes us through his upset victory over Governor Jon Corzine and then along the road to his announcement of his candidacy for the highest office in the country. Packed with exclusive information, interviews, and anecdotes, American Governor illustrates how Christie evolved from an unpopular perennial candidate running for local office to the most watched Republican in the country, a populist with leadership skills, charm, and luck seemingly unparalleled by any other up-and-coming politician. Christie has proven himself a dynamic force of nature by emerging wounded but not unbowed after Bridgegate—a scandal that would have destroyed another politician’s rising star. A political biography by an inside source who’s been on the Chris Christie beat longer than any reporter in New Jersey, American Governor is a thrilling and absorbing look at the modern making of a man and a politician.

Does our current system for dealing with young offenders -- which focuses on punishment -- work? Not according to the authors of this compelling and thought-provoking book. It simply ensures that we jail more youth than any other country, including the United States. Green and Healy argue that a new approach is needed and offer ample evidence from around the world, and our own back yard, to make the case for a shift to restorative justice. The voices of their young clients illustrate the very real human costs of doing nothing. Topics covered include: causes of youth crime; special circumstances facing Aboriginal youth; fetal alcohol syndrome and effect; restorative justice techniques; innovations used in England, Australia, and New Zealand; Quebec -- an example of restorative justice in practice, as well as other innovative approaches including the Calgary Community Conferencing program; theories about crime and punishment; and the provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act. This book is a must read for anyone -- including counselors, social workers, lawyers, judges, educators -- who is concerned about youth crime and justice. In an easy to read format this book presents the development and current state of Canadian law, as well as different approaches that have been used in dealing with youth crime. Regardless of one's view on youth crime, this book is packed with useful information, viewpoints, and statistics on young people and the law.

Red York has seen it all: the Maple Leafs’ forty-five consecutive Stanley Cups, Toronto’s designation as a United Nations World Heritage Site, the emergence of the Toronto Telegram as the nation’s greatest newspaper. Now, in response to at least two readers’ requests, and with the aid of a ghostwriter whose name he can’t ever remember, the award-winning columnist has penned a definitive history of the city of Toronto in the back half of the 20th century. This to-the-best-of-my-recollection memoir, is something which he if no one else believes is a Canadian treasure and the definitive account of the greatest phenomenon in sports: the sheer domination of the Toronto Maple Leafs in National Hockey League and Olympic competition.