The chapters about Daly are worth the price of the book. Nothing goes down in Chicago without Daly knowing about it. Nothing.

poorly writen,alot of typos.i seem to agree with daley more than laski.a quick read and a lot of dirt.

I was very lucky to buy three of these books, hardbound. Mr. Laski was kind enough to sign these books and he also did a T.V. show in Chicago's CAN-TV. James is a very wonderful person and very kind. I strongly urge every student to read this book. This book shows how a little thing can blow up into a major mess. Patrick McDonough. James Laski did a show warming up to the book on google, read the book so you enjoy his video[...]

This book may be the only book to be banned from all federal prisons across the nation. This book was sent to a prisoner at Morgantown FCI, the same prison that Laski had been sentenced to for his role in the "Hired Truck Program Scandal." A month later, the book was returned to the sender with a letter stating that it has been banned for security reasons. The truth is, the ban is nationwide. Of course, it is not hard to figure out why. Laski names, names and tells the truth about the prison. He names the prison counselors, drug treatment specialist, and former warden. He exposes the prison's deplorable nutritional, sanitary, and health care conditions. Worst of all, in regard to the prison, he criticizes Morgantown FCI's "crown jewel," its drug treatment and rehab program. This program has been praised by the Federal Bureau of Prisons for its innovativeness, but Laski exposes its degradation and dehumanization. The fact that the author lets the truth be know to the public no doubt accounts for the ban. It also explained Mayor Richard M. Daley's own attack on the book in the Chicago media- apparently, neither Daley nor the FBOP can stand the truth. Personally, I found the book to be very informative and a real page turner. This book is definitely a must-read. The information in this book is definitely national television material.

A fall from grace by former Chicago City Clerk James Laski. Interesting since I was born and raised around Chicago. And also since I have a realtive who works in the city clerks office.Typical story of politician who can't keep his hand out of the cookie jar. If you already know the players(I did) it would probably be much more interesting, but outsiders will still get a good look at how the wheels turn in Chicago government.

Laski draws out his side of the story in this well written book (although it does contain a lot of grammatical errors). For those that aren't that knowledgeable about politics, Laski breaks it down so that anyone can understand and provides a new perspective on the path from politician to inmate. Even though he is now labeled as a criminal, I still remember the good he did for the city of Chicago, and Laski documents both the good and the bad that he has done (and there is definitely a sense of how sorry he is that he allowed himself to become corrupted but that's up to the reader to decide). He is harsh on a lot of people, but he is harsh on himself as well. Some are saying how ridiculous it is that Laski would complain about being treated horribly in prison, and while yes, prison is punishment for crimes that Laski admitted, he goes in-depth on prison life and makes taxpayers wonder where exactly all their money is going. The chapters on life in federal prison raise issues just as important, if not more important, than the chapters on Chicago politics. The various events Mr. Laski describes at FCI Morgantown raise significant questions of ethical and moral treatment of prisoners, whether correctional officers are following BOP policies, and even potential violations of the Eighth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution - rights that are to be retained regardless of one's criminal status. Regardless of the former city clerk's motives for writing the book, he has painted a good picture not only of his political career, but of Chicago politics in general as well as prison life. The question that lingers in many people's minds (especially Chicago citizens) is whether or not a man who took bribes can be trusted with his written word. While I personally cannot vouch that everything in there is the truth, I know that all his arguments are full of facts and logical conclusions that make you wonder. After all, this is hardly the first time anyone has ever heard of Chicago corruption on the political level or bad conditions in prison. Laski blames himself, but makes you wonder of other players involved in all the other scandals to fill city hall (Chicago politics is known for being rough - I would think that most politicians aren't completely innocent. It's just a matter of whether or not they get caught). A truly insider view is portrayed in this book.

This book is the cure for insomnia. It is 400 pages of crying and complaining from a corrupt former politician who received a lighter punishment than deserved. There are so many grammatical errors, run on sentences and missing punctuation.... ridiculous. The editor that the former City Clerk thanks in his dedication page is probably wishing that Laski wasn't such a name-dropper!
Here's the short version: Laski is lazy, corrupt politician who only accepts bribes because he believes that they are "for his family." He abuses the little power that he has to help his childhood friends with city contracts. These friends wear a wire to secretly record Laski for the FBI that puts the whole cast of characters in federal prison. In federal prison, Laski feels "dehumanized" and can't believe that there isn't a dentist on staff to clean his teeth. In an effort to heal himself, the book inside him emerges, long hand on a legal pad. Laski drones on in this book like an unpaid prostitute. He's insanely jealous of Chicago's Mayor Daley for his great success and accomplishments. He's green with envy over retired Congressman Bill Lipinski, as well. Blah, blah, blah. Laski is not sorry that he took bribes, he's furious that he got caught. Now he wants to take everyone down with him.
DON"T WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THIS ONE!