Marked Man: Frank Serpico’s Inside Battle Against Police Corruption

Gr 10 Up–Frank Serpico stood up for what he knew was right, and if that meant taking down the New York City police department, so be it. He became a marked man because of it. Florio and Shapiro bring readers into the world of policing in the late 1960s and early 1970s and the massive corruption that was deeply entrenched in everyday interactions with businesses and the public. Enter Serpico, a cop with a moral compass and a strong will to put an end to shady dealings. What could go wrong? While there is plenty of media coverage about Serpico’s fight, including a 1973 movie starring Al Pacino, here a younger audience can catch a glimpse of a different time and place vividly described by veteran authors of nonfiction for teens. Names and dates aside, what the two deliver is a profile of a man who knew right from wrong but had to be unpopular to set things right. Skillfully navigating this gray area with Serpico’s own words and the documented actions, cases, and convictions, this book is a pillar to narrative nonfiction. Cutting out the extraneous details and highlighting the adage that truth is stranger than fiction, riveting details are added with text features and photographs enhancing the whole story without making a judgement on the facts. Whether it’s an interest in law enforcement, criminality, or morality, the book captivates and almost feels too short.