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Once Upon a Time in Compton  By  cover art

Once Upon a Time in Compton

By: Tim Brennan, Robert Ladd, Lolita Files
Narrated by: Lolita Files
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Publisher's summary

From gangsta rap to gang wars and everything in between....

Former Compton police officers Tim Brennan and Robert Ladd have seen it all....

And now, they're telling all....

For 20 years, gang unit detectives Tim Brennan and Robert Ladd patrolled the streets of Compton. They witnessed the birth and rise of gangsta rap with acts they knew personally, such as N.W.A and D.J. Quik; dealt firsthand with the chaos of the L.A. riots, its aftermath, and the gang truce that followed; were involved in the investigations of the murders of hip-hop stars Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G., and were major players in an all-out tug-of-war with City Hall that ultimately resulted in the permanent shut-down of the Compton Police Department.

Through it all, they developed an intricate knowledge of gangs and the streets and a methodology that has been implemented by local law enforcement agencies across the country. Their compassionate and fair approach to community policing earned them the respect of citizens and gangbangers alike.

This story - told with best-selling author Lolita Files, whose research with Brennan and Ladd has spanned over four years - is a firsthand glimpse into a world during an era many have heard about in song and legend, but have rarely had the opportunity to witness at ground level, from the inside out, through the eyes of two men who witnessed and experienced it all.

©2018 Robert Ladd, Tim Brennan, Lolita Files (P)2018 Robert Ladd, Tim Brennan, Lolita Files

What listeners say about Once Upon a Time in Compton

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Horrendous narration

Was looking forward to hearing the story of these guys. However the narrator was so atrocious I couldn’t listen. It’s read like a high school student giving a speech. No inflection, monotone, same cadence throughout. Authors rarely do a good job narrating their work. Very disappointing.

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3 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

good story, writing is mediocre

concept of the book is really good although I'm having a very hard time getting into the story as the author's writing style just doesn't match with how I would expect the story to be told, I find the authors reading of the book unbearable

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2 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great story, bad Narrative/writer.

Tim and Bob are awesome. The narrator and writer, same person, is an idiot. She put her biased opinion in where she felt fit snd made several ridiculous statements that showed she had little to no understanding of the field Tim and Bob existed in. One statement in particular stuck with me when she said a Marine had a rocket launcher on his m16 - meaning a grenade launcher. The inappropriate use of terminology and her clearly left agenda pushing was my only complaint however.

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1 person found this helpful

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    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Not what I was expecting

I was expecting so much more from this book. I didn’t care for the narration. I was hoping for more of the stories and not a socio-political opinion.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Information

some of the information was cool... such as on how one of the police got his nickname...other things such as 2 Pac I already knew due to the underground the day after 2 Pac got shot.

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Great read

Very interesting story. Moves along very well and it definitely keeps you interested. Very good insight and at times it’s hard to believe that this is a true story. Highly recommend it.

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    2 out of 5 stars
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This wasn't what I anticipated.

I had higher expectations for this book. The narration disappointed me; instead of stories, it delved into socio-political opinions. The narration was horrendous, lacking inflection and sounding like a high school student's monotone speech. I struggled to get into the story due to the author's unbearable reading. The concept is promising, but the writing style doesn't align with my expectations.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Great story

Love this book, had it in the audio version. Got so much in depth with the book started doing my own research on Compton Streets . 5 star for me

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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A must listen!

This is a fantastic audio book that shows the real deal about Compton in that time period. We need more people like Tim and Bob. Good job by the author and narrator. Highly recommend! RIP Timothy Brennan!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent book!

Very interesting look at their methods of policing. I spent many years as a teen and my 20's as a Compton gang member. Everyone knew Blondie & Ladd. Good cops, treated Everyone well. Sad the way their careers ended.

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