I thoroughly enjoyed this book and found it to be very revealing and gives a very clear picture of some of the problems faced on housing estates and by ASB officers. In some parts I kaighed and in others I despaired and I think Nick was a real asset as an ASB officer.

Well written, funny and grim at times, I really enjoyed Anti-Social, which is a diary of an Anti-Social Behaviour Officer Nick Pettigrew over a one year period and set in the UK. I didn’t know this job title existed and I couldn’t believe the list of duties that this role entails. What I loved about this book was it gives the reader insight into the day to day life of Nick in this role and the problems he had to encounter on a daily basis, from noise complaints, domestic violence, drugs, mental health issues (which Nick himself struggles with but hides through his humour and banter). You would wonder how people in roles like this manage to escape and switch off when they go home at night.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House UK, Cornerstone and the author for the ARC.

I enjoy reading real life experiences from different professionals - they usually give a great insight into aspects of life that I don't normally see, and Nick Pettigrew's Anti-Social is no exception.
Pettigrew gives a fascinating perspective on the 'secret life' of the anti social behaviour officer. We go through a year in his life, following various cases. He takes us alongside him into flats where neighbours have complained about noise, parties, drugs and more. Together with the month by month analysis of his working life, we also begin to understand the toll this type of work takes on the officer himself.
Nick Pettigrew has a wry sense of humour, honed over years of working with challenging members of society in a setting where budgets are shrinking and teams are perpetually understaffed. I would have liked to have been drawn further into some of the exchanges that take place in each chapter - with more direct speech rather than description - but that's a minor complaint. This is a compelling book which kept me reading right through to the end where we find out what happens to some of Pettigrew's longer term clients, and to Nick himself.

I read this with interest but increasingly became totally depressed. So many people live awful lives, have no self worth, no hope. Not for the faint-hearted as is the job that Nick Pettigrew does. Sort of agree though that he does make it about him a lot of the time. Probably understandably. Some really nasty people about in this World as well.

Anti-social behaviour officer Nick Pettigrew has written a brilliantly cynical and funny account of his job.
Drug dealers, hoarders, nuisance neighbours (and those with zero tolerance of any noise at all) and people battling addiction, mental health problems and domestic violence look to him for help - or to leave them alone.
His job is at the intersection of others - police officers, social workers, housing officers - and he manages an unmanageable caseload that comprises the cases no one else wants.
He’s depressed, has digestive problems and is drinking: will he go under like the tenants he tries to help?
Peppered with both poignant and infuriating stories, this is the warts and all account of the victims of austerity and the consequences for their neighbours.
Read it - it’s great.

"Anti-Social behaviour is like pornography: hard to define, but you know it once you see it"

Anti-Social: The secret diary of an anti-social behaviour officer is a hilariously put together real-life account of the sad, the bad and the mad by Nick Pettigrew who details a year of his life working as an Anti-Social Behaviour Officer (Not to be confused as an ASBO!)

The book is split into monthly chapters, labelled 'January, February' etc and paints an honest and raw account of Nick's career as an ASB Officer. Each chapter heading is supplemented with the Password for the month, and the current dose of medication Nick is in receipt of to keep him going. For example:
January
Password: Stressed101
Medication: Sertraline 50mg
These medications steadily increase as the book continues through the calendar year, and you can really feel and sympathise with the stress that Nick is placed under as he attempts to try and fulfil his duty of care to his residents and to the community, whilst being placed under enormous and ever increasing workloads.

"I go home and have several very large drinks. The largeness and the severalness of the drinks I need after work have slowly inched up in recent months. The irony of cracking down on substance abusers at work, then drinking myself numb of an evening, is not lost on me."

Nick manages to paint his experiences dealing with all sorts of upsetting, frightening, funny, unbelievable and downright weird experiences with a fantastically dry and sarcastic wit. The tales he relives are comic even when they aren't designed to be funny, and this is just testament to the excellent manner in which the book is written, and of the strength of character of Nick in being able to be self-depreciating and see the optimistic elements of a situation where others may have balled their eyes out.

"My job requires no embellishment. Exaggerating would be like drinking Red Bull to swallow Ketamine or putting go-faster stripes on a lightning bolt. There's no point."

That is not to say there are not sad and anger inducing moments in the book though. Some of the stories of individuals met and cases encountered within the book are simply harrowing. The story about Carla who had carried her baby despite the pregnancy feeding the large tumour within her brain, who then went on to lose her baby to Social Services and who consequently would take her anger out on neighbours by screaming and banging doors, whilst keeping a perfectly made up cot in the flat is heart-breaking. As is the story of Albert, who died alone in his flat writing out Christmas Cards from his cats. You can feel the pain through Nick's eyes, and I honestly give him so much praise for being able to do a job like this without breaking down.

"31 October I was late for work today because I spent half an hour sitting on the edge of my bed having a bit of a cry. By the time I get to work this is changed to 'overslept'-the irony being that i haven't had a full night's sleep in months."

Despite the tough stories, there are some actual laugh-out-loud funny ones, which will have you chuckling along - The Nazi Dick story for one, the imagined noise complaints of over-zealous complainers and and the stupidity of his new co-worker who is obsessed with office stationery.

Nick has managed to create a harrowing and raw - yet real account of his life in one of the toughest public sector jobs there is. He paints a picture of budget cuts, over-stretched resources, under-funded departments and services, lack of housing, lack of staffing, lack of community support, lack of drugs counselling and flaws within the legal policy. Despite the tough subject, Nick has kept the book light, and easy to read, with monthly chapters detailing a 'year in the life' and identifying characters who the reader is able to get invested in. I found myself looking forward to updates on Christophe, Mr. Rashid's son and Carla, and laughing along at the simplicity of some drug-users habits. Having grown up hanging around many a communal block of flats staircases myself....I was really able to put myself in the scene and live in Nick's world.

A fantastic account. 5 heroin injected, bass thumping, conspiracy posters in the window Stars.

Thank you to #NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of #Antisocial received in exchange for an honest review.

This book just wasn't for me I'm afraid.
I didn't particularly like the style of writing to honest, I found it too try hard.

An interesting and eye opening read. Nick writes about his job with humour and in an engaging way. It is a job I would not want to do. This is an intriguing look at bad neighbours and anti social behaviour.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

I felt this book was honest and a raw look into the role of an ASB officer. I admired the authors courage on writing about his own mental health however at times I found this frustrating. Working in a similar back ground myself, I found myself asking why he still does this job. This Job is hard and emotionally draining and we all know it cant be for the money. I did have to give up half way through this book but not because I didn't think the writing was witty and well produced, because it was very good, I just felt I could not connect with the author and I truly hope he is now in a better job and better place for his mental health. My 3.5 rating reflects the honest writing of a difficult job.

A fascinating and funny insight in to a world few of us would have many dealings with. I don’t envy Nick Pettigrew’s time as an ASB officer, most of the cases he deals with require a thick skin or a certain level of detachment so you don’t end up crying at your desk. Not as quick paced as other novels of a similar topic, but an interesting read nonetheless.

An interesting read in which I feel the author was trying to listen to "the howl of the powerless" - a phrase he uses in the epilogue. However I did feel at times it was difficult to know whether the book was about him needing sympathy and a pat on the back for doing a hard job or about his clients and their struggles. I also found his humour quite patronising at times
Thank you to netgalley and random house for an advance copy of this book

A wry and witty insight into a role which is not for the faint-hearted - the anti-social behaviour officer. Nick Pettigrew uses humour as a coping mechanism, as many do when working what are essentially miserable jobs. His daily toil has been laid bare to satisfy our curiosity and titillate *record scratch*

This is how I felt at the start of the book. I then gave up halfway through. Yes, I laughed in places but overall it felt too much like profiting from the misfortunes of others. I'm also uncomfortable with the exploitation of service users, irrespective of changed names etc. I felt the same way about Adam Kay's work so will save everyone a headache and avoid similarly marketed titles in future. Of course Frankie Boyle loved it. Of course he did.

I enjoyed reading a year in the life of a ASB officer, it gives a really insightful view of the people who need help but are overlooked, people who cry wolf (repeatedly) and maybe people you expect to come into contact with the job role.
With 10 years experience as an ASB officer, I think he has a lot more stories to tell and would welcome a sequel to this as with some of the characters you feel sorry for, the writer does inject some humour with some of his other entries.

It’s the ‘This is Going to Hurt’ of the anti social behaviour world: equally frustrating and saddening but also very well written. It’s a gritted teeth-type pleasure to have been taken on the journey of a year in Nick Pettigrew’s life, and that of many others who are somewhat failed by the ASB system.

I was intrigued when I saw this as I have enjoyed other honest, behind the scenes books recently (This is Going to Hurt, The Prison Doctor).
Nick Pettigrew presents his day to day involvement as an Anti Social Behaviour Officer with some of the most vulnerable and difficult members of society in the style of a diary. It’s an easy to read, page turner because us human beings are nosey and the sheer amount of insight allows us to indulge in observing other people’s lives.
Pettigrew writes with sarcasm and dark humour bordering condescension. He is extremely honest which I admired, especially around his own mental health which must be knocked about doing this job. When you are enjoying an amusing entry, you then get hit in the face with the harsh reality of the situations some people are in.
My reason for 3 rather than 4 stars was because of how long it took me to connect to the author, it took a while to understand him and his humour and initially I felt he was coming across as patronising.
Thank you Net Galley for allowing me to read ahead of general release in exchange for a review.

This book gives a fascinating insight into the author’s role as an Anti Social Behaviour Officer.
Some of the tales are amusing, however the majority are incredibly touching and sad.
A decent read and one that stays with you for a while after finishing it.

Unfortunately the author was not on my wavelength I felt he didn't understand the problems of the tenants that he dealt with as an Antisocial behaviour officer. I found him too wrapped up in his own problems. I think he was trying to write a book like the Adam Kay ones but unfortunately failed.

I was expecting this to be hilarious, but was surprised to find myself so emotional whilst reading some of the stories described by Pettigrew. As an Anti-Social Behaviour officer, Pettigrew certainly has a lot of sordid stories to tell and this book is incredibly entertaining, but it also really opened my eyes to how privileged I am and how easily I’ve judged people who haven’t had the good upbringing or fortune that I’ve had. Not only does Pettigrew open up the conversation on issues within the social care/legal system in his diary, but he also adds a level of humanity and tragedy to people we so often write off as “bad eggs”.
A real eye-opener - I’m always glad to finish a book and feel like I’ve learnt a lot or had my perspective changed and this certainly hit the spot! And of course, it is also bloody hilarious.

A gritty & witty insight into the daily life of an Anti-Social Behaviour officer – one of those unusual roles that needs somebody who cares but not too much!
Nick struggles himself with depression, and whilst his understanding of mental health issues helps him to understand some of his clients, it is perhaps also exacerbated by his work! The book is a sort of diary detailing some of the more memorable cases that are in his over-loaded case file. Nick shows us glimpses of hard working families who are struggling, alongside drug dealers, deprivation, overcrowding, and abuse.
Some of the stories are heartbreaking but Nick’s story has given me an insight into the “other side” of some of the anti-social behaviour that is seen around today, and how some estates seem to attract it.
Nick’s down to earth approach and humour makes it a book that is just on the right side of dark and depressing.

Disclosure: I received an advance copy of this book free from the publisher via NetGalley. Whilst thanks go to the publisher & author for the opportunity to read it, all opinions are my own.

This book is incredible.

Whilst I usually love books that show daily lives in different jobs I have never read such a sensitive and kind account of working in such difficult areas.

This book completely immerses you in the job and the struggles during it while giving an unabashed honesty about the authors own mental health struggles.

This is how the world should be. There was no shame, no judgement and no unkindness. An absolutely beautiful book.