My thanks to Netgalley for my audio copy of Anti-Social. Not my usual genre but a very interesting book regarding the problems some people in society have and how difficult either their problems or society make it to help them. I learned a lot and it was very well narrated by the author who is quite a hero doing such a tricky job day in, day out and still holding on to his sanity.

This has been very eye-opening to the part of society which is either villainized or ignored. Nick was narrating a year in the life of an ASB(Anti-Social Behaviour) Officer with blunt honesty, sarcasm and dark humour, and still manages to highlight the desperate need and importance for reform in council housing, drug regulation, and mental health support.

He shows how corrupt and unethical the business of low-income housing is and how all its doing is failing those who have no other place to go. Nick highlights the issues he's faced with the tenants of the housing estate he worked for as the HUMAN BEINGS that they are. That the majority of these people have been pushed into a path of drugs/alcohol/abuse/prison because they have no other option, and because there's nothing there to help them get out. He described this as a major health crisis, which is true, it isn't enough to merely bring 'awareness' to mental health issues, behaviour disorders, or substance abuse. We need to fully reform the corrupt system of which certain governments have created through growing austerity. Working in the public sector at the moment feels like watching the system fail vulnerable people and yet have limited resources to actually make a difference.

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<p>Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary copy of 'Anti-Social' by Nick Pettigrew in exchange for my honest review</p>
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<p><em>Has your life become unbearable because the person living above you has a fondness for crack cocaine, the company of strangers and dance music? Or maybe you're a social worker, mental health nurse, police officer, firefighter, dog warden or vicar and you've been landed with someone who's a pain in the arse. Who are you going to call? That would be me: an anti-social behaviour officer. Anti-Social is the diary of a council worker whose job is to keep his community happy, or at least away from each other's throats. That's hard enough at the best of times but when government cuts mean that hospitals, social services and police are all at breaking point, the possibility of complete chaos is never far away. This is an urgent, timely but, most of all, hysterically funny true story of a life spent working with the people society wants to forget and the problems that nobody else can resolve. This book will make you laugh, cry and boil with rage within a single sentence.</em></p>
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<p>Before reading, I had some knowledge as to what Anti-Social Behaviour is but I was never aware of Anti-Social Behaviour officers. I have always found it a very interesting subject, so I was very excited and intrigued to read this book. Nick Pettigrew was an Anti-Social Behaviour officer for over a decade so he clearly has a good insight into the job.</p>
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<p>The book it actually split up into different sections by the months of the year alongside a password and medication for the month. I think this was a unique way of setting out the book and it keeps you gripped throughout.</p>
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<p>As parts of the book are quite heavy, I liked how there were jokes and humour to break up the seriousness. The book is brutally honest and he does not leave anything out. Pettigrew also explained that when he was in the job he was under a lot of stress. This was so important to include as I think some people forget people in ASB or similar jobs are people and they have feelings.</p>
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<p>I heard the audiobook version which was also narrated by Nick Pettigrew. I found his voice relaxing and easy to listen to. I think it was also a good thing that he narrated the book, as he puts emphasis on certain things that a different reader may have. As he actually wrote it and experienced it, the book felt more real and honest.</p>
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<p>I strongly recommend this book to anyone who may be interested in this topic or if you are thinking of becoming an Anti-Social Behaviour Officer as you get a good insight into the occupation.</p>
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Nick is a man with no fucks left to give. His open and brutally honest account of his time as an Anti-Social Behaviour Officer and the effects it had on him and his wellbeing is eye opening. Having worked in Mental Health Services I can understand how a job can be so absolutely soul destroying yet so amazingly rewarding at the same time. There were some really laugh out loud moments when Nick was dealing with some totally absurd situations but then there's also many sobering moments when he's talking about cases where no matter what he does it will never be enough to fix the problems in someone's life.
Nick was also very honest about his job performance and the times when he did struggle to manage the job, often due to a combination of difficult cases, ridiculous constraints, and his mental health deterioration.
This was an absolutely fascinating professional memoir and I feel like I've now got a better understanding, and certainly a better appreciation, of Anti-Social Behaviour Officers. It's definitely a book I'd recommend to those wanting to learn about different aspects of society and the different systems in place to support people.
Nick narrated this himself and I don't think anyone else could have done a better job. I could hear his feelings as he talked through each case.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

I selected this book because I enjoyed Adam Kay telling us of his experience in hospitals so thought this would be good to broaden my knowledge about anti social behaviours.

Nick is a fantastic narrator- I always think a self narrated audiobook works best. He has a great sense if humour although not as funny as I expected... which probably says more about me than the book. How funny can these real life stories be? Don't get me wrong its quirky, but Nick does a good job to remind you these are real life issues happening with not enough resources to help them.

It was sadly eye opening to me.

The more I listened to Anti-Social by Nick Pettigrew, the sadder I became for him. It is totally unreasonable to expect any human to live with those kind of work pressures. Having listened recently to The Secret Barrister and learning about our failures in the justice system, the knock on effect that Mr Pettigrew and his colleagues are experiencing is hardly a surprise. I suppose my only complaint would be that the people who really need to listen to it never will. It was beautifully written, so full of compassion and hurt. I thought that Mr Pettigrew's solutions for some of our social ills were interesting and warrant discussion at the highest level, (not that it will ever happen). I'm relieved that he managed to get out and wish him every success in the future. I must point out that I do, in fact, love a Rich Tea biscuit. (There's always one!)

This book was ok - but got a little repetitive the more it went on.
I really enjoyed the narrator, and i think that it's proof that when the author narrates audiobook it makes such a difference!
The book does make you think though, and has made me very grateful and humble for the situation that I am in compared to some of those within the book.