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Chopper 1 cover art

Chopper 1

By: Mark Brandon Read
Narrated by: Dave Ferguson
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Publisher's Summary

Mark Brandon 'Chopper' Read is the son of a strict Seventh Day Adventist mother and a shell-shocked former soldier who slept with a loaded gun at his side. Bullied at school, he grew up dreaming of revenge ("There are none so merciless as those who have been shown no mercy", as he later noted). He became a criminal legend who terrorised drug dealers, pimps, thieves and armed robbers on the streets and in jail - but boasts he never hurt an innocent member of the public.

This first story of Chopper's memoirs, written from inside jail and laced with his trademark brutal humour, tells the story of his early life of crime - from streetfighter to standover man, gunman to long-term prisoner - and launched his career as a best-selling author.

©1991 Mark Brandon Read (P)2014 Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd

What listeners say about Chopper 1

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

Brilliant, brutal, entertaining as hell

Chopper, Australia's favourite convict. The guy has a way with words and I found it not only hilarious at times, but also insightful, interesting and alarming. I personally enjoy gangster related movies or books, and this is One of the most entertaining of that category I've ever read/heard.

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

A great insight from the inside

An excellent listen to a modern day Ned Kelly. A first hand insight into what it’s like to be a “marked man” on the streets of Melbourne.

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

dry humour

didn't take it too seriously had a laugh at his dry humour. the performance was fantastic. worth a listen if you like a bit of comedy in your true crime

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

Full of it.

This book should be titled, The Memoirs of a Delusional Sociopath. Some of it is true but for the most part, it’s BS. I’ve heard the real jail stories.

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

Narration was a bit like a health and safety video

from the early 90s. I wish he didn't end so many paragraphs with haha! good yarn though.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Narrator, what about my free set of steak knives?

I found it interesting, but the only bearable passages of narration were the authors' notes where the narrator used his normal voice. His attempt at recreating Chopper's tone and inflection was nauseating, and detracted from an otherwise intriguing recount of a life of blood and guts violence and crime.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Grub

did not like his writing style if there was any,the book was like him ,total garbage

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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unbearable

To me, this book seemed like one big im a tuff guy/ ego stroke.

I couldn't get past the first few chapters.

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

chopper a disappointment

I was disappointed I thought it was one of his other best seller didn't like this one as much

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

Narration

Dave Ferguson did an excellent audio depiction of Chopper. Pity he did narrate the other Chopper books. Most entertaining!

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