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The Park Is Mine
A crazed Vietnam veteran, armed with a Vietcong AK-47 assault rifle, takes possession of Central Park, enclosing it with concertina wire and boobytrapping it with mines, and initiates a guerrilla-style battle
305 pages, Hardcover
First published July 1, 1981
1 person is currently reading
109 people want to read
About the author
Stephen Peters
34 books1 followerStephen Peters is a screenwriter and author best known for writing the screenplay for Wild Things (1998). He also wrote The Fourth War (1990) and the novel The Park is Mine (1981), which was later adapted for film.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
March 14, 2015
It’s absolutely astounding that I was never flagged as a school shooter when I was a teenager. I had two danger signs flashing over my head like big neon signs: I owned a black trench coat a la Harris and Klebold and one of my favorite books was The Park is Mine which I read over and over again. But isn’t reading a passport to adventure? Yes, but in a post-Columbine world, reading and re-reading a book about a deranged Vietnam vet taking over Central Park, boobytrapping and mining it (with all armaments described in loving detail) and then going to war with the NYPD is probably a passport to a monitored care facility.
They don’t write them any trashier than The Park is Mine. It’s a book that feels like the novelization of its own TV movie (and it did spawn a TV movie, which starred Tommy Lee Jones and Yaphet Kotto), which is no surprise when you realize that the guy who wrote it was Stephen Peters, who later wrote the screenplay for trash classic WILD THINGS. This is clearly a man who knows his good trash from his bad.
The major delight that this book offered a 14-year-old boy were the meticulous descriptions of just how to take over Central Park. Everyone likes to read about how to do things (which explains Tom Clancy’s career as the world's richest techno-porn writer) because, as Americans, we’re suspicious of reading for pure pleasure and feel a lot more relaxed if we can pretend we’re learning something as we flip pages. Even if what we’re learning is the best way to kill cops.
Read the rest of this review here.
They don’t write them any trashier than The Park is Mine. It’s a book that feels like the novelization of its own TV movie (and it did spawn a TV movie, which starred Tommy Lee Jones and Yaphet Kotto), which is no surprise when you realize that the guy who wrote it was Stephen Peters, who later wrote the screenplay for trash classic WILD THINGS. This is clearly a man who knows his good trash from his bad.
The major delight that this book offered a 14-year-old boy were the meticulous descriptions of just how to take over Central Park. Everyone likes to read about how to do things (which explains Tom Clancy’s career as the world's richest techno-porn writer) because, as Americans, we’re suspicious of reading for pure pleasure and feel a lot more relaxed if we can pretend we’re learning something as we flip pages. Even if what we’re learning is the best way to kill cops.
Read the rest of this review here.
December 16, 2023
Peters delivers a taut thriller here that starts with a bang. A Vietnam vet named Harris, our main antagonist, opens the tale by calling the NYPD and telling them that the police station in Central Park is going to blow up in something like 20 minutes, so you best evacuate. Peters then introduces Weaver, a young woman who runs a shoestring outfit video taping accidents, fires, etc., to sell to various TV outlets basically from her old station wagon. Weaver has always been an adrenaline junkie and early on in her life became addicted to her high-powered police scanner; now, she uses her knowledge of the police (and other first responders) codes to find out emergencies, drive like a madwoman to get there, and then film them.
Well, obviously, the police station blows. Turns out Harris has been planning the take over of Central Park for quite some time, smuggling in tons of weapons, mines, and other various material and stashing them all over the park. What are his motivations? Peters slowly unpacks that as the action unfolds. We also have Dix, the deputy mayor, who is a liaison between the mayor's office and the police commissioner; basically, the guy that takes flack from both sides and often gives press releases.
I do not want to go too far into the plot to avoid spoilers, but yeah, Harris takes Central Park and fortifies it with all kinds of booby traps, mines, you name it. The police force responds a few hours later by sending in an elite unit (basically a SWAT team, although they use different lingo here) which gets wiped out. Are they dealing with a lone commando, a team of terrorists, what? The cops are clueless, Weaver is itching to get some video dirt on what is going down and the things just escalate from there...
By taut, I mean Peters steps on the gas right from the start and apart from some pacing issues in the middle of the story, moves the tale along with nail biting tension and suspense. I could not help but to compare this to Struab's Koko; both feature Vietnam vets struggling with what happened in the war, but this blows Koko away. I also loved how Peters represented the reaction by New Yorkers to the park being closed-- so realistic! While definitely not high literature, Peters does explore the trauma of war here and the human condition and the writing is fresh and polished. Nice one! 4 solid stars!
Well, obviously, the police station blows. Turns out Harris has been planning the take over of Central Park for quite some time, smuggling in tons of weapons, mines, and other various material and stashing them all over the park. What are his motivations? Peters slowly unpacks that as the action unfolds. We also have Dix, the deputy mayor, who is a liaison between the mayor's office and the police commissioner; basically, the guy that takes flack from both sides and often gives press releases.
I do not want to go too far into the plot to avoid spoilers, but yeah, Harris takes Central Park and fortifies it with all kinds of booby traps, mines, you name it. The police force responds a few hours later by sending in an elite unit (basically a SWAT team, although they use different lingo here) which gets wiped out. Are they dealing with a lone commando, a team of terrorists, what? The cops are clueless, Weaver is itching to get some video dirt on what is going down and the things just escalate from there...
By taut, I mean Peters steps on the gas right from the start and apart from some pacing issues in the middle of the story, moves the tale along with nail biting tension and suspense. I could not help but to compare this to Struab's Koko; both feature Vietnam vets struggling with what happened in the war, but this blows Koko away. I also loved how Peters represented the reaction by New Yorkers to the park being closed-- so realistic! While definitely not high literature, Peters does explore the trauma of war here and the human condition and the writing is fresh and polished. Nice one! 4 solid stars!
March 30, 2020
I had a great time reading this novel. The premise was plausible, the characters were believable, the action was quick-paced, and the plot moved at a logical pace. I also liked that it had a little bit of depth with regards to the Vietnam PTSD - Harris' motives at first were not clear, but as the novel grows you realize that his motives are in reality a fantasy about returning to the war that destroyed him mentally. He needs to relive the horror because it's the only thing that makes him forget it. Weaver was also a great character. Despite being uber-sexy (apparently), she was tough, intelligent, and didn't fall into hysterics or tears, which was refreshing for a novel from the 80s. The minor characters were fleshed-out enough to supplement the story and their scenes had a purpose and made a nice break from the park. How plausible the city's actions were in response to Harris' takeover is debatable, but there were no overly ridiculous things that occurred in the novel. As indicated by the horrible cover art of my edition, there was a sex scene, which I enjoyed, because it was sweet; I expected it to be steamy and out-of-place, but the progression to it was logical and it was in actuality a nice respite from the insanity of the rest of the story.
It was a fun little read and I enjoyed it. It's better than the movie (which I watched after I read the book).
It was a fun little read and I enjoyed it. It's better than the movie (which I watched after I read the book).
November 14, 2008
This book is about a vietnam vet who takes over Central Park for three days before Veteran's Day in order to vent his own frustration with the way people don't care about each other.
The book is a great read, but is extremely hard to find.
It was made into a movie by HBO, starring Tommy Lee Jones. The movie is not as good as the book but is also worth searching for. In short, it is about a "terrorist" takeover of Central Park. In our post-9/11 world this movie has essentially disappeared and I would not expect HBO to air it again nor will it be released on DVD. Too bad.
The book is a great read, but is extremely hard to find.
It was made into a movie by HBO, starring Tommy Lee Jones. The movie is not as good as the book but is also worth searching for. In short, it is about a "terrorist" takeover of Central Park. In our post-9/11 world this movie has essentially disappeared and I would not expect HBO to air it again nor will it be released on DVD. Too bad.
April 2, 2021
I read this in 1982 long before taking Central Park was ever considered. I never forgot it and enjoyed the premise very much. A Vietnam veteran takes over Central Park in NYC and declares it his. if you find this in a used book shop, take the chance.
December 14, 2012
I picked up this book when it came out, translated into French, but had never gotten around to reading it until this year, roughly twenty-five years later! Since then, I have been to New York City a few times, I have read many more books in English, my second language, so my take on it is probably very different than if I had read it back when it was released.
I quite enjoyed the story itself. It is well put together, and the descriptions of the Park are very realistic. It was a fun ride to get along.
I want to comment on the edition I was reading, however. The French translator was clearly at a loss when trying to find the words to some metaphors or colloquial expressions. He clearly did not know what to make of "I'm dead in the water", or "I know where you're coming from", or "Tell me something". He even mistranslates the "rubber" of car tires into the French word for "eraser" (clearly doing a detour via a British English dictionary before coming back to French). And the language spoken by the characters loses a lot of its punch when he tries to recreate the vibe of it in French. Those mistakes peppered the book and were a distraction to me. I could have just looked for the original version, but the book had been on my bookshelves for so long and that was the one I wanted to hold and read!
Still, very entertaining.
I quite enjoyed the story itself. It is well put together, and the descriptions of the Park are very realistic. It was a fun ride to get along.
I want to comment on the edition I was reading, however. The French translator was clearly at a loss when trying to find the words to some metaphors or colloquial expressions. He clearly did not know what to make of "I'm dead in the water", or "I know where you're coming from", or "Tell me something". He even mistranslates the "rubber" of car tires into the French word for "eraser" (clearly doing a detour via a British English dictionary before coming back to French). And the language spoken by the characters loses a lot of its punch when he tries to recreate the vibe of it in French. Those mistakes peppered the book and were a distraction to me. I could have just looked for the original version, but the book had been on my bookshelves for so long and that was the one I wanted to hold and read!
Still, very entertaining.
March 11, 2015
A much better story than what it was turned into by HBO.
A look at a time in NYC long gone.
A look at a time in NYC long gone.
April 6, 2017
This is one fast paced and excellent thriller. Well worth five stars. Basis for the excellent Tommy Lee Jones movie.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews