-- Newspaper and Website Reviews
RESPECT AND REPUTATION
The Weekly News
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RESPECT AND REPUTATION
Gulf Weekly: The Community Newspaper at the Heart of Bahrain
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INFAMOUS PRISONER AND FORMER ELLESMERE PORT RESIDENT CHARLES BRONSON WRITES ABOUT PRISON LIFE IN NEW BOOK
NOTORIOUS prisoner Charles Bronson has written a book about life behind bars.
The former Ellesmere Port resident has penned Respect and Reputation with well-known doorman and bodyguard Robin Barratt.
The book, which is published on Friday, is foreword by crime writer Bernard O'Mahoney.
The pair examine in detail respect and reputation, including how to behave in prison, how to treat other prisoners, how to be a top door supervisor, when to show respect and how to gain it.
Bronson has become widely-regarded as the most dangerous prisoner in Britain, having spent 35 years behind bars.
He grew up in Aberystwyth before moving to Ellesmere Port when he was 15 years old, living in the town for three years.
Bronson was first jailed following an armed robbery at a petrol station in 1974, managing to steal just £26.18.
Since then, with the exception of a few months of freedom, Bronson has been held ever since in nearly every prison in the country for repeated offences inside jail.
They include a string of assaults and hostage-taking offences as well as causing around half-a-million pounds worth of damage to prison property.
Although Barratt has spent much of his life surrounded by violence he now prefers to take a passive path away from any conflict.
He has been writing books about life on the doors since 2002.
Apex Publishing's Chris Cowlin said: “With lots of real life anecdotes as well as contributions from many other hard men, this gripping book takes its reader into the psychology of a world rarely explored.”
Ellesmere Port Pioneer
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TOUGH GUY'S NOVEL IDEA!
A best-selling true crime author has taken up residence in Bahrain as he completes his latest book in collaboration with one of the UK's most notorious prisoners.
Robin Barratt has moved to the island to be with wife Inna Zabrodskaia, who is managing the new Agent Provocateur store in Moda Mall.
But living on the island won't stop him working on two new books The Mammoth Book of the World's Hardest Men and Respect and Reputation which he is writing with Charles Bronson, often referred to by the British press as the country's most violent prisoner.
Robin, 47, started writing in 2002 having sold his successful security business to security giant Securitas.
He started his working life as a doorman in his hometown of Norwich back in the late 1980s and went on to manage nightclubs before the offer of a six week close protection course with a former SAS team opened the door to the exciting and sometimes dangerous world of body- guarding for the rich, famous and sometimes infamous.
He became both a body- guard and a bodyguard trainer working in some of the world's most volatile countries from Bosnia during the conflict to Nigeria and Russia.
And when he sold his business in 2002 he set about writing what he knew producing his first book Doing the Doors - from Bikers' Bars to Gangland Clubs, My Life as a Doorman.
The book, which tells of a shadowy world of girls, booze, drugs and clubs, became a cult hit and almost required reading for aspiring doormen.
He followed this up with the equally successful Confessions of a Doorman and Bouncers and Bodyguards - Tales from a Twilight World.
The latter saw his first contact with Bronson, who was himself a doorman before embarking on a life of crime.
Bronson was imprisoned for seven years in 1974, aged 19, for a bungled armed robbery at a Post Office in Cheshire, during which he stole just £26.18, around BD15.
His sentence has been repeatedly extended for crimes committed within prison, which include wounding with intent, wounding, criminal damage, grievous bodily harm, false imprisonment, blackmail and threatening to kill.
Since 1974 he has spent just four months and nine days out of custody, most of his jail time has been spent in solitary confinement.
When Robin set out to produce Bouncers and Bodyguards he wrote to Bronson asking him to contribute a story about his own life 'on the doors'. The notorious prisoner agreed and Robin's publisher later suggested they should collaborate on Respect and Reputation.
Robin said: "It's about respect and reputation and the two perspectives of it, on the inside and the outside, including gangsters and the notion of respect in society.
"He writes his contributions freehand and sends them to me and I type them up and work on them and send them back to him for his input.
"He has a somewhat off-the-wall way of expressing himself but, after 30 years in solitary confinement, I guess that's only to be expected and he is an interesting character."
The second project he is currently working on is The Mammoth Book of the World's Hardest Men for the international publisher Constable Robinson.
Robin said: "I'm putting together stories from 35 of the hardest men from across the world, men who have had hard lives and who have become, for want of a better word, hard.
"Some of those involved include Roy Shaw, the famous bare knuckle fighter, Geoff Thompson, a former doorman who's now a Bafta Award winning writer, celebrity body guard Elijah Shaw and Thomas Silverstein, the American equivalent of Bronson.
"Some of them are people I came into contact with through my former work, others I am researching here in Bahrain. I must admit, I've met and dealt with some interesting people over the years, some real characters, they certainly kept things interesting."
Now he is in Bahrain for the foreseeable future having fallen in love with the island when he came to visit his wife in Gudaibiya earlier this year.
He said; "I came out here for a couple of weeks at the end of May and fell in love with the region. Of all the countries I have visited, all over the world, I had never been to the Middle East. It is so different to the UK, so interesting, I couldn't wait to get back here."
Gulf Weekly: The Community Newspaper at the Heart of Bahrain
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RESPECT AND REPUTATION
The Brit (Madeira Newspaper)
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ROBIN BARRATT: THE KNOWLEDGE
I am not one of those authors who can sit down and somehow magic wonderful prose from nothing; I have to think carefully about every single word I write and sentence I construct. I don’t have much of an education, just a handful of O levels, and so writing definitely doesn’t come naturally for me. And because it doesn’t come naturally, I tend to find other things to do and put off writing until the very last minute. But once I start writing, I don’t seem to be able to stop; it becomes a compulsion.
I always remember wanting to be a writer, ever since I was about twelve years old. But the world took me on a different route entirely and I never put word on paper again for almost thirty years until the security company I was working for got sold and I found myself out of work. I then bumped into a friend who had just had his book published and he introduced me to his publisher who was fascinated with my rather unorthodox and unusual life of security and personal protection – and a book contract quickly followed.
After my first book Doing The Doors I never ever expected to write any more, yet seven years and six books later I now find myself editing The Mammoth Book of the World’s Toughest and seem to have developed a name for myself within this very particular non-fiction marketplace. Over the last few years Doing the Doors has kind of evolved into a cult ‘must have’ book for nightclub doormen (and doorwomen, of which surprisingly there are thousands). I am constantly amazed that people actually like my work and I find that both completely mystifying and utterly humbling.
When I lived in England I had a little study which was my comfortable bolt-hole where I could escape to and work. But since moving to Bahrain last year I don’t have the luxury of a study so I work wherever I can, often taking my laptop down to the pool area where the sounds of the fountains and the birds motivate me.
I have decided that the Mammoth Book will be my very last book in this genre and once finished I am going to try to become a ‘real’ writer and perhaps turn my attention to fiction.
Robin Barratt’s latest book Respect and Reputation will be published by Apex in hardback on June 4. Signed copies of this and his other titles will be available from mid June from all Jashanmal Bookstores in Bahrain.
Time Out Bahrain
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BRONSON BOOK AUTHOR VISITS BRACKNELL
The author of a new book about one of Britain’s most notorious prisoners will be signing copies in Bracknell this weekend.
Robin Barratt, who is a former doorman, has written ‘Respect & Reputation’, a book about Charles Bronson.
Bronson has spent 30 years in solitary confinement and has developed his own fitness regime where he does 2,500 press-ups a day.
Robin has worked with Bronson to analyse respect and reputation including how to behave in prison.
He will be at Waterstone’s in Stanley Walk between 1pm and 3pm.
The Wokingham Times
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RESPECT AND REPUTATION
Nottingham & Long Eaton Topper
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RESPECT AND REPUTATION
ROBIN BARRATT AND CHARLES BRONSON
TO some, respect and reputation are everything. It can mean the difference between life and death and it can radically alter your name, standing and legacy.
In Respect & Reputation: On The Doors, In Prison and In Life infamous career criminal Charles Bronson - originally known as Michael Peterson - talks of life behind bars, and with more than 30 years' experience he has plenty to say. While top bouncer Robin Barratt delves into the unpredictable life on the doors.
Bronson's chapters prove the most engaging. Tales penned by hardened criminals usually prove popular with the public. Their lives are a soap opera littered with tales of plundered loot, death and sordid relationships.
Bronson is widely regarded as the most violent prisoner in Britain, a reason the film of his life was released last year. Here he examines in microscopic detail how to behave, or even how to survive, in Britain.
Due to a number of attacks on wardens and inmates, Bronson has spent the majority of his prison life in solitary confinement so maybe it's not the best advice to follow.
Barratt on the other hand seems to know how to follow an imaginary guidebook only he could have written.
A doorman in the 1980s, Barratt ended up travelling the world as a personal bodyguard to the rich before founding the British Bodyguard Association.
Doormen carry an unenviable reputation as knuckle-dragging Neanderthals, looking for trouble and girls. But Barratt reflects on how to show respect to customers and clients, how to gain respect and develop a no-nonsense reputation.
Ilford Recorder
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RESPECT AND REPUTATION
Tenby Observer
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RESPECT AND REPUTATION
Robin Barratt's Tough Talk Magazine
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RESPECT AND REPUTATION
Bangor and Anglesey Mail
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A riveting book written by two men who are eminently qualified to do so. Robin Barratt and Charles Bronson are both graduates from the University of Hard Knocks, and understand the crucial relevance of "respect and reputation" in the worlds they inhabit. Brutal, honest, wickedly funny at times and even shrewdly philosophical, Respect & Reputation provides a fascinating insight into lives that few of us could accurately imagine and are even less likely to experience. Not to be missed.
Mike Hallowell, The Shields Gazette
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RESPECT AND REPUTATION
Ipswich 24 Magazine
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RESPECT AND REPUTATION
Swindon Advertiser
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A fascinating insight into the minds of the Men In Black. This book shows how Britain’s small army of club security men think about their job, their punters and themselves, with an emphasis on respect and decency. It’s a long way from the popular stereotype of bouncers as knuckle-scrapping nutters who punch first and ask questions later.
Garry Bushell, Daily Star Sunday
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-- Book Signings and Events
Robin Barratt signed copies of his book 'Respect and Reputation' at Waterstone's, Basingstoke.
Waterstone's, Basingstoke
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Robin Barratt signed copies of his book 'Respect and Reputation' at Waterstone's, Portsmouth.
Waterstone's, Portsmouth
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Robin Barratt signed copies of his book 'Respect and Reputation' at Waterstone's Croydon.
Waterstone's Croydon
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Robin Barratt signed copies of his book 'Respect and Reputation' at Waterstone's, Walsall.
Waterstone's, Walsall
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Robin Barratt signed copies of his book 'Respect and Reputation' at Waterstone's, Orpington.
Waterstone's, Orpington
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Robin Barratt signed copies of his book 'Respect and Reputation' at Waterstone's, Bracknell.
Waterstone's, Bracknell
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Robin Barratt signed copies of his book 'Respect and Reputation' at Waterstone’s, Trafford Centre, Manchester.
Waterstone’s, Trafford Centre, Manchester
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Robin Barratt signed copies of his book 'Respect and Reputation' at Waterstone's, Stockport.
Waterstone's, Stockport
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Robin Barratt signed copies of his book 'Respect and Reputation' at The Book Hive, Norwich.
The Book Hive, Norwich
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