In The New Centurions, Wambaugh takes his heroes from different walks of life. Serge is a Chicano who wants to forget his ancestry but cannot. Gus is a small gentle man who hates himself because he thinks he is a coward. Roy considers himself an intellectual, but finds that the people he despises, other policemen, members of minority groups, even his wife, are at least as smart as he is Also memorable are the older cops, his heroes' mentors, especially Kilvinsky, a genuine philosopher who understands the world but because of the demands of his job cannot cope with other emotional demands. He loses his wife, after losing his child, and ends up alone. All the young policemen learn and grow. Serge outgrows sexual promiscuity, finds a wife and learns to accept his heritage. Gus learns to accept himself. Roy unexpectedly finds his true love. Each of them...