Despite general beliefs, Step on a Crack was actually mainly written around Michael Ledwidge with some help by James Patterson (nytimes.com). That being said, the characters, plot, and setting seem to very closely resemble the life of Ledwidge. He grew up in a "large, working class Irish family in the Bronx," as the New York Times put it. This bears striking resemblance to the large family of twelve that lives in Manhattan, which is the main character's family. Oh, and there is also the fact that the main character's wife and her side of the family is Irish. The New York Times also said that Ledwidge had wanted to be a police officer, but was denied by the police academy. Again, this is strikingly close to the main character, who is a police officer. And who could for get the fact the the main character and the main author have the same first name, which is Michael (coincidence?!?). Another thing I would like to point out is that the main villain in Step on a Crack is named Jack which, "coincidentally" is the name of Patterson's son.
Now, It is for the reasons listed above, and for several reasons not mentioned, that I believe the author, Ledwidge, viewed himself as the main character, Michael Bennett. I believe that Bennett was who Ledwidge had always wanted to be, and that would be a well known NYPD officer, with a big loving family. Ledwidge had achieved some of this dream, but fell short when the Police Academy rejected him. This is where I think he decided to come up with the idea for Michael Bennett; who the perfect, idealized version of Ledwidge himself. When Patterson suggested writing this book with Ledwidge, Ledwidge likely pounced at the opportunity to place this character that he had made up into a fictional world in order to make his dream a reality. When they wrote the book, Michael Ledwidge became Michael Bennett.
A final point that I feel must be made is that the idea for this book surfaced in early 2003. That was less than two years after the terrorist attacks in New York, and the effects emotions were still relatively fresh in people's minds and being felt throughout most of the nation. I think that is one of the reasons the author(s) chose the main plot to be a terrorist act in the heart of New York; because it really helped draw people in and connect to their emotions, which is something that Patterson is known for.
Now, It is for the reasons listed above, and for several reasons not mentioned, that I believe the author, Ledwidge, viewed himself as the main character, Michael Bennett. I believe that Bennett was who Ledwidge had always wanted to be, and that would be a well known NYPD officer, with a big loving family. Ledwidge had achieved some of this dream, but fell short when the Police Academy rejected him. This is where I think he decided to come up with the idea for Michael Bennett; who the perfect, idealized version of Ledwidge himself. When Patterson suggested writing this book with Ledwidge, Ledwidge likely pounced at the opportunity to place this character that he had made up into a fictional world in order to make his dream a reality. When they wrote the book, Michael Ledwidge became Michael Bennett.
A final point that I feel must be made is that the idea for this book surfaced in early 2003. That was less than two years after the terrorist attacks in New York, and the effects emotions were still relatively fresh in people's minds and being felt throughout most of the nation. I think that is one of the reasons the author(s) chose the main plot to be a terrorist act in the heart of New York; because it really helped draw people in and connect to their emotions, which is something that Patterson is known for.