Description
By: Donovan X. Ramsey
LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD • A “vivid and frank” (NPR) account of the crack cocaine era and a community’s ultimate resilience, told through a cast of characters whose lives illuminate the dramatic rise and fall of the epidemic
“A master class in disrupting a stubborn narrative, a monumental feat for the fraught subject of addiction in Black communities.”—The Washington Post
“A poignant and compelling re-examination of a tragic era in America history . . . insightful . . . and deeply moving.”—Bryan Stevenson, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Just Mercy
FINALIST FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD • ONE OF THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY AND VULTURE’S TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR
A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: Time, The Washington Post, NPR, Chicago Public Library, Publishers Weekly, She Reads, Electric Lit, The Mary Sue
The crack epidemic of the 1980s and 1990s is arguably the least examined crisis in American history. Beginning with the myths inspired by Reagan’s war on drugs, journalist Donovan X. Ramsey’s exacting analysis traces the path from the last triumphs of the Civil Rights Movement to the devastating realities we live with today: a racist criminal justice system, continued mass incarceration and gentrification, and increased police brutality.
When Crack Was King follows four individuals to give us a startling portrait of crack’s destruction and devastating legacy: Elgin Swift, an archetype of American industry and ambition and the son of a crack-addicted father who turned their home into a “crack house”; Lennie Woodley, a former crack addict and sex worker; Kurt Schmoke, the longtime mayor of Baltimore and an early advocate of decriminalization; and Shawn McCray, community activist, basketball prodigy, and a founding member of the Zoo Crew, Newark’s most legendary group of drug traffickers.
Weaving together riveting research with the voices of survivors, When Crack Was King is a crucial reevaluation of the era and a powerful argument for providing historically violated communities with the resources they deserve.
LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD • A “vivid and frank” (NPR) account of the crack cocaine era and a community’s ultimate resilience, told through a cast of characters whose lives illuminate the dramatic rise and fall of the epidemic
“A master class in disrupting a stubborn narrative, a monumental feat for the fraught subject of addiction in Black communities.”—The Washington Post
“A poignant and compelling re-examination of a tragic era in America history . . . insightful . . . and deeply moving.”—Bryan Stevenson, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Just Mercy
FINALIST FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD • ONE OF THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY AND VULTURE’S TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR
A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: Time, The Washington Post, NPR, Chicago Public Library, Publishers Weekly, She Reads, Electric Lit, The Mary Sue
The crack epidemic of the 1980s and 1990s is arguably the least examined crisis in American history. Beginning with the myths inspired by Reagan’s war on drugs, journalist Donovan X. Ramsey’s exacting analysis traces the path from the last triumphs of the Civil Rights Movement to the devastating realities we live with today: a racist criminal justice system, continued mass incarceration and gentrification, and increased police brutality.
When Crack Was King follows four individuals to give us a startling portrait of crack’s destruction and devastating legacy: Elgin Swift, an archetype of American industry and ambition and the son of a crack-addicted father who turned their home into a “crack house”; Lennie Woodley, a former crack addict and sex worker; Kurt Schmoke, the longtime mayor of Baltimore and an early advocate of decriminalization; and Shawn McCray, community activist, basketball prodigy, and a founding member of the Zoo Crew, Newark’s most legendary group of drug traffickers.
Weaving together riveting research with the voices of survivors, When Crack Was King is a crucial reevaluation of the era and a powerful argument for providing historically violated communities with the resources they deserve.
You may also like
熱銷中 Top Trending
![Zog and the Flying Doctors (Julia Donaldson)(Axel Scheffler) Scholastic UK](http://buybookbook.com/cdn/shop/files/Zog-and-the-Flying-Doctors-Julia-DonaldsonAxel-Scheffler-1-Scholastic-UK_{width}x.webp?v=1724360745)
Zog and the Flying Doctors (Julia Donaldson)(Axel Scheffler)
Sale priceHK$64.00
Regular priceHK$104.00
In stock![Friends #01 Real Friends (Shannon Hale) (LeUyen Pham) First Second](http://buybookbook.com/cdn/shop/files/Friends-01-Real-Friends-Shannon-Hale-LeUyen-Pham-1-First-Second_{width}x.webp?v=1724355096)
![Friends #01 Real Friends (Shannon Hale) (LeUyen Pham) First Second](http://buybookbook.com/cdn/shop/files/Friends-01-Real-Friends-Shannon-Hale-LeUyen-Pham-2-First-Second_{width}x.webp?v=1724355101)
Friends #01 Real Friends (Shannon Hale) (LeUyen Pham)
Sale priceHK$75.00
Regular priceHK$124.00
In stock![Amazing Facts Every 7 Year Old Needs to Know (Catherine Brereton)-Nonfiction: 科學科技 Science & Technology-買書書 BuyBookBook](http://buybookbook.com/cdn/shop/files/AmazingFactsEvery7YearOldNeedstoKnow_1_{width}x.jpg?v=1723911769)
![Amazing Facts Every 7 Year Old Needs to Know (Catherine Brereton)-Nonfiction: 科學科技 Science & Technology-買書書 BuyBookBook](http://buybookbook.com/cdn/shop/files/AmazingFactsEvery7YearOldNeedstoKnow_2_{width}x.jpg?v=1723911770)
Amazing Facts Every 7 Year Old Needs to Know (Catherine Brereton)
Sale priceHK$39.00
Regular priceHK$65.00
In stock![Colour Monster, The: The Feelings Doctor and the Emotions Toolkit (Anna Llenas)-Fiction: 兒童繪本 Picture Books-買書書 BuyBookBook](http://buybookbook.com/cdn/shop/files/ColourMonster_TheTheFeelingsDoctorandtheEmotionsToolkit_1_{width}x.webp?v=1712739862)
![Colour Monster, The: The Feelings Doctor and the Emotions Toolkit (Anna Llenas)-Fiction: 兒童繪本 Picture Books-買書書 BuyBookBook](http://buybookbook.com/cdn/shop/files/ColourMonster_TheTheFeelingsDoctorandtheEmotionsToolkit_2_{width}x.webp?v=1712744555)
Colour Monster, The: The Feelings Doctor and the Emotions Toolkit (Anna Llenas)
Sale priceHK$65.00
Regular priceHK$104.00
In stock![Press Start! #15 Mega Mole Girl Digs Deep! (Branches)-Fiction: 歷險科幻 Adventure & Science Fiction-買書書 BuyBookBook](http://buybookbook.com/cdn/shop/files/PressStart_15MegaMoleGirlDigsDeep_Branches_{width}x.webp?v=1723696583)
Press Start! #15 Mega Mole Girl Digs Deep! (Branches)
Sale priceHK$47.00
Regular priceHK$98.00
In stock![Legends of Lotus Island #01 The Guardian Test (Christina Soontornvat)-Fiction: 奇幻魔法 Fantasy & Magical-買書書 BuyBookBook](http://buybookbook.com/cdn/shop/files/9781339041032_{width}x.webp?v=1723792483)
Legends of Lotus Island #01 The Guardian Test (Christina Soontornvat)
Sale priceFrom HK$67.00
Regular priceHK$112.00
In stock![The Hogwarts Library Box Set Collection (3 Books) (Harry Potter) (J.K. Rowling) Bloomsbury](http://buybookbook.com/cdn/shop/files/The-Hogwarts-Library-Box-Set-Collection-3-Books-Harry-Potter-J_K_-Rowling-1-Bloomsbury_{width}x.webp?v=1724345000)
![The Hogwarts Library Box Set Collection (3 Books) (Harry Potter) (J.K. Rowling) Bloomsbury](http://buybookbook.com/cdn/shop/files/The-Hogwarts-Library-Box-Set-Collection-3-Books-Harry-Potter-J_K_-Rowling-2-Bloomsbury_{width}x.webp?v=1724345004)
The Hogwarts Library Box Set Collection (3 Books) (Harry Potter) (J.K. Rowling)
Sale priceHK$185.00
Regular priceHK$273.00
In stock![Land of Stories, The (正版) Complete Collection (6 Book) (Chris Colfer) Hachette US](http://buybookbook.com/cdn/shop/products/The_Land_of_Stories_Complete_Collection_6_Book_06_{width}x.jpg?v=1615406936)
Land of Stories, The #6 World Collide (Chris Colfer)
Sale priceHK$75.00
Regular priceHK$100.00
In stock