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Product Identifiers

PublisherRandom House Publishing Group

ISBN-100525511806

ISBN-139780525511809

eBay Product ID (ePID)16058360578

Product Key Features

Book TitleWhen Crack Was King : a People's History of a Misunderstood Era

Number of Pages448 Pages

LanguageEnglish

Publication Year2023

TopicUnited States / 20th Century, Psychiatry / Psychopharmacology, Law Enforcement, Psychopathology / Addiction, Sociology / Urban, African American

GenrePolitical Science, Social Science, Psychology, Medical, History

AuthorDonovan X. Ramsey

FormatHardcover

Dimensions

Item Height1.4 in

Item Weight23.5 Oz

Item Length9.5 in

Item Width6.4 in

Additional Product Features

Intended AudienceTrade

LCCN2022-043879

Dewey Edition23

Reviews"Beautifully composed and carefully researched, When Crack Was King is a thoroughgoing survey of the crack epidemic. Since I lived through it, I thought I knew about this period until I read this clear-eyed book." --Ibram X. Kendi, "A poignant and compelling re-examination of a tragic era in America history . . . insightful, challenging, and deeply moving work." --Bryan Stevenson, author of #1 New York Times bestseller Just Mercy "Forget what you think you know about the crack era, because this definitive account resets the record. Both unflinching and compassionate, it has the power to expand your heart. Donovan X. Ramsey writes with a poetry befitting the lives of the people he profiles, a poetry long denied to the victims and survivors of crack cocaine. He reveals how the epidemic was one of heartbreak, in the crushing days of retrenchment from civil rights and the war on poverty. He urges us to celebrate the resilience of a people who beat back a plague with shockingly little compassion or health care from a disdainful nation. It's a stunning and unforgettable debut." --Heather McGhee, author of New York Times bestseller The Sum of Us "If you lived through the crack years, you haven't forgotten them. If you weren't born yet, you need to know what you missed. Either way, this book is essential reading. Donovan X. Ramsey tells the story of the crack era--its causes, victims, and survivors--with insight and compassion. If you're anything like me, you won't soon forget the characters on these pages." --James Forman Jr., Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Locking Up Our Own "Beautifully composed and carefully researched, When Crack Was King is a thoroughgoing survey of the crack epidemic. Since I lived through it, I thought I knew about this period--until I read this clear-eyed book." --Ibram X. Kendi, author of #1 New York Times bestseller How to Be an Antiracist, "Forget what you think you know about the crack era, because this definitive account resets the record. Both unflinching and compassionate, it has the power to expand your heart. Donovan X. Ramsey writes with a poetry befitting the lives of the people he profiles, a poetry long denied to the victims and survivors of crack cocaine. He reveals how the epidemic was one of heartbreak, in the crushing days of retrenchment from civil rights and the war on poverty. He urges us to celebrate the resilience of a people who beat back a plague with shockingly little compassion or health care from a disdainful nation. It's a stunning and unforgettable debut." --Heather McGhee, author of New York Times bestseller The Sum of Us "If you lived through the crack years, you haven't forgotten them. If you weren't born yet, you need to know what you missed. Either way, this book is essential reading. Donovan X. Ramsey tells the story of the crack era--its causes, victims, and survivors--with insight and compassion. If you're anything like me, you won't soon forget the characters on these pages." --James Forman Jr., Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Locking Up Our Own "Beautifully composed and carefully researched, When Crack Was King is a thoroughgoing survey of the crack epidemic. Since I lived through it, I thought I knew about this period--until I read this clear-eyed book." --Ibram X. Kendi, author of #1 New York Times bestseller How to Be an Antiracist "Passionate, important reportage on a tragic era in American history from an author who lived through it." -- Kirkus Reviews , starred review, "An excellent work of people-first journalism, When Crack Was King offers not only a vivid and frank history, but points to the way communities tend to save themselves even as they're being actively targeted by state policy and violence." --NPR "Drawing on intensive research and the stories of four individuals whose lives were indelibly shaped by the drug and its criminalization, Ramsey provides much-needed critique on not only drug policy past and present, but also the system that it upholds, urgently interrogating who it protects, who it punishes--and why." -- TIME , 10 Books You Should Read in July "Ramsey aims to give the story of the crack epidemic a human face while telling it from start to finish, a herculean task." -- New York Times " When Crack Was King proves that history done right can be downright thrilling . . . This is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand how the war on drugs began and why it continues to vex America." --Apple Books, Best books of July "[Ramsey] looks at the crack epidemic of the '80s and '90s from several perspectives, from a Newark drug kingpin to a former Baltimore mayor to a longtime addict, and asks the reader to reconsider the details of a life-shattering scourge." -- Boston Globe , Best New Books for Summer 2023 "[ When Crack Was King ] manages to convey the scope of history while also remaining grounded in the specific and personal. And it feels particularly relevant as America stares down another drug epidemic with no clear end in sight." -- Los Angeles Times "Forget what you think you know about the crack era, because this definitive account resets the record. Both unflinching and compassionate, it has the power to expand your heart. It's a stunning and unforgettable debut." --Heather McGhee, author of New York Times bestseller The Sum of Us "Donovan X. Ramsey tells the story of the crack era--its causes, victims, and survivors--with insight and compassion. If you're anything like me, you won't soon forget the characters on these pages." --James Forman Jr., Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Locking Up Our Own "Beautifully composed and carefully researched, When Crack Was King is a thoroughgoing survey of the crack epidemic. Since I lived through it, I thought I knew about this period--until I read this clear-eyed book." --Ibram X. Kendi, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller How to Be an Antiracist "Passionate, important reportage on a tragic era in American history from an author who lived through it." -- Kirkus Reviews , starred review, "A compassionate and urgent story that centers the victims of this superdrug, When Crack Was King is an illuminating look at the devastating, racialized impacts of the U.S. criminal justice system--and a warning for us to do better as more drug epidemics rear their ugly heads." -- Time "[A] panoramic social history . . . Ramsey aims to give the story of the crack epidemic a human face while telling it from start to finish, a herculean task. By and large he succeeds." -- The New York Times (Editors' Choice) "[Ramsey] makes a convincing case that government policies criminalized what was essentially a public health crisis, and he busts some of the most pernicious media-generated myths of the epidemic--including the much ballyhooed threat of the 'crack baby.'" --NPR "We haven't reckoned with the crack era, or pinned it as the historical marker it was. . . . Ramsey gives the full view, from teenagers who grew up in the shadow of crack to city leaders who got overwhelmed by it. The sweep is long overdue." --Hanna Rosin, The Atlantic "[Ramsey] looks at the crack epidemic of the '80s and '90s from several perspectives, from a Newark drug kingpin to a former Baltimore mayor to a longtime addict, and asks the reader to reconsider the details of a life-shattering scourge." -- Boston Globe "[ When Crack Was King ] manages to convey the scope of history while also remaining grounded in the specific and personal. And it feels particularly relevant as America stares down another drug epidemic with no clear end in sight." -- Los Angeles Times "Ramsey takes a wide and necessary view of the choices--sinister and well-meaning alike--that led to the epidemic. To complement his sweeping historical and political analysis, Ramsey also spends time with individual people who weathered the worst of the era and lived to share its lessons." -- The Millions "Illuminating . . . For all its traumas, When Crack Was King . . . is also a narrative of redemption, telling of the thousands of extraordinary decisions by ordinary people that brought the crack epidemic to an end." -- The Guardian "Beautifully composed and carefully researched, When Crack Was King is a thoroughgoing survey of the crack epidemic. Since I lived through it, I thought I knew about this period--until I read this clear-eyed book." --Ibram X. Kendi, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller How to Be an Antiracist "Forget what you think you know about the crack era, because this definitive account resets the record. Both unflinching and compassionate, it has the power to expand your heart. It's a stunning and unforgettable debut." --Heather McGhee, author of New York Times bestseller The Sum of Us "Donovan X. Ramsey tells the story of the crack era--its causes, victims, and survivors--with insight and compassion. If you're anything like me, you won't soon forget the characters on these pages." --James Forman Jr., Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Locking Up Our Own, "A poignant and compelling re-examination of a tragic era in America history, when we allowed fear and anger to shape drug policy with heartbreaking results . . . an insightful, challenging, and deeply moving work." --Bryan Stevenson, author of #1 New York Times bestseller Just Mercy "Forget what you think you know about the crack era, because this definitive account resets the record. Both unflinching and compassionate, it has the power to expand your heart. Donovan X. Ramsey writes with a poetry befitting the lives of the people he profiles, a poetry long denied to the victims and survivors of crack cocaine. He reveals how the epidemic was one of heartbreak, in the crushing days of retrenchment from civil rights and the war on poverty. He urges us to celebrate the resilience of a people who beat back a plague with shockingly little compassion or health care from a disdainful nation. It's a stunning and unforgettable debut." --Heather McGhee, author of New York Times bestseller The Sum of Us "If you lived through the crack years, you haven't forgotten them. If you weren't born yet, you need to know what you missed. Either way, this book is essential reading. Donovan X. Ramsey tells the story of the crack era--its causes, victims, and survivors--with insight and compassion. If you're anything like me, you won't soon forget the characters on these pages." --James Forman Jr., Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Locking Up Our Own "Beautifully composed and carefully researched, When Crack Was King is a thoroughgoing survey of the crack epidemic. Since I lived through it, I thought I knew about this period--until I read this clear-eyed book." --Ibram X. Kendi, author of #1 New York Times bestseller How to Be an Antiracist, "A compassionate and urgent story that centers the victims of this superdrug, When Crack Was King is an illuminating look at the devastating, racialized impacts of the U.S. criminal justice system--and a warning for us to do better as more drug epidemics rear their ugly heads." -- Time "[A] panoramic social history . . . Ramsey aims to give the story of the crack epidemic a human face while telling it from start to finish, a herculean task. By and large he succeeds." -- The New York Times "[Ramsey] makes a convincing case that government policies criminalized what was essentially a public health crisis, and he busts some of the most pernicious media-generated myths of the epidemic--including the much ballyhooed threat of the 'crack baby.'" --NPR "We haven't reckoned with the crack era, or pinned it as the historical marker it was. . . . Ramsey gives the full view, from teenagers who grew up in the shadow of crack to city leaders who got overwhelmed by it. The sweep is long overdue." --Hanna Rosin, The Atlantic "[Ramsey] looks at the crack epidemic of the '80s and '90s from several perspectives, from a Newark drug kingpin to a former Baltimore mayor to a longtime addict, and asks the reader to reconsider the details of a life-shattering scourge." -- Boston Globe "[ When Crack Was King ] manages to convey the scope of history while also remaining grounded in the specific and personal. And it feels particularly relevant as America stares down another drug epidemic with no clear end in sight." -- Los Angeles Times "Ramsey takes a wide and necessary view of the choices--sinister and well-meaning alike--that led to the epidemic. To complement his sweeping historical and political analysis, Ramsey also spends time with individual people who weathered the worst of the era and lived to share its lessons." -- The Millions "Illuminating . . . For all its traumas, When Crack Was King . . . is also a narrative of redemption, telling of the thousands of extraordinary decisions by ordinary people that brought the crack epidemic to an end." -- The Guardian "Beautifully composed and carefully researched, When Crack Was King is a thoroughgoing survey of the crack epidemic. Since I lived through it, I thought I knew about this period--until I read this clear-eyed book." --Ibram X. Kendi, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller How to Be an Antiracist "Forget what you think you know about the crack era, because this definitive account resets the record. Both unflinching and compassionate, it has the power to expand your heart. It's a stunning and unforgettable debut." --Heather McGhee, author of New York Times bestseller The Sum of Us "Donovan X. Ramsey tells the story of the crack era--its causes, victims, and survivors--with insight and compassion. If you're anything like me, you won't soon forget the characters on these pages." --James Forman Jr., Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Locking Up Our Own, "Forget what you think you know about the crack era, because this definitive account resets the record. Both unflinching and compassionate, it has the power to expand your heart. Donovan X. Ramsey writes with a poetry befitting the lives of the people he profiles, a poetry long denied to the victims and survivors of crack cocaine. He reveals how the epidemic was one of heartbreak, in the crushing days of retrenchment from civil rights and the war on poverty. He urges us to celebrate the resilience of a people who beat back a plague with shockingly little compassion or health care from a disdainful nation. It's a stunning and unforgettable debut." --Heather McGhee, author of New York Times bestseller The Sum of Us "If you lived through the crack years, you haven't forgotten them. If you weren't born yet, you need to know what you missed. Either way, this book is essential reading. Donovan X. Ramsey tells the story of the crack era--its causes, victims, and survivors--with insight and compassion. If you're anything like me, you won't soon forget the characters on these pages." --James Forman Jr., Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Locking Up Our Own "Beautifully composed and carefully researched, When Crack Was King is a thoroughgoing survey of the crack epidemic. Since I lived through it, I thought I knew about this period--until I read this clear-eyed book." --Ibram X. Kendi, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller How to Be an Antiracist "Passionate, important reportage on a tragic era in American history from an author who lived through it." -- Kirkus Reviews , starred review

Dewey Decimal362.2980973

SynopsisLONGLISTED 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.

LC Classification NumberHV5810.R36 2023