When Crack Was King

LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD ΓÇó A ΓÇ£vivid and frankΓÇ¥ (NPR) account of the crack cocaine era and a communityΓÇÖs ultimate resilience,told through a cast of characters whose lives illuminate the dramatic rise and fall of the epidemic ΓÇ£A master class in disrupting a stubborn narrativea monumental feat for the fraught subject of addiction in Black communities.ΓÇ¥ΓÇöThe Washington Post ΓÇ£A poignant and compelling re-examination of a tragic era in America history . . . insightful . . . and deeply moving.ΓÇ¥ΓÇöBryan Stevensonauthor of the #1 New York Times bestseller Just Mercy FINALIST FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD ΓÇó ONE OF THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY AND VULTUREΓÇÖS TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: TimeThe Washington PostNPRChicago Public LibraryPublishers WeeklyShe ReadsElectric LitThe 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 ReaganΓÇÖs war on drugsjournalist Donovan X. RamseyΓÇÖs 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 systemcontinued mass incarceration and gentrificationand increased police brutality. When Crack Was King follows four individuals to give us a startling portrait of crackΓÇÖs destruction and devastating legacy: Elgin Swiftan archetype of American industry and ambition and the son of a crack-addicted father who turned their home into a ΓÇ£crack houseΓÇ¥; Lennie Woodleya former crack addict and sex worker; Kurt Schmokethe longtime mayor of Baltimore and an early advocate of decriminalization; and Shawn McCraycommunity activistbasketball prodigyand a founding member of the Zoo CrewNewarkΓÇÖs most legendary group of drug traffickers. Weaving together riveting research with the voices of survivorsWhen Crack Was King is a crucial reevaluation of the era and a powerful argument for providing historically violated communities with the resources they deserve.