{"product_id":"when-crack-was-king-a-peoples-history-of-a-misunderstood-era-9780525511809","title":"When Crack Was King: A People's History of a Misunderstood Era","description":"\u003cb\u003eLONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD - A \u003cb\u003e\"vivid and frank\" (NPR)\u003c\/b\u003e 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\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"A master class in disrupting a stubborn narrative, a monumental feat for the fraught subject of addiction in Black communities.\"--\u003ci\u003eThe Washington Post\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"A poignant and compelling re-examination of a tragic era in America history . . . insightful . . . and deeply moving.\"--Bryan Stevenson, author of the #1 \u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003ebestseller \u003ci\u003eJust Mercy\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA \u003ci\u003ePUBLISHERS WEEKLY \u003c\/i\u003eBEST BOOK OF THE YEAR\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe 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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eWhen Crack Was King\u003c\/i\u003e 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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWeaving together riveting research with the voices of survivors, \u003ci\u003eWhen Crack Was King\u003c\/i\u003e is a crucial reevaluation of the era and a powerful argument for providing historically violated communities with the resources they deserve.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Donovan X. Ramsey\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e One World\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 07\/11\/2023\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 448\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.50lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.30h x 6.20w x 1.60d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780525511809\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAward:\u003c\/b\u003e National Book Awards - Nominee\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal Prepub Alert\u003c\/i\u003e 02\/01\/2023 pg. 9\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e 06\/01\/2023\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e 07\/01\/2023 pg. 10\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e 08\/07\/2023\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eDonovan X. Ramsey\u003c\/b\u003e is a journalist, author, and voice on issues of race, politics, and patterns of power in America. His reporting has appeared in \u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Atlantic\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eGQ\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eWSJ\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eEbony\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eEssence\u003c\/i\u003e. He has been a staff reporter at the \u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Times\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eNewsOne\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003etheGrio \u003c\/i\u003eand has served as an editor at The Marshall Project and \u003ci\u003eComplex\u003c\/i\u003e. Ramsey holds a master's degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and a bachelor's degree in psychology from Morehouse College.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"One World","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":41094819840115,"sku":"9.78053E+12","price":33.96,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0555\/9255\/0515\/products\/img_032b8eae-0da4-4580-9b13-b7f3b0a2586d.jpg?v=1699973839","url":"https:\/\/bookstorenmore.com\/products\/when-crack-was-king-a-peoples-history-of-a-misunderstood-era-9780525511809","provider":"Bookstore N More","version":"1.0","type":"link"}