When crack was king : a people's history of a misunderstood era / by Donovan X. Ramsey.
| Author/creator |
Ramsey, Donovan X. author. |
| Format | Book and Print |
| Edition | First edition. |
| Publication Info | New York : One World, [2023] |
| Description | xi, 427 pages ; 25 cm |
| Subject(s) |
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| Contents | Introduction -- Act I: The origins. Elgin -- Lennie -- Kurt -- Shawn -- Act II: Incubation. Dreams and nightmares -- Lennie (1965-72) -- Shawn (1967) -- Kurt (1969-78) -- Ain't no stoppin' us now (1979) -- Lennie (1972-78) -- Act III: outbreak. Superdrug -- Shawn (1978-80) -- Lennie (1978) -- Kurt (1978-84) -- Elgin (1975-86) -- Shawn (1980-85) -- Lennie (1978-80) -- Act IV: Expansion. Ready rock -- From paupers to princes -- Lennie (1980-82) -- Hype (1981-86) -- Shawn (1985-86) -- Act V: Surge. Lennie -- Kurt (1984-88) -- Shawn (1987) -- Elgin (1987-89) -- War (1986-88) -- Act VI: Peak. Shawn (1988) -- Elgin (1989-92) -- Czar (1989-90) -- Shawn (1990) -- The life -- Act VII: Decline. War II (1990-94) -- Kurt (1992-96) -- Shawn (1994) -- Conspiracy (1980-98) -- Kurt (1996-97) -- Act VIII: Recovery. Intervention (1989-96) -- Elgin (1992-present) -- Shawn (1997-present) -- Kurt (1998-present) -- Lennie (1990s-present) -- After crack. |
| Abstract | "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 work exposes the undeniable links between the last triumphs of the Civil Rights Movement and the consequences 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 son of a crack-addicted father who turned their home into a "crack house"; Lennie Woodley, a former crack addict and a sex worker; Kurt Schmoke, former mayor of Baltimore and an early advocate of decriminalization; and lastly, Shawn McCray, community activist, basketball prodigy, and a founding member of the Zoo Crew, Newark's most legendary group of drug traffickers"-- Provided by publisher. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (pages 373-407) and index. |
| Issued in other form | Online version: Ramsey, Donovan X. When crack was king First edition. New York : One World, [2023] 9780525511823 |
| Genre/form | History. |
| LCCN | 2022043879 |
| ISBN | 9780525511809 hardcover |
| ISBN | 0525511806 hardcover |
| ISBN | electronic book |
Available Items
| Library | Location | Call Number | Status | Item Actions | |
| Joyner | General Stacks | HV5810 .R36 2023 | ✔ Available | Place Hold |