A kaleidoscopic 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 poignant and compelling re-examination of a tragic era in
America history . . . insightful . . . and deeply moving.”—Bryan
Stevenson, author of #1 New York Times bestseller Just
Mercy
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.
