When Crack Was King

I had heard the author discuss this book on NPR, and was drawn to his personal experience and his intellectual analysis. This book blends together the stories of four individuals along with the history of the epidemic. His conclusions are damning and well-supported. I recommend this book highly to anyone interested in modern American history, race & policing, and public policy. I appreciate the way that he demonstrates the impact of policy and politics on regular people.

Donovan X. Ramsey tells the story of the crack epidemic of the 1980s and early 90s, correcting long-held assumptions and personalizing the issue by following four individuals: a promising Black basketball player who became a crack dealer in Newark NJ; a white dude from Yonkers NY whose father turned their home into a crackhouse; a Black girl from South Central LA who started smoking crack to deaden the pain from years of parental abuse; and the first Black mayor of Baltimore, whose early attempts to decriminalize drug use were doomed to fail.

The 350+ pages read like a novel. Ramsey knows when to step back and provide historical context, but the bulk of the book is devoted to exploring how and why each of his engaging subjects were impacted by crack. The three that were most directly involved with the drug have turned their lives around, demonstrating their resilience and debunking the myth that its addictive properties were irreparable. Ramsey doesn't give a lot of credence to the theory that the government purposefully introduced crack into Black neighborhoods. However, he shows undeniable evidence that, by secretly meddling in Latin American politics and drug cartels, the government knowingly allowed crack to be brought into our country.

These days, medically-assisted treatment and harm reduction strategies are promoted, likely because the opioid epidemic hit white communities first. The “blame the victim, arrest our way out of this problem” mentality of the crack epidemic stands as a stark and shameful contrast.

Just like millions of other African Americans in this country, crack cocaine devastated my family. In Chicago, in 1980, I was born into a large, beautiful family. I remember being surrounded by love. Then, suddenly, most of the adults in my family (including my parents) turned into zombies. At 8 or 9 years old, we went from children straight into adulthood. It was like something out of a movie. Our own apocalypse. That story is not being told. Crack destroyed everything. It turned us kids into monsters. We were abused by adults, beat up by law enforcement, ignored by teachers, exploited by the government (even called super predators), repeatedly falsely arrested, kicked out of school, treated as stupid, starved by the system, and many other things.

I had already read “The Cook Up” by D. Watkins and “Buck” by M.K. Asante. So, when I heard about this book, I was ready. “When Crack was King” follows four individuals. The son of a crack addicted father, a female crack addict/sex worker, a former mayor of Baltimore, and a community activist who used to be a drug trafficker. Sounds interesting, right?

What I loved about the book:

It’s a history book, so you’ll find out everything you ever wanted to know about the drug itself, the government’s involvement, cover-ups, statistics, etc. It’s a brilliant book to have if you are looking for a reference book.

What I didn’t enjoy so much:

The stories of the four individuals mentioned above are told by the author. I wanted so badly for the stories to be told by the individuals who experienced them. You may think, well Nick, it’s the same story. Maybe so, but I believe my story can only be told by me so.

This book feels like the author wrote it for people knowing little or nothing about the crack epidemic. I’m looking for a book written for/by someone who lived it. Stories from the dope man and/or the addict. I appreciate the author for telling this story, but I need the needy, greedy. Not the washed down version. I’m given this book four stars. It accomplished what it said it would do.