Both a gripping read and an interesting account of crack culture and police culture in the 90s in New York City.
It also explores issues around poverty and drug culture, how people end up there, what choices are made, how difficult it is to turn people and situations around, Blauner doesn't come down on one side or other in terms of responsibilities - there is criticism of both society and its institutions, and the choices people make that lead them to crack culture and crack life. The institutions exhibit institutional racism, the black characters are decidedly not sympathetic. He does a good job of portraying the confused thinking (or lack of) behind some of the stupid things the characters do. He also gives a sense of how thin or delicate the liberal view point can be, and how easy it is to slide into blame and scorn.
The conflict between political correctness and the reality of events on the ground.
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