Rate this book

S Street Rising: Crack, Murder, And Redemption In D.C. (2014)

by Ruben Castaneda(Favorite Author)

3.91 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

1620400049 (ISBN13: 9781620400043)

languge

English

genre

Memoir & Autobiography

publisher

Bloomsbury USA

review 1: Picked up after reading Castaneda's piece on his new book. The first half was compelling enough, but he writes--surprise--like a life-long journalist who can't seem to translate his style into book-form. About halfway it seemed like he'd run out of tricks, the machine-gun fire pace growing tedious and rote. Stick with the journalism. There's no particular need to read this book if you can find his piece online (I believe it was published in WaPo).
review 2: When I moved to Park Road in Columbia Heights back in 2009, it seemed like all anyone could say was "You shoulda seen this place 10 years ago... vacant lots... open air drug markets... prostitution." (Like, whatever, I just moved here for a job. And this basement apartment blows. And I could care less ab... moreout the rising housing values because I will NEVER afford a house here.) I believed them, even as I rolled my eyes at the cool reception and condescension of a neighborhood that was saved by a Target megaplex. I wish one of those know-it-all neighbors had given me a shred of the context I picked up from S Street Rising. This book wonderfully -- captivatingly! -- illustrates how crack took down the city center of DC. Together with the author's own story of addiction and the story of a community developer/pastor working on S Street, this book really nails the crack epidemic in 360 degrees -- the data, the personal narrative, the community narrative. Having lived in DC, I felt like my minds eye was riding shot gun as Castaneda drove around the District covering his beat. I know the corners he was talking about, I too revile the Mayor for Life, I have worked and lived around the public housing that is the backdrop for many of these stories. He is a super gifted writer and uses his skill to craft a balanced story. My respect for journalists just got a major bump. (No, not the drug kind.) And he tells the story of his addiction with such dignity, I am forced to reevaluate the whole pathology. Hang on to your crack pipe... here are a few decent takeaways from S Street Rising: 1) CRACK HIT WOMEN HARDER THAN HEROINE HAD: In the first 8 months of 1989, 15% of the babies born at Howard U Hospital were abandoned by their crack-addicted moms, who just wanted to go out and score some more crack. 2) CRACK = MURDER: In 1991, DC was called the murder capital of the nation -- it clocked 479 murders that year. In 2012, there were just 88. 3) ADDICTION IS, LIKE, WOW: One time, the author got paid $700 in overtime pay, which he needed to pay bills. But he ran into one of his crack-scoring lady friends on the walk home from work, and that set off a binge that really reminds you what addiction is about. They drove to S Street, repeatedly scoring $40 worth of crack, going back to his apartment to smoke it -- just doing that all night long, never buying the crack in bulk!!! Such desperation. The next morning, he woke up with just $10 in his pocket. 4) REDEMPTION HAPPENS IN COMMUNITY: Castaneda seemed to finally heal from his addiction one Easter Sunday when he was asked to share his story at a church in a neighborhood where he used to score. It was a really beautiful moment of forgiveness and acceptance. Maybe this is what needs to happen for American neighborhoods to finally move past the horrors of the crack epidemic -- like working the Fourth Step in community, or truth and reconciliation for the crack generation.5) UNRELATED, BUT WONDERFULLY ENTERTAINING: Okay, this story doesn't have much to do with crack, but I still like it a lot. One fugitive from the DC Police fled to Africa, where he lived with a bunch of ex-pat Jamaicans rastas. He got kicked out of there for his bad attitude. When the DC Police finally caught up to him, he was living in a hut near Mt. Kilimanjaro. When that dude was finally apprehended, he tried to run away. Across the plains of Africa. Dumbass. Don't worry, they caught him. All he could say to the DC Cops was "Man, y'all are pressed to lock a nigga up." less

Download links for: S Street Rising: Crack, Murder, and Redemption in D.C.

Advertising