The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood - Review
Link to the author's (D. Simon, E. Burns) personal website
Genre: Fiction
Publication Type: Book
Tags:
- Average Age of Main Characters (22)
- Length (6 / 10)
Link to Goodreads
Blurb: The crime-infested intersection of West Fayette and Monroe Streets is well-known--and cautiously avoided--by most of Baltimore. But this notorious corner's 24-hour open-air drug market provides the economic fuel for a dying neighborhood. David Simon, an award-winning author and crime reporter, and Edward Burns, a 20-year veteran of the urban drug war, tell the chilling story of this desolate crossroad.
Through the eyes of one broken family--two drug-addicted adults and their smart, vulnerable 15-year-old son, DeAndre McCollough, Simon and Burns examine the sinister realities of inner cities across the country and unflinchingly assess why law enforcement policies, moral crusades, and the welfare system have accomplished so little. This extraordinary book is a crucial look at the price of the drug culture and the poignant scenes of hope, caring, and love that astonishingly rise in the midst of a place America has abandoned.
Review: So I have to admit that I read this awhile ago. One can't possibly watch The Wire and not at-least be tempted to read the books that came before. Because it's awhile ago and I loved the show so much, my memory has honestly jumbled together the book with the show and the latter got prioritised.
I can definitively say though that the book is excellent because it didn't mar my opinion of The Wire whatsoever. I do remember the book explicitly challenging how the system treats some of the corner problems, and how difficult convenient solutions to repair them are. The story did not lack either. Recommend from me, and I think if you're engaged by the blurb then you will thoroughly enjoy the read.