Cocaine
An Unauthorized Biography
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ISBN10: 0312422261
ISBN13: 9780312422264
Trade Paperback
536 Pages
$25.00
CA$24.99
The story of cocaine isn't just about crime. It's about psychoanalysis, about empire building, about exploitation, about emancipation, about money, and, ultimately, about power. To tell the story of the twentieth century without reference to this drug and its contribution is to miss a vital and fascinating strand of social history. Streatfeild examines the story of cocaine from its medical uses to the worldwide chaos it causes today. His research takes him from the arcane reaches of the British Library to the isolation cells of America's most secure prisons, from crack houses of New York to the jungles of Bolivia and Columbia.
Reviews
Praise for Cocaine
"A sweeping and highly readable investigation."—The Boston Phoenix
"[Streatfeild] is an excellent storyteller . . . This book is a great read."—The Seattle Times
"[Streatfeild's] smartly woven narrative winningly expands the narcotic's résumé beyond overdose horror stories."—GQ
"A thrilling ride through exotic territory . . . Streatfeild's animated writing style . . . makes for an exciting read."—Time Out New York
"A breezy history . . . often arresting, sometimes sobering."—The Washington Post
"That [Streatfeild] succeeds in delivering this large order is amazing enough, but that he does so with such style and good humor is miraculous."—BookPage
"A sane and sober review of a vast body of accumulated knowledge dislodged from forgotten archives, obscure texts, government records, definitive histories, and human sources with impeccable credentials."—The Baltimore Sun
"Well-presented . . . Brisk and well researched, Cocaine is informed by obscure archives and lost books as well as dynamic first-hand reporting."—The San Diego Union-Tribune
"A fascinating and richly detailed story . . . Streatfeild delivers a straight tale about a world where nothing is as it seems."—Publishers Weekly
Reviews from Goodreads
BOOK EXCERPTS
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Introduction
It's going on 4:30 p.m. and the alkaloid has just begun to bite. I am swinging gently from side to side in a hammock, watching a livid orange sun sink into the hills of La Bella Durmiente, headphones on, plugged into...
