Hep-cats, narcs, and pipe dreams

About this book

Once upon a time in America, morphine and cocaine were routinely sold in pharmacies, and gamblers and rogues gathered in shadowy basements to smoke opium. So begins Hep-Cats, Narcs, and Pipe Dreams, Jill Jonnes's groundbreaking and textured history of illegal drugs in America. As the Victorian age drew to a close, Americans became alarmed at the availability of dangerous drugs, which were sold over the counter to relieve fevers and minor ailments. Amid a new spirit of temperance, Congress passed the Pure Food and Drug Act, creating a new class of lawbreakers: drug addicts. Jonnes traces the spread of illegal drugs throughout our culture: from the freewheeling Prohibition era through World War II, to the "flower power" 1960s right up to the present, when stories about crack babies and the resurgence of heroin dominate newspaper headlines. Jonnes takes us on a dazzling tour of the American Century, from the glamour of Hollywood during the silent-screen period to Harlem's smoky jazz clubs to Miami's mean streets, detailing the high jinks and dirty tricks of the drug trafficking trade along the way. She also confronts a contemporary controversial issue - the legalization of drugs - offering real insight into the current political debate. Sweeping in scope and lavishly written, Hep-Cats, Narcs, and Pipe Dreams is an intriguing blend of social history and investigative reportage. Jill Jonnes has given us an extraordinary accomplishment that richly illuminates our culture and sets a brilliant new standard for historical narrative.