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A review by curiously_curly
The Cook Up: A Crack Rock Memoir by D. Watkins
4.0
The Lowdown: Dwight "Dee" Watkins tells a harrowing tale of his life as a drug dealer on the streets of East Baltimore in the aftermath of his brother "Bip's" death.
The Good:This book was gritty, visceral and real. Watkins minces no words as he describes the drug life, the murders, the flashy lifestyle, the strip clubs, the grinding poverty. The portrayal of East Baltimore is a sad reality and testament to the devastating effects of housing segregation, crack cocaine, economic depression, strict federal drug sentencing guidelines, failing schools and overall lack of resources that plague many predominately black and brown communities.
The Bad: While [b:The Cook Up: A Crack Rock Memoir|27416063|The Cook Up A Crack Rock Memoir|D. Watkins|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1456091202s/27416063.jpg|47465150] is marketed as a memoir to me, as a reader, it felt much more like a collection of short stories and vignettes. Most of the writing came across as a bit disjointed e.g. Watkins would be describing how he and his drug crew were hanging in the cut, drinking, smoking weed or breaking down bricks and then the next minute Watkins would be at the strip club or buying a new whip.
I was also disappointed the author didn't delve deeper into his life after the streets. He mentions briefly in the very last pages of the book that he wants to be a teacher in E. Baltimore and, to my surprise and delight, I find in his duskjacket bio that he went on to earn two master's degrees and is a professor at University of Baltimore! A few chapters on his transformation from drug dealer to college professor would have been compelling.
Also, my Kindle edition was fairly rife with errors. Small grammatical errors that any good editor worth his or her salt would've caught. Not sure if the print edition has the same problems.
You should read this if:
-You're a fan of The Wire, David Simon's [b:Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets|18956|Homicide A Year on the Killing Streets|David Simon|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1432402772s/18956.jpg|3187942] or [b:The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood|18957|The Corner A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood|David Simon|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388202800s/18957.jpg|20297] (all of these are great, btw)
-You like when a memoir "keeps it one hunnit" and doesn't gloss over harsh realities
Don't even bother if:
-You can't handle Ebonics or what I like to call "urban patois" or heavy slang and find this type of stylistic writing distracting. I think one reviewer said something to the effect of she felt like she was in the room or on the corner with "these people." (eye roll...that was the whole point). So if you have to look up what "sherm," or "yak," mean in the Urban Dictionary and find this too taxing...don't bother.
Overall, a 3.5 star read. Disjointed in some places but a quick yet disturbing look into the reality of life in East Baltimore.
The Good:This book was gritty, visceral and real. Watkins minces no words as he describes the drug life, the murders, the flashy lifestyle, the strip clubs, the grinding poverty. The portrayal of East Baltimore is a sad reality and testament to the devastating effects of housing segregation, crack cocaine, economic depression, strict federal drug sentencing guidelines, failing schools and overall lack of resources that plague many predominately black and brown communities.
The Bad: While [b:The Cook Up: A Crack Rock Memoir|27416063|The Cook Up A Crack Rock Memoir|D. Watkins|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1456091202s/27416063.jpg|47465150] is marketed as a memoir to me, as a reader, it felt much more like a collection of short stories and vignettes. Most of the writing came across as a bit disjointed e.g. Watkins would be describing how he and his drug crew were hanging in the cut, drinking, smoking weed or breaking down bricks and then the next minute Watkins would be at the strip club or buying a new whip.
I was also disappointed the author didn't delve deeper into his life after the streets. He mentions briefly in the very last pages of the book that he wants to be a teacher in E. Baltimore and, to my surprise and delight, I find in his duskjacket bio that he went on to earn two master's degrees and is a professor at University of Baltimore! A few chapters on his transformation from drug dealer to college professor would have been compelling.
Also, my Kindle edition was fairly rife with errors. Small grammatical errors that any good editor worth his or her salt would've caught. Not sure if the print edition has the same problems.
You should read this if:
-You're a fan of The Wire, David Simon's [b:Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets|18956|Homicide A Year on the Killing Streets|David Simon|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1432402772s/18956.jpg|3187942] or [b:The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood|18957|The Corner A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood|David Simon|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388202800s/18957.jpg|20297] (all of these are great, btw)
-You like when a memoir "keeps it one hunnit" and doesn't gloss over harsh realities
Don't even bother if:
-You can't handle Ebonics or what I like to call "urban patois" or heavy slang and find this type of stylistic writing distracting. I think one reviewer said something to the effect of she felt like she was in the room or on the corner with "these people." (eye roll...that was the whole point). So if you have to look up what "sherm," or "yak," mean in the Urban Dictionary and find this too taxing...don't bother.
Overall, a 3.5 star read. Disjointed in some places but a quick yet disturbing look into the reality of life in East Baltimore.