The notorious corner of West Fayette and Monroe Streets in Baltimore is a 24-hour open-air drug market that provides the economic fuel for a dying neighbourhood. 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 USA and unflinchingly assess why law enforcement policies, moral crusades and the welfare system have accomplished so little.

'A staggering depiction of broken urban hearts of America. . . This is reportage of the highest order.' Irish Times

The notorious corner of West Fayette and Monroe Streets in Baltimore is a 24-hour open-air drug market that provides the economic fuel for a dying neighbourhood. Through the eyes of one broken family - two drug-addicted adults and their smart, vulnerable 15-year-old son, DeAndre McCullough - Simon and Burns examine the sinister
realities of inner cities across the USA and unflinchingly assess why law enforcement policies, moral crusades and the welfare system have accomplished so little.

'If The Wire has given you Baltimore fever, read this chunky, streetwise, drug-littered piece of reportage by the hard-hitting show's creators.' The Times

'An amazingly clear-sighted yet sympathetic portrait of the American underclass.' ***** Daily Telegraph

'As thrilling and intense as any psycho-drama . . . this engrossing slice of social journalism is a tour de force that manages to humanise its subjects without exploiting them.' Big Issue

'A profoundly moving and intelligent piece of social history.' Time Out

A brutal critique of America's failed war on drugs, the equality of Simon and Burns's insights matched by a hardboiled lyricism. This is journalism as art