Long Bright River

Compelling and impossible to put down, this police drama about the opiod crisis, a missing family member, and murder gripped me from page one. Two sisters live in the same neighborhood but lead impossibly different lives. Mickey is a cop, patrolling some of the most crime ridden streets in Philadelphia. Her sister, Kacey, is an addict that has lived on those same streets for over a decade. Even though they haven't spoken in years, the two are aware of each other's presence, until suddenly Kacey disappears without a trace. Around the same time a few women on Mickey's beat are murdered; women like Kacey, addicts who will do anything for a fix. Mickey is immediately on high alert. Even though she doesn't approve of her sister's lifestyle and hasn't talked to her in years; she doesn't want to see Kacey murdered. Alternating between her and her sister's childhood to the present day disappearance of her sister; this book about the bonds of sisterhood, addiction, and the complexities of the police force will capture readers attention. A tour de force!

Cocaine True, Cocaine Blue

Hands down the most compelling and chilling photo documentary I've ever encountered. This images will haunt you. Eugene Richards captures the crack epidemic in three impoverished neighborhoods; Red Hook Housing Project, East New York, and North Philadelphia. The haunting photos of people shooting up, running from cops, sleeping in shacks, working the street, etc. are accompanied by dialogue from addicts, and people living in the neighborhoods. It's profoundly sad, many recount what bright futures they had, friends who were murdered, babies who were lost. It gets you right in the gut. This book forces you to pay attention to this horrific problem that plagues our country and cities.

If the pictures don't capture your attention, the statistics will.

"There were 107 murders, 145 rapes, 3,285 robberies, and 567 felonious assaults in East New York in one year, a population of 160,000."

"The United States accounts for 5% of the world's populations and consumes 50% of the world's cocaine."

"By 1990 in New York City... over 40,000 children were in foster care, approximately 90% of them born to drug using mother."

This book makes you open your eyes to the issue, and after viewing the images, you'll never be able to close them again.