The Corner
A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood
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The Corner
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Narrated by:
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Dion Graham
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David Simon
About this listen
The crime-infested intersection of West Fayette and Monroe Streets is well-known - and cautiously avoided - by most of Baltimore. But this notorious corner's 24-hour open-air drug market provides the economic fuel for a dying neighborhood. David Simon, an award-winning author and crime reporter, and Edward Burns, a 20-year veteran of the urban drug war, tell the chilling story of this desolate crossroad.
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 country and unflinchingly assess why law-enforcement policies, moral crusades, and the welfare system have accomplished so little. This extraordinary book is a crucial look at the price of the drug culture and the poignant scenes of hope, caring, and love that astonishingly rise in the midst of a place America has abandoned.
©1998 David Simon and Edward Burns (P)2020 Random House AudioListeners also enjoyed...
Critic reviews
"The Corner is an intimate, intense dispatch from the broken heart of urban America. It is impossible to read these pages and not feel stunned at the high price, in human potential, in thwarted aspirations, that simple survival on the streets of West Baltimore demands of its citizens. An important document, as devastating as it is lucid." (Richard Price, author of Clockers)
"The Corner is a remarkable book - very tough, very demanding, very rewarding. Some of it is brutal and all of it is heartbreaking. As a reporter, I can only stand back and admire David Simon and Edward Burns for an amazing piece of reportage. To be there for an entire year, to make sense of random events and a list of characters long enough to make Charles Dickens envious, and to write coherently - it's a breathtaking achievement. And they manage to make West Baltimore as much a character as any of the flesh-and-blood people in the book." (Glenn Frankel, author of Beyond the Promised Land)
"If you want to understand street-corner life in the inner city, you should read The Corner, an amazingly intimate, detailed work of reporting that makes human and vivid a world that outsiders ordinarily are forced to learn about through statistics, sound bites, and stereotypes." (Nicholas Lemann, author of The Promised Land)
What listeners say about The Corner
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Danny
- 07-11-20
best narrator
best narrator I've ever heard, honestly brilliant. really enjoyed the story as well. highly recommend
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2 people found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 03-02-23
Simply, brilliant.
Heart breaking at times. Uplifting also. This book will pull at your emotions, a modern classic
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Eamon
- 21-04-22
Fantastic
A brilliant story
Well read and written and very gripping
I d highly recommend it
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- T Grist
- 26-12-20
Amazing. The Wire before The Wire.
In all my time as an Audible listener despite loving many of the books I've listened to this one deserves a special mention.
As a massive fan of The Wire I typed in Ed Burns or David Simon into the search bar on a whim. I was not expecting to find The Wire but was elated to find this. It is wonderfully written and narrated with love and attention to detail.
This book deserves more reviews. It deserves more listeners and if I can encourage one person then I will be happy. You won't be disappointed. It is a masterpiece and I adored it. As a UK white male my chances of exploring Baltimore in the streets and corners written about here and staying alive are slim but this is as good as being there. Probably better because I don't have to live that way. I was an alcoholic for a long time so I have addiction in my genes. I'd have died young if I was born there. I nearly died in Cornwall England 17 years ago. Get this and enjoy x Thanks to David and Ed and the narrator. Stars every one.
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9 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- M. E. Smith
- 16-09-22
A great audio book for fans of the wire and homicide life on the street
Having read homicide “a year on the killing streets of Baltimore” and the wire I knew this would be good and it was all this and more. A great book but more than this a great audio book with a stand out performance by the narrator. Thoroughly recommend
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- darius ley
- 15-12-23
Outstanding account
The Narrator reads the story so we'll you feel you are there. You can see each person's mind going through their plans before they take action, an amazing account of the inner city drug trade from 90s Bmore.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Thomas John Carlisle
- 09-06-22
Outstanding and unmissable
An absolutely incredible piece of work, a kind of slow motion tragedy: profound, thoughtful, emotionally devastating, beautifully read. What Simon and Burns have crafted here is simply one of the greatest pieces of reportage ever, and it deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Steinbeck's THE GRAPES OF WRATH. These are deep, rich true stories, told with empathy and warmth, and the kind of literary verve that's lacking in a lot of modern non-fiction. I can't recommend it enough: it's honestly one of the best audiobooks I've ever had the pleasure to listen to.
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- g redding
- 10-06-22
Exceptional journalism
Exceptional journalism and an honest view of how drugs affect society and how individuals and groups react to it. Very well narrated.
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- M.P
- 12-05-22
Quite simply a masterpiece
A friend recommended me this book and I decided to listen to the audio book. I’m so glad I did, not only is the story and writing so compelling, the performance is a total masterclass in how to make something grab you and not let go. Heartbreaking and compelling in equal measure with a just enough hope for what seems like a lost cause.
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- MR HASIT SAVANI
- 07-10-22
An emotional rollercoaster
I felt I had to write a review for this audiobook. For any fans of The Wire, it takes you on a similar, raw journey through the lives of people residing in a West Baltimore neighbourhood. The authors have done a masterful job of humanising these people and giving a very frank and informative glimpse into their world.
An impactful and brilliant book. Absolutely flawless storytelling!
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