The Dust Off: The House That Crack Built

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Back in the 90s, author Clark Taylor rewrote a nursery rhyme to tell the story of the illegal drug industry. One of those books with the dreaded tagline “valuable resource,” The House That Crack Built is a fascinating artifact of the 1990s drug war.

Recent children’s books about drugs are, well, somewhat less daring in their treatment of the issue.

The House That Crack Built is, of course, an artifact of a different period of time. But given that crack is still building many mansions all over the world, it’s well worth a read for context.

—Daniel Luzer