Mark Fainaru-Wada

Lance Williams

Chronicles the 2004 federal investigation that led to the exposure of performance-enhancing drug use by some of the nation's most famous baseball athletes, documenting how self-proclaimed nutritionist Victor Conte penetrated top levels of professional sports by exploiting corrupt practices. 100,000 first printing.

Barry Bonds, BALCO, and the Steroids Scandal that Rocked Professional Sports

Game of Shadows

"In Chicago in mid-twentieth century amid the haze and smoke of urban renewal and the sounds of the wrecking balls and bulldozers, there lived two men, both street-savvy, one Black, one Irish, one young, one old and both leaders of their clans. Each ruled with an iron fist. Each embodied the fighting spirit of the turbulent 1960s. One was David Barksdale, the Black Disciples leader, a Black youth club that would give birth to America's largest street gang; the other was Richard J. Daley, the legendary Mayor of the City of Chicago. He was one of the longest-serving, most prominent mayors in American history and the last of the big-city "bosses." Although the two never met, at least not face-to-face, their fates were linked by a time of change, an era of protest, which was a decisive moment of transformational power that was on the verge of a violent uprising in America's second-largest city"--

The Black Disciples, Mayor Daley, and Chicago on the Edge

King David and Boss Daley

Natalie Y. Moore

In gangster lore, the Almighty Black P Stone Nation stands out among the most notorious of street gangs. Louis Farrakhan hired the Blackstone Rangers as his Angels of Death. Fifteen years before 9/11, the U.S. government accused the Stones of plotting domestic terrorist acts with Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi. And currently, founding member Jeff Fort is serving a triple life sentence at the only U.S. federal supermax prison Were the Stones criminals, brainwashed terrorists, victims of their circumstances, or champions of social change? Or were they all of these, their role perceived differently by different races and socioeconomic groups? Authors Natalie Y. Moore and Lance Williams answer these and other questions in this provocative tale that explores how teens from a poverty-stricken Chicago neighborhood built a powerful organization that united 21 individual gangs into a virtual nation With a colorful cast of characters, from white liberal do-gooders, vocal black nationalists, and hardworking community organizers to the members of the Nation of Islam and overzealous law enforcement officers, The Almighty Black P Stone Nation details how the U.S. government funded the gang with money during the War on Poverty; how law enforcement used the gang to gain headlines and increase its own funding during the War on Drugs; and how federal prosecutors successfully argued that leader Fort masterminded a deal for $2.5 million to commit acts of terrorism in the United States on behalf of Libya, setting the stage for prosecutors to link U.S. street gangs to terrorists from Arab states A fascinating look inside the evolution of a gang that went from street-corner teens to convicted terrorists, The Almighty Black P Stone Nation is not only an exciting story but also a timely look at urban crime and violence, an exploration of how and why gangs flourish, and an expose of the way in which minority crime is targeted in the community, reported in the media, and prosecuted in the courts.

The Rise, Fall, and Resurgence of an American Gang

The Almighty Black P Stone Nation

This expos� investigates the evolution of the Almighty Black P Stone Nation, a motley group of poverty-stricken teens transformed into a dominant gang accused of terroristic intentions. Interwoven into the narrative is the dynamic influence of leader Jeff Fort, who--despite his flamboyance and high visibility--instilled a rigid structure and discipline that afforded the young men a refuge and a sense of purpose in an often hopeless community. Details of how the Nation procured government funding for gang-related projects during the War on Poverty era and fueled bonuses and job security for law enforcement, and how Fort, in particular, masterminded a deal for $2.5 million to commit acts of terrorism in the United States on behalf of Libya are also revealed. In examining whether the Black P Stone Nation was a group of criminals, brainwashed terrorists, victims of their circumstances, or champions of social change, this social history provides an exploration of how and why gangs flourish and insight into the way in which minority crime is targeted in the community, reported in the media, and prosecuted in the courts.

Lance Williams

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