Slipping: A Novel
Moore gives some humanity to the crack epidemic. Donald Haskell is a 17-year-old kid who chooses hanging out with his friends and smoking weed over going to school. His mother is a Chicago police officer, and his 19-year-old sister, Rhonda, is a college student. At four years old, Don-Don found his father on the roof after his having committed suicide. His mother has tried to keep the family together, but it has not been easy. From shooting basketball to pool, Don-Don has always been a silver-tongued hustler. He meets his match when the smooth-talking Juanita convinces him to lace marijuana with crack. Overnight, their drug use is a full-blown addiction that has him isolated from his family and alienated from his friends. He resorts to unthinkable measures to get money for drugs because he knows the moment the drugs run out, so will Juanita. His dangerous and criminal behavior spirals out of control and eventually his actions cause deadly consequences for those he loves. A sad cautionary tale about an ugly urban epidemic.Lillian LewisCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved