The Year of Dangerous Days
Riots, Refugees, and Cocaine in Miami 1980
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4.6 • 31 Ratings
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
In the tradition of The Wire, the “utterly absorbing” (The New York Times) story of the cinematic transformation of Miami, one of America’s bustling cities—rife with a drug epidemic, a burgeoning refugee crisis, and police brutality—from journalist and award-winning author Nicholas Griffin.
Miami, Florida, famed for its blue skies and sandy beaches, is one of the world’s most popular vacation destinations, with nearly twenty-three million tourists visiting annually. But few people have any idea how this unofficial capital of Latin America came to be.
The Year of Dangerous Days is “an engrossing, peek-between-your-fingers history of an American city on the edge” (Kirkus Reviews). With a cast that includes iconic characters such as Jimmy Carter, Fidel Castro, and Janet Reno, this slice of history is brought to life through intertwining personal stories. At the core, there’s Edna Buchanan, a reporter for the Miami Herald who breaks the story on the wrongful murder of a black man and the shocking police cover-up; Captain Marshall Frank, the hardboiled homicide detective tasked with investigating the murder; and Mayor Maurice Ferré, the charismatic politician who watches the case, and the city, fall apart.
On a roller coaster of national politics and international diplomacy, these three figures cross paths as their city explores one of the worst race riots in American history as more than 120,000 Cuban refugees land south of Miami, and as drug cartels flood the city with cocaine and infiltrate all levels of law enforcement. In a battle of wills, Buchanan has to keep up with the 150 percent murder rate increase; Captain Frank has to scrub and rebuild his homicide bureau; and Mayor Ferré must find a way to reconstruct his smoldering city. Against all odds, they persevere, and a stronger, more vibrant, Miami begins to emerge. But the foundation of this new Miami—partially built on corruption and drug money—will have severe ramifications for the rest of the country.
Deeply researched, “well-written” (New York Journal of Books), and covering many timely issues including police brutality, immigration, and the drug crisis, The Year of Dangerous Days is both a clarion call and a dramatic rebirth story of one of America’s most iconic cities.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this cinematic chronicle, journalist Griffin (Ping Pong Diplomacy) examines how an influx of immigrants, violent race riots, and a cocaine epidemic all collided in Miami in 1980 and led to the radical transformation of the city. Griffin explores these developments through the experiences of Miami Herald reporter Edna Buchanan, who broke the story of the police killing of African-American insurance salesman Arthur McDuffie; homicide bureau captain Marshall Frank, who investigated McDuffie's death while confronting a surging murder rate brought on by cocaine trafficking; and pro-business, socially liberal mayor Maurice Ferr . These three are on the front lines as the acquittal of McDuffie's killers sparks one of 20th century America's worst race riots, the Mariel boatlift brings thousands of Cuban refugees to Miami's shores, and the $7 billion cocaine trade "corrupt everyone from real estate brokers and developers to lawyers, car dealers and detectives." Griffin lucidly describes drug cartel operations, the history of Miami's racial tensions, and investigations that lead to the arrest of the city's biggest money launderer and a crackdown on corrupt banks. Out of this tumultuous year, Griffin contends, Miami emerged a stronger, more cosmopolitan city with a broader economic base. This vivid and well-documented urban history offers hope that crisis can bring about lasting change.
