Blak

March 14, 2003 12:03 PM

This is Blak. A 31-year-old novelist and former drug dealer, Yanier Moore told his story to NPR and award winning radio producer David Isay, who created "Ghetto Life 101" ten years ago. The first story to pull my attention from impending war in weeks...and inspiring too.
posted by serafinapekkala (7 comments total)

The first link has a RealAudio clip as well, it's riveting (though violent -- on NPR yesterday they warned that young children should not listen to it...so, maybe NSFW?).
posted by serafinapekkala at 12:07 PM on March 14, 2003

I listened to this on my way home from work yesterday... rough stuff. I was a bit stunned after it was over. With all the talk about war, it's easy to forget that there are parts of our own country that are worse than anything you ever heard of in the third world.
posted by RylandDotNet at 12:25 PM on March 14, 2003

rough stuff

yes...but the parts where he talks about escaping through reading were very moving...imagine reading "The Hobbit" in a ghetto playground as a homeless orphan...he "shoplifted" books from the local library! unreal.

parts of our own country

very true. tomorrow i'll be holding a protest sign reading, "Nation Building Begins At Home."
posted by serafinapekkala at 12:39 PM on March 14, 2003

Amazing.

Thank you, serafinapekkala...thank you.
posted by Dunvegan at 12:56 AM on March 15, 2003

oh, i thought i should add that i really liked this link too. thanks serafinapekkala. (boy, that's a lot of letters; i hope i got them all in the right order).
posted by fishfucker at 2:34 PM on March 15, 2003

I ran home and added his book to my Amazon queue site without even bothering to read the excerpt. The radio story alone was compelling enough that I felt like I owed him my money just for being able to listen (and I'm always sending my local NPR station money, so it's not just the "I'm not a member but should be guilt").
posted by togdon at 3:51 PM on March 15, 2003

Great read, im glad to be seeing excellent posts recently.
posted by Keyser Soze at 3:59 PM on March 15, 2003