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Land of opportunity: one family's quest for the American dream in the age of crack
Attempting to explain why crime is a career choice in areas with few opportunities, the author examines the case of Billy Joe Chambers and his brothers, who ran a complex, multimillion-dollar crack cocaine operation in Detroit. 25,000 first printing. Tour.
415 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 1995
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 2, 2014
This book was a completely accidental find. I checked out Adler's second book, a biography of labor organizer Joe Hill, from the library. I didn't find it that interesting but the title and subject of this book, published in 1996, sounded really interesting. As another review noted, it is an incredible read, covering much history of the Arkansas Delta area under Jim Crow and after. Though Adler makes clear that "after" was much later in Marianna, Arkansas, which remained segregated through the 1980's and may still be in practice today. It's not possible to understand the Chambers brothers without understanding where they came from, what shaped them, and what they were fleeing from by going to Detroit.
Adler becomes interested in the story of the Chambers brothers and their family by reading a four part series in the New York Times published in 1988 shortly after the trial of the brothers ended. It was written by Isabel Wilkerson, who went on to write the powerful Warmth of Other Suns, the Epic story of America's Great Migration in 2010. This was a serendipitous connection for me because reading Wilkerson's book spurred me on to read much more about Jim Crow, the Mississippi Delta and more.
I am nearly finished with this book and I can say that I will never look at people who "choose" to make their living selling "illegal" drugs the same. Adler makes the point very clear; the "choice" to be part of the huge, underground economy that is the production, distribution and sale of drugs such as cocaine and meth is a very rational choice for people who do not have a lot of other options. I have not quite finished the book yet but at one point I found myself wondering whether or not he was ever going to address the question of "morality" or "ethics". I wondered if he had ever, in his extensive interviews with BJ Chambers and his brother Larry, asked them if they had questioned the "ethics" of their selling crack to their own community. But then I realized; does anyone ever ask the CEO's of say Coca Cola, or the Tobacco companies, or the Pharmaceuticals companies-and a long list of others-about the ethics of THEIR products-I don't think so, and it would be considered "rude" or inappropriate if they did. The Chambers Brothers, like all good businessmen, were simply committed to providing a good product at a fair price to their customers and making as much money as they could for themselves, while providing a good living for their staff.
They were not concerned about the rest of it though they did not use hard drugs themselves and frowned on their employees using them because it wasn't good for business.
While there was some violence involved in maintaining "order", particularly on Larry Chambers part, the 1980's drug kings were lightweights compared to what is going on today. As some have observed, the dismantling of the drug empires and their leaders of that era paved the way for the fracturing of the business and the development of different gangs competing for turf in ways that were unimaginable. Crack has also been displaced by Meth, which does not require cocaine as it's base and can be made by anyone. That changed the whole game as well.
Adler becomes interested in the story of the Chambers brothers and their family by reading a four part series in the New York Times published in 1988 shortly after the trial of the brothers ended. It was written by Isabel Wilkerson, who went on to write the powerful Warmth of Other Suns, the Epic story of America's Great Migration in 2010. This was a serendipitous connection for me because reading Wilkerson's book spurred me on to read much more about Jim Crow, the Mississippi Delta and more.
I am nearly finished with this book and I can say that I will never look at people who "choose" to make their living selling "illegal" drugs the same. Adler makes the point very clear; the "choice" to be part of the huge, underground economy that is the production, distribution and sale of drugs such as cocaine and meth is a very rational choice for people who do not have a lot of other options. I have not quite finished the book yet but at one point I found myself wondering whether or not he was ever going to address the question of "morality" or "ethics". I wondered if he had ever, in his extensive interviews with BJ Chambers and his brother Larry, asked them if they had questioned the "ethics" of their selling crack to their own community. But then I realized; does anyone ever ask the CEO's of say Coca Cola, or the Tobacco companies, or the Pharmaceuticals companies-and a long list of others-about the ethics of THEIR products-I don't think so, and it would be considered "rude" or inappropriate if they did. The Chambers Brothers, like all good businessmen, were simply committed to providing a good product at a fair price to their customers and making as much money as they could for themselves, while providing a good living for their staff.
They were not concerned about the rest of it though they did not use hard drugs themselves and frowned on their employees using them because it wasn't good for business.
While there was some violence involved in maintaining "order", particularly on Larry Chambers part, the 1980's drug kings were lightweights compared to what is going on today. As some have observed, the dismantling of the drug empires and their leaders of that era paved the way for the fracturing of the business and the development of different gangs competing for turf in ways that were unimaginable. Crack has also been displaced by Meth, which does not require cocaine as it's base and can be made by anyone. That changed the whole game as well.
January 7, 2012
Adler's Land of Opportunity is an astonishing piece of journalism, disguised as an incredible narrative. It's easy to see, once he puts the pieces together, how the earliest crack kingpins can be seen sympathetically.
He also sources all of his material in exhausting detail at the end of the book, putting it a step above similar offerings from celeb journalists. Adler writes for magazines as well, and he's taken the long-form news feature style and applied it brilliantly to this tale.
He also sources all of his material in exhausting detail at the end of the book, putting it a step above similar offerings from celeb journalists. Adler writes for magazines as well, and he's taken the long-form news feature style and applied it brilliantly to this tale.
November 20, 2025
This author spent A LOT of time researching this story. As a Detroiter, it was fascinating to hear about what was happening right under my nose during the time I gave birth to my daughter and took care of/buried my father! I was completely ignorant that folks were making $250,000 per day moving crack. What an enterprise!
You kinda feel bad for these Chambers boys - what recourse did they have, growing up in the segregated Delta, with inferior schooling and a wild mom!
Amazing to see what time has done to BJ - I guess aging does a lot to calm down criminal instincts.
You kinda feel bad for these Chambers boys - what recourse did they have, growing up in the segregated Delta, with inferior schooling and a wild mom!
Amazing to see what time has done to BJ - I guess aging does a lot to calm down criminal instincts.
June 29, 2024
I didn’t appreciate the focus on police involvement.
July 28, 2025
One of my favorite books about Detroit.
August 2, 2016
This is a well-written and incredibly comprehensive account of the rise and rise of crack-cocaine in the US, and the journey of one family from rags to riches on the backs of the industry. It is easy to read, and is told almost like a novel - with comedy, tragedy, and borderline stories that show how truth really is stranger than fiction. However, it is too exhaustive for me, and all the details of every family member's life story was wearing me down.
Most illuminating was the chapter on the history of crack, and how a combination of industrial decline combined with the US policy to drive Marijuana from Mexico inadvertently led to the development of today's drug cartels and distribution network in Columbia, as well as the creation of the drug itself.
Most illuminating was the chapter on the history of crack, and how a combination of industrial decline combined with the US policy to drive Marijuana from Mexico inadvertently led to the development of today's drug cartels and distribution network in Columbia, as well as the creation of the drug itself.
October 3, 2015
Excellent narrative of the rise of the Chambers brothers and the introduction of crack into Detroit in the 1980s. Alder does an fine job of explaining the backstory not only of the family's roots, but the area they grew up and the cultural and social histories. Against this backdrop, it makes things easier for the reader to understand the rationale. At times the author does seem to justify their behaviors, but it is fleeting. What is most noteworthy is the precision in which the "empire" is constructed and maintained. Many similarities to big business and industry. Enjoyable book even if there were a lot of players in the story.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews