S Street Rising: Crack, Murder, and Redemption in D.C. Hardcover – July 1, 2014

The author's account of this time period in DC history rips the scab off the wounds created by the monstrous world that was the drug environment in DC then. The last straw was chronicled in his accounting of the murder in the police headquarters of the FBI Agents and a Police Sergeant. The City finally had had enough. Mr. Castaneda is brutally honest and almost casual in his account of his own struggles which brings his first hand witnessing of the whole story to the street level like a gritty crime novel. Many families paid a dear price for the progress that eventually came to DC. Mr. Castaneda pulls that pain out into the open. Hopefully, his story will inspire and remind us what is at stake when demons run wild and unchecked.

One of the best chronicles of the most turbulent years in Washington D.C. history. A truly powerful story, Castaneda tells the reader all that he personally experienced as a crack addict during the 80's. He spares no experience whether sharing the intimate use of drugs, the violence he saw or experienced, or the pain of withdraw and trying to get clean. He intermixes his story with those of a number others battling to change the culture of drugs and violence. The three main stories he intermixes throughout the book; his own, a preacher, and a cop, provide a number of different perspectives to the reader of the drug problem. I highly encourage this read to anyone interested in the recent history of Washington D.C. or interested in a first hand account of the crack cocaine epidemic.

S Street Rising is an exceptional book. Former Washington Post reporter, Ruben Castaneda, has made a major contribution to the understanding of cocaine addiction through his compelling and courageous account of his own bout with addiction to the drug. A gifted story teller, Castaneda weaves a riveting tale as he relates some of the more sordid Washington D.C. history that he covered while at the Washington Post, such as political woes of Mayor Marion Barry after being caught red-handed using cocaine and the downfall of ruthless Chief Larry Soulsby.Casteneda intertwines the story of the creation of the New Covenant Church that grew out of the rubble of S Street and became a beacon of light to the community with its outreach and social programs into the underworld of prostitutes and drug dealing. S Street Rising should be required reading in high schools given the frank openness with which Reuben Casteneda discusses how easily a person can become addicted to crack and the havoc the addiction wreaks on both the addict and those around him.

I have lived in DC since 1975 and boy was this an interesting trip down memory lane. Now, if you visit the gentrified neighborhoods surrounding S and 7th street, it's hard to believe that area was once the site of such a brazen drug market. This is a moving and informative memoir by a Washington Post metro reporter who was down in the thick of the drugs and violence that characterized many neighborhoods in DC in 90s. The author's personal story of addiction and recovery is moving and heartfelt. His insider description of mayoral and police department politics during the years that Marion Barry was busted for crack, then re-elected mayor, revived some bad, bad memories of DC in dark times. This city has come a long way! While anyone who visits Union Market or 14th and U might wonder whether gentrification has been good for all the citizens of DC, at least the murder rate has declined and many of the social problems occasioned by the crack epidemic are alleviated.

Very easy read - quite captivating. I often wondered how someone could become an addict and then function as one. Now I know. The story of his decline, wallowing and ultimate redemption is quite intriguing and can be used as a source of encouragement for those that are struggling with anything - isn't that all of us really - we all have our demons that haunt us. I applaud his courage to tell his story. It is weird to see that while I innocently visited the areas he spoke of in the book to go to school at Howard University and frequent the surrounding area; I'm embarrassed that I was oblivious to exactly what I was really seeing on a regular basis. i looked at the faces of the slingers, the strawberries, the street addicts and the high level dealers but didn't imagine for a moment they each had a story - I just knew their life had a different trajectory than mine. Thanks Mr. Castaneda for sensitizing me to pay more attention to those around me. Keep up the good work of recovery and hopefully more page turning books.

As a resident of Shaw in D.C., where most of S Street Rising takes place, I ordered this book because I think it's important to know the history of where you live--to know how it was and what it's been through. What I didn't expect was such a powerful and deeply personal story of addiction, which is ultimately the most heartbreaking theme throughout. This is the story of a journalist who makes one bad choice which ultimately sets him on a path that most people don't make it down alive. It's a story that's told with self-awareness and self-reflection, but through the lens and with the help of what must have been hundreds of interviews with people whose lives the author indirectly touched for years. It's a reminder that the choices we make in this life don't end with us, they have far-reaching implications.I'd say this is a must-read for District residents old and new. But it's also an important read for anyone interested in the pathology of drug-related violence and drug addiction, as well as journalists or those who work in law enforcement who might be interested in the role that journalism can play in shifting policies and procedures in the criminal justice system.

A fascinating story about the period when crack exploded in America. I was interested from a social history angle but imagine this would also interest people who enjoy crime writing more generally