s a former prosecutor with over 36 years prosecuting organized crime, drug trafficking, homicides, sexual batteries, thefts, public corruption, and other assorted crimes, I approached this novel, written by a former federal inmate, with some skepticism. I spent years dealing with the real world consequences of the crimes this novel portrays. I must say, however, that no amount of police, defendant, victim, or witness interactions gave me the level of detail and insight that this novel provided. Trapp Game Flipped is part of a series that portrays the lives of numerous African American criminals, particularly one man named New York Black, a violent, yet philosophical arch crime boss. I found the book’s editing and structure a bit uneven, but its true strength is its authenticity. The story reads less like a conventional novel and more like a combination of fiction and personal testimonial. The author does not shy away from any apsect of the “life.” The characters are coldly violent, profane, sexually obscene, but often wise and reflective. The writer’s lived experience comes through in ways that no amount of research can duplicate. The dialogue, the social codes, and the fascination with expensive clothes ,booze, and cars feel observed rather than imagined. Even when the prose is rough, the voice is real. The central character, a charismatic, violent figure attempting to redirect black youth toward a different mindset is particularly compelling. New York Black’s intelligence. leadership,and revolutionary ideas about flipping the “game” society imposes on African Americans are fascinating, but the human cost of his violent actions are not given equal weight. Victims are abstract and peripheral to the larger notion of committing crime to gather wealth “to flip the game.” As a former prosecutor I hoped to read more about the true emotional cost of violence. I cannot agree with the various characters’ methods or the idea of building a separate African American nation, but I found the black history, the in depth look at inner city life and crime, and the story’s realism and provacative ideas fascinating.
John Perikles –
s a former prosecutor with over 36 years prosecuting organized crime, drug trafficking, homicides, sexual batteries, thefts, public corruption, and other assorted crimes, I approached this novel, written by a former federal inmate, with some skepticism. I spent years dealing with the real world consequences of the crimes this novel portrays. I must say, however, that no amount of police, defendant, victim, or witness interactions gave me the level of detail and insight that this novel provided. Trapp Game Flipped is part of a series that portrays the lives of numerous African American criminals, particularly one man named New York Black, a violent, yet philosophical arch crime boss. I found the book’s editing and structure a bit uneven, but its true strength is its authenticity. The story reads less like a conventional novel and more like a combination of fiction and personal testimonial. The author does not shy away from any apsect of the “life.” The characters are coldly violent, profane, sexually obscene, but often wise and reflective. The writer’s lived experience comes through in ways that no amount of research can duplicate. The dialogue, the social codes, and the fascination with expensive clothes ,booze, and cars feel observed rather than imagined. Even when the prose is rough, the voice is real. The central character, a charismatic, violent figure attempting to redirect black youth toward a different mindset is particularly compelling. New York Black’s intelligence. leadership,and revolutionary ideas about flipping the “game” society imposes on African Americans are fascinating, but the human cost of his violent actions are not given equal weight. Victims are abstract and peripheral to the larger notion of committing crime to gather wealth “to flip the game.” As a former prosecutor I hoped to read more about the true emotional cost of violence. I cannot agree with the various characters’ methods or the idea of building a separate African American nation, but I found the black history, the in depth look at inner city life and crime, and the story’s realism and provacative ideas fascinating.