The Year of Dangerous Days: Riots, Refugees, and Cocaine in Miami 1980

(Hardback)

Available Formats

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

In the tradition of The Wire, the harrowing story of the cinematic transformation of Miami, one of Americas most bustling citiesrife with a drug epidemic, a burgeoning refugee crisis, and police brutalityfrom journalist and award-winning author Nicholas Griffin

Miami, Florida, famed for its blue skies and sandy beaches, is one of the worlds 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 a fascinating chronicle of a pivotal but forgotten year in American history. 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, theres 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 Ferr, 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 explodes in 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 Ferr 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 Miamipartially built on corruption and drug moneywill have severe ramifications for the rest of the country.

Deeply researched 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 re-creation story of one of Americas most iconic cities.

Reviews

"There is never a dull moment inThe YearofDangerous Days,andGriffinadroitly captures the intrigue and depravityofSouth Florida at the time...Its impossible to readGriffins timely and searing account without thinking about its implications for our current momentoneofmounting social unrest over immigration and racism."
NewYorkTimes BookReview

"[Griffin]examines the relationships between the disastrous events that would challenge and eventually shape the direction of [Miami's] future...The investigation offers warnings for a nation still roiled by a drug epidemic, the struggle to manage immigration, and deeply entrenched systemic racism and police brutality."
Rolling Stone

"Nicholas Griffins cinematic and infinitely readable accountofMiamisannus horribilisof1980 demonstrates that what does not kill our cities may end up making them stronger. This is a vivid taleofhow a confluenceofurban disasters actually helped Miami become the dynamic international city it is today."
GaryKrist,New York TimesBestselling AuthorofThe Mirage Factory,EmpireofSin, andCityofScoundrels

TheYearofDangerousDaysis remarkable. It sinks you into a time and a place while surrounding you with an irresistible castofcharacters, from Fidel Castro to the unforgettable cop reporter, Edna Buchanan. Drug cartels, race riots, Cuban refugeesthis book has it all. Combining Florida noir with a literary sensibility makes Griffin's story both rollicking and profound.
Jonathan Mahler, bestselling authorofLadies and Gentlemen, the Bronx is Burning, aNew York TimesNotable BookoftheYear

This is the workofa master storyteller, let loose on oneofthe most vivid and revealing chapters in American history. Like Erik LarsonsDevil in the White City, Nicholas Griffin seizes you with his first technicolor sentences and never lets you go. Engrossing, morally serious, and artful in the best ways.
Evan Osnos, authorofAgeofAmbition: Chasing Fortune, Truth and Faith in the New China, winnerofthe National Book Award and finalist for the Pulitzer Prize

"Miami-based journalist Griffin employs his trade with gusto in this deeply investigated accountofreal American carnage at the heightofthe drug war...Griffins engrossing useofprimary sources and cogent analysesofhow all the pieces fit together results in a propulsive story about thedangerousways people learn to live together...An engrossing, peek-between-your-fingers historyofan America city on the edge."
Kirkus Reviews

"In this cinematic chronicle, journalist Griffinexamines 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...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."
Publishers Weekly

"Nicholas Griffin [is]a marvelous writer of nonfiction...The Year of Dangerous Days: Riots, Refugees and Cocaine in Miami 1980, is a well-written narrative of the events of that transformative year."
New York Journal of Books

"Griffins narrative comes across like a gripping crime drama rather than a staid retrospective...This is an excellent read for those wondering if the present-day dystopia has existed beforeand how we can emerge from it."
The Free Lance-Star

"Miami remains one of the continents most fascinating cities, and anyone wishing to understand how it got that way, and the persistent social divides that have shaped it, should read Griffins captivating account."
CrimeReads, Best True Crime Books of 2020

Author Bio

Nicholas Griffin is a journalist and author of four novels and three works of nonfiction. His writing has appeared in The Times (London), the Financial Times, and Foreign Policy, among other publications. His book Ping-Pong Diplomacy was shortlisted for the PEN/ESPN Award for Literary Sports Writing. He lives in Miami with his wife and two children.