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Iced

By: Ray Shell
Narrated by: James Shippy
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Cornelius Washington is brimming with ambition and talent before his life is torn apart by a crack addiction. Taking the form of a diary and written in an arresting stream-of-consciousness style, Iced ponders the gritty realities of Cornelius's present and past upheavals that have led him here. Iced paints a portrait of being Black in America and the ways marginalised communities suffer the consequences of shortsighted political policies. First published in 1993, in the wake of the crack epidemic, Iced mixes the syncopated language of the streets with poetry from the heart to take the reader deep into the horrifying world of addiction. Iced paints a portrait of being Black in America and the ways marginalised communities suffer the consequences of shortsighted political policies. First published in 1993, in the wake of the crack epidemic, Iced mixes the syncopated language of the streets with poetry from the heart to take the reader deep into the horrifying world of addiction. African American Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Urban Heartfelt
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Critic reviews

This book is a powerhouse . . . the man writes beautifully . . . the story is heartbreaking (MAYA ANGELOU)
Extraordinary - a modern American tragedy, sharply told. Brilliant (LENNY HENRY)
A brilliantly written book about somebody's battle with addiction, and it was really useful for me into the sort of mindset of somebody that doesn't want to be taking drugs but can't stop (EWAN McGREGOR)
Its first-person narrative is energised by the power of the speaking voice, which expresses itself in a jagged, syncopated style reminiscent of a rap monologue . . . It's difficult to put down, even during its most violent moments
An unconventional, powerful, funny, even important, first novel . . . it is a fully imagined fiction . . . above all, because of Cornelius' original and authentic voice
I love this book. It's everything a novel about this experience should be (IRVINE WELSH)
Shell's writing is frighteningly compelling
A modern-day tragedy that explores a modern-day ill - a chilling novel
A tour de force . . . brilliant, just brilliant (LEE DANIELS)
This is a tour de force, make no mistake about it . . . The strength of Shell's writing is his ability to pull you into a terrifying, funny, immensely sad and exciting world
All stars
Most relevant
I originally read this book in the 90's and several times since, brilliant writing

brilliant

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