Numbers, a Book by Dana Dane And Presented By Nikki Turner
By Mel Fabrikant Wednesday, April 08, 2009, 05:02 PM EDT
Written about a black community in Brooklyn, Dupree 'Numbers' Reginald Wallace graduates from running numbers to gambling and then to drugs. These ventures eventually take him to Virginia Beach where he reverts back to his drug dealings.
Easy to read, easy to follow, we watch Numbers grow from a young child to a seasoned veteran of The Hood. He has an uncanny memory for numbers of all kinds, thus the sobriquet 'Numbers' Gradually he expands his operation until he is given a drug route covering a section of a park. To maintain this, he accumulates a crew and money just keeps pouring in.
It's only natural that as the wealth accumulates so do the problems and responsibilities. Numbers becomes controversial and his antagonists seek revenge. By a freak of happenstance, his crew member and lover is killed because she was doing Numbers a favor by picking up his wife from a school course. A drive by shootout occurs and his lover, who was driving his car was killed. This affects him deeply.
Grieving, he finally moves his family to Virginia Beach, but realizes that his stash of money will not last forever. At the urging of some cousins, he goes back into the drug trade from Virginia Beach. Necessitating trips back to New York City, Numbers develops a system for transportation that leaves him in the free and clear. This works until the need occurs to import larger amounts.
Once again fate steps in and problems develop that result in lives lost and Numbers getting picked up by the police. Wary of the setup, Numbers came out without a problem. He learned that his best friend and trusted lieutenant had been involved in double dealing. This episode cost Numbers about a million dollars.
Once again, Numbers moved further south, but swore to revenge the treachery.
The book, A One World Books Trade paperback original, an imprint of The Random House Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc.
Easy to read, easy to follow, we watch Numbers grow from a young child to a seasoned veteran of The Hood. He has an uncanny memory for numbers of all kinds, thus the sobriquet 'Numbers' Gradually he expands his operation until he is given a drug route covering a section of a park. To maintain this, he accumulates a crew and money just keeps pouring in.
It's only natural that as the wealth accumulates so do the problems and responsibilities. Numbers becomes controversial and his antagonists seek revenge. By a freak of happenstance, his crew member and lover is killed because she was doing Numbers a favor by picking up his wife from a school course. A drive by shootout occurs and his lover, who was driving his car was killed. This affects him deeply.
Grieving, he finally moves his family to Virginia Beach, but realizes that his stash of money will not last forever. At the urging of some cousins, he goes back into the drug trade from Virginia Beach. Necessitating trips back to New York City, Numbers develops a system for transportation that leaves him in the free and clear. This works until the need occurs to import larger amounts.
Once again fate steps in and problems develop that result in lives lost and Numbers getting picked up by the police. Wary of the setup, Numbers came out without a problem. He learned that his best friend and trusted lieutenant had been involved in double dealing. This episode cost Numbers about a million dollars.
Once again, Numbers moved further south, but swore to revenge the treachery.
The book, A One World Books Trade paperback original, an imprint of The Random House Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc.
