The Snakehead: An Epic Tale of the Chinatown Underworld and the American Dream

Written by:
Patrick Radden Keefe
Narrated by:
Feodor Chin

Unabridged Audiobook

Ratings
Book
7
Narrator
3
Release Date
July 2009
Duration
12 hours 58 minutes
Summary
In this thrilling panorama of real-life events, the bestselling author of Empire of Pain investigates a secret world run by a surprising criminal: a charismatic middle-aged grandmother, who from a tiny noodle shop in New York’s Chinatown managed a multi-million dollar business smuggling people.

“Reads like a mashup of The Godfather and Chinatown, complete with gun battles, a ruthless kingpin and a mountain of cash. Except that it’s all true.” —Time
 
Keefe reveals the inner workings of Sister Ping’s complex empire and recounts the decade-long FBI investigation that eventually brought her down. He follows an often incompetent and sometimes corrupt INS as it pursues desperate immigrants risking everything to come to America, and along the way, he paints a stunning portrait of a generation of illegal immigrants and the intricate underground economy that sustains and exploits them. Grand in scope yet propulsive in narrative force, The Snakehead is both a kaleidoscopic crime story and a brilliant exploration of the ironies of immigration in America.
Reviews
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Nadine O.

Amazingly well researched account of human trafficking from China to the USA. However, it is the individual tales of courage and entrepreneurship in the face of seemingly unsurmountable odds which are the most fascinating. Another tour de force from PRK.

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