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The Snakehead

An Epic Tale of the Chinatown Underworld and the American Dream

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The Snakehead

By: Patrick Radden Keefe
Narrated by: Feodor Chin
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About this listen

LONGLISTED FOR THE 2024 CWA GOLD DAGGER FOR NON-FICTION

‘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


In this thrilling story 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 multimillion-dollar business smuggling people.

In The Snakehead, Patrick Radden Keefe reveals the inner workings of Cheng Chui Ping aka 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 undocumented immigrants and the intricate underground economy that sustains and exploits them.

Grand in scope yet propulsive in narrative force, The Snakehead is both a true crime story and a brilliant exploration of the ironies of immigration in America.

‘A powerful piece of reportage about the violent underworld of New York’s Chinatown’ - The Times

©2009 Patrick Radden Keefe (P)2009 Penguin Random House
Emigration & Immigration Freedom & Security Organized Crime Exciting New York
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A masterpiece

Well-written and researched story about organized crime, immigration, and what it ultimately takes to become an American. I highly recommend it.

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Radden Keefe delivers again

Another outstanding and fascinating book by Patrick Radden Keefe. He manages to turn a seemingly dull idea into a page turner

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Gripping non-fiction

Cleverly structured and revelatory, strongly researched with lots of interesting insights. Also suited the audio format perfectly.

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Fascinating story about smugglers and refugees

This story covers the road topic of immigration to the USA from a particular region in China. The story is well crafted and hangs together with the interwoven story of Sister Ping, a quiet but notorious smuggler

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1 person found this helpful