Snakehead
by Radden, Keefe- Patrick
A mesmerizing narrative about the rise and fall of an unlikely international crime bossIn the 1980s, a wave of Chinese from Fujian province began arriving in America. Like other immigrant groups before them, they showed up with little money but with an intense work ethic and an unshakeable belief in the promise of the United States. Many of them lived in a world outside the law, working in a shadow economy overseen by the ruthless gangs that ruled the narrow streets of New York's Chinatown.The figure who came to dominate this Chinese underworld was a middle-aged grandmother known as Sister Ping. Her path to the American dream began with an unusual business run out of a tiny noodle store on Hester Street. From her perch above the shop, Sister Ping ran a full-service underground bank for illegal Chinese immigrants. But her real business-a business that earned an estimated $40 million-was smuggling people. As a "snakehead," she built a complex--and often vicious--global conglomerate, relying heavily on familial ties, and employing one of Chinatown's most violent gangs to protect her power and profits. Like an underworld CEO, Sister Ping created an intricate smuggling network that stretched from Fujian Province to Hong Kong to Burma to Thailand to Kenya to Guatemala to Mexico. Her ingenuity and drive were awe-inspiring both to the Chinatown community--where she was revered as a homegrown Don Corleone--and to the law enforcement officials who could never quite catch her. Indeed, Sister Ping's empire only came to light in 1993 when the Golden Venture, a ship loaded with 300 undocumented immigrants, ran aground off a Queens beach. It took New York's fabled "Jade Squad" and the FBI nearly ten years to untangle the criminal network and home in on its unusual mastermind.THE SNAKEHEAD is a panoramic tale of international intrigue and a dramatic portrait of the underground economy in which America's twelve million illegal immigrants live. Based on hundreds of interviews, Patrick Radden Keefe's sweeping narrative tells the story not only of Sister Ping, but of the gangland gunslingers who worked for her, the immigration and law enforcement officials who pursued her, and the generation of penniless immigrants who risked death and braved a 17,000 mile odyssey so that they could realize their own version of the American dream. The Snakehead offers an intimate tour of life on the mean streets of Chinatown, a vivid blueprint of organized crime in an age of globalization and a masterful exploration of the ways in which illegal immigration affects us all.www.doubleday.com
Reviews
Review this book!
Available Copies
The Snakehead: An Epic Tale of the Chinatown Underworld and the American Dream
by Patrick Radden Keefe
- Condition
- Used - Good
- Published
- July 2010
- Binding
- Trade Paperback
- ISBN
- 9780307279279
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Caldwell, Idaho, USA
- Item Price
-
$8.00
Show Details
Description:
Anchor, July 2010. Trade Paperback. Used - Good. The Rubaiyat LLC is a small, used bookstore in Caldwell, Idaho. All books are fair to good or better, no library copies unless specifically listed. Item Price
$8.00
More Photos
The Snakehead: An Epic Tale of the Chinatown Underworld and the American Dream
by Keefe, Patrick Radden
- Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Jacket Condition
- Fine
- Edition
- 1st Edition 1st Printing
- Published
- 2009
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN
- 9780385521307
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Rockville, Maryland, USA
- Item Price
-
$75.00
Show Details
Description:
New York: Doubleday, 2009. 1st Edition 1st Printing. Hardcover. Very Good/Fine. This 2009 Doubleday 1st Edition/1st Printing is in VeryGood+/Fine condition. The only evidence that this book was ex-library is the public library stamp on the lower title page and on the blank end paper. Otherwise there are ex-library remnant markings. The Hardback has one minor… Read more about this item Item Price
$75.00
The Snakehead: An Epic Tale of the Chinatown Underworld and the American Dream
by Keefe, Patrick Radden
- Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN
- 9780307279279
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
GORING BY SEA, West Sussex, GBR
- Item Price
-
$9.73
Show Details
Description:
Paperback. Very Good. Item Price
$9.73
The Snakehead: An Epic Tale of the Chinatown Underworld and the American Dream
by Keefe, Patrick Radden
- Condition
- New
- Published
- 2009-07-21
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN
- 9780385521307
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
San Diego, California, USA
- Item Price
-
$96.78
Show Details
Description:
Doubleday, 2009-07-21. Hardcover. New. New. In shrink wrap. Looks like an interesting title! Item Price
$96.78
The Snakehead: An Epic Tale of the Chinatown Underworld and the American Dream
by Keefe, Patrick Radden
- Condition
- New
- Published
- 2010-07-27
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN
- 9780307279279
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Fairfax Station, Virginia, USA
- Item Price
-
$12.13
Show Details
Description:
Anchor, 2010-07-27. Paperback. New. Item Price
$12.13
The Snakehead: An Epic Tale of the Chinatown Underworld and the American Dream
by Keefe, Patrick Radden
- Condition
- Like New
- Published
- 2010-07-27
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN
- 9780307279279
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Fairfax Station, Virginia, USA
- Item Price
-
$12.25
Show Details
Description:
Anchor, 2010-07-27. Paperback. Like New. Item Price
$12.25
The Snakehead : An Epic Tale of the Chinatown Underworld and the American Dream
by Keefe, Patrick Radden
- Condition
- Used - Good
- ISBN
- 9780385521307
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Mishawaka, Indiana, USA
- Item Price
-
$13.42
Show Details
Description:
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Used - Good. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages. Item Price
$13.42
The Snakehead: An Epic Tale of the Chinatown Underworld and the American Dream
by Keefe, Patrick Radden
- Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN
- 9781529099881
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
GORING BY SEA, West Sussex, GBR
- Item Price
-
$12.87
Show Details
Description:
Paperback. Very Good. Item Price
$12.87
The Snakehead: An Epic Tale of the Chinatown Underworld and the American Dream
by Keefe, Patrick Radden
- Condition
- New
- ISBN
- 9780307279279
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Victoria, British Columbia, CAN
- Item Price
-
$18.00
Show Details
Description:
Anchor Books. New. Special order direct from the distributor Item Price
$18.00
The Snakehead
by Keefe, Patrick Radden
- Condition
- Used
- Binding
- Mass Market Paperback
- ISBN
- 9781529099881
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Umea, SWE
- Item Price
-
$23.38
Show Details
Description:
Mass Market Paperback. Publisher: Pan Books Ltd | 2023 | Mass Market Paperback | 421 p. | This book is brand new. | Language: Engelska --- Information regarding the book: '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 … Read more about this item Item Price
$23.38
Snakehead: An Epic Tale of the Chinatown Underworld and the American Dream
by Keefe, Patrick Radden
- Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Published
- 2010
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN
- 9780307279279
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, USA
- Item Price
-
$8.99
Show Details
Description:
New York, NY: Anchor, 2010. Paperback. Very Good. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. 414 pp. Tightly bound. Spine not compromised. Text is free of markings. No ownership markings. Remainder mark (one dot) bottom fore-edge.
Item Price
$8.99
The Snakehead: An Epic Tale of the Chinatown Underworld and the American Dream
by Keefe, Patrick Radden
- Condition
- New
- Published
- 2010
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN
- 9780307279279
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Exeter, Devon, GBR
- Item Price
-
$33.20
Show Details
Description:
Anchor Books, 2010. Paperback. New. 1st edition. 414 pages. 8.00x5.25x1.00 inches. Item Price
$33.20
The Snakehead: An Epic Tale of the Chinatown Underworld and the American Dream
by Keefe, Patrick Radden
- Condition
- Used - Acceptable
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN
- 9781529099881
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
GORING BY SEA, West Sussex, GBR
- Item Price
-
$12.87
Show Details
Description:
Paperback. Acceptable. Item Price
$12.87
The Snakehead: An Epic Tale of the Chinatown Underworld and the American Dream
by Keefe, Patrick Radden
- Condition
- Used - Good
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN
- 9781529099881
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
GORING BY SEA, West Sussex, GBR
- Item Price
-
$12.87
Show Details
Description:
Paperback. Good. Item Price
$12.87
The Snakehead
by Patrick Radden Keefe
- Condition
- Used - Fair
- Published
- 2009
- Binding
- Trade Paperback
- ISBN
- 9780307279279
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Riverview, New Brunswick, CAN
- Item Price
-
$12.60
Show Details
Description:
Anchor Books, 2009. Trade Paperback. Fair. Item Price
$12.60
The Snakehead: An Epic Tale of the Chinatown Underworld and the American Dream
by Keefe, Patrick Radden
- Condition
- New
- Published
- 2010
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN
- 9780307279279
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Exeter, Devon, GBR
- Item Price
-
$19.30
Show Details
Description:
Anchor Books, 2010. Paperback. New. 1st edition. 414 pages. 8.00x5.25x1.00 inches. Item Price
$19.30
The Snake Head: An Epic Tale of the Chinatown Underworld and the American Dream
by Keefe, Patrick Radden
- Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Published
- 2009
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN
- 9781616640125
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Seattle, Washington, USA
- Item Price
-
$32.30
Show Details
Description:
U.S.A.: Doubleday, 2009. Paperback. Very Good. May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed. Item Price
$32.30
The Snake Head
by Patrick Radden Keefe
- Condition
- Used - Good
- Published
- 2009
- Binding
- AUDIO CD
- ISBN
- 9781415963227
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Narrowsburg, New York, USA
- Item Price
-
$14.50
Show Details
Description:
Books on Tape, 2009. AUDIO CD. Good. 11 Reliable AUDIO CDs, polished for your satisfaction, withdrawn from the library collection. Some library sticker and stamp to the set. We will clean the CDs for a worthwhile listening experience. Enjoy this presentable AUDIO CD performance. Item Price
$14.50
The Snakehead: An Epic Tale of the Chinatown Underworld and the American Dream
by Keefe, Patrick Radden
- Condition
- New
- ISBN
- 9780307279279
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Bensalem, Pennsylvania, USA
- Item Price
-
$28.28
Show Details
Description:
New. . Item Price
$28.28
The Snakehead: An Epic Tale of the Chinatown Underworld and the American Dream
by Keefe, Patrick Radden
- Condition
- Used - Good
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN
- 9780385521307
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Newport Coast, California, USA
- Item Price
-
$49.78
Show Details
Description:
hardcover. Good. Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items. May be an ex-library book. Item Price
$49.78