Carlito's Way: Rise to Power - Tapa blanda

This powerful, gritty, and vivid novel is the unforgettable story of Carlito Brigante, a Harlem drug dealer in the 1960s, and his rise to the top. Drug dealer, thief, and murdered, Carlito Brigante was once just another Spanish Harlem street punk with a poor boy's dream of flash and fast money -- but as he gets older he determines that it's either take or be taken, and he knows which role he intends to play. Soon he's a mob-connected professional with an easy charm, joie de vivre, stubborn pride, and hair-trigger temper. But the rules change rapidly in a sudden-death world of scams, sell-outs, and payback, where only the strongest and smartest predator can be king of the barrio. And when there's a major changing of the guard in the top echelons of the mob, Carlito will have some hard choices to make. Taut, thrilling, and a joy to read, Carlito's Way established a voice that has lost none of its vivid color or power to enthrall.

The basis for a major motion picture to be released in fall 2005 starring Mario Van Peebles, "Carlito's Way" is a taut and unputdownable tale of a young Puerto Rican man and his rise to the top as the king of heroin distribution in Harlem. Drug dealer, thief, murderer, Carlito Brigante was once just another Spanish Harlem street punk with a poor boy's dream of flash and fast money-and as he gets older he determines that it's either take or be took, and he knows which role he's going to play. Soon he's a Mob-connected professional with an easy charm, joie de vivre, stubborn pride, and a hair-trigger temper. But the rules change rapidly in a sudden death world of scams, sell-outs and payback, where only the strongest and smartest predator can be King of the Barrio. And when his mentor Rocco's old-school gentlemanly uncle Dom Cacuzzo dies, the new boss is a steel-eyed killer with no love for either Rocco or his Puerto Rican protigi Carlito. And when a shipment of heroin is abandoned and being watched by the Feds, Rocco and Carlito have some impossible choices to make.