The Snakehead, Patrick Radden Keefe
The Snakehead, Patrick Radden Keefe
1 Rating(s)
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The Snakehead
An Epic Tale of the Chinatown Underworld and the American Dream

Author: Patrick Radden Keefe

Narrator: Patrick Radden Keefe

Abridged: 4 hr 54 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 07/21/2009


Synopsis

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.

About The Author

[Insert Author Photo]PATRICK RADDEN KEEFE is a fellow at The Century Foundation and the author of Chatter. He is a graduate of Columbia College, Cambridge University, the London School of Economics, and Yale Law School, and the recipient of a Marshall Scholarship and a Guggenheim Fellowship. A regular contributor to The New Yorker, Slate, and many other publications, he is also a frequent commentator on NPR, the BBC, and CNN. Visit his Web site at www.patrickraddenkeefe.com.


Reviews

Goodreads review by David on August 27, 2015

All of the elements of a thriller are here (murder, corruption, double-crosses, huge sums of cash, intimidation, among others) but it really doesn’t read that way. Instead it’s more of a sweeping view of the snakehead trade between Fujian Province, China and Chinatown in Manhattan. In particular we......more

Goodreads review by Iain on February 08, 2025

Meticulously researched and unfolding like an epic mob story, this is an equally detailed and thrilling tale of corruption, people smuggling and above all determination and struggle by all involved. Although published 15 years ago, it is still a timely reminder of the debate, cost and difficulty on......more

Goodreads review by F.E. on April 24, 2023

Edit Feb 2023: Picador has just republished this with a tastefully minimalist cover. It's an allegedly updated version of the original published in 2009. Saw it at the airport bookshop before taking a domestic flight this morning. When I was looking for it a year ago, I found it surprising, given PR......more

Goodreads review by Nigeyb on December 18, 2022

Patrick Radden Keefe wrote two of my favourite non-fiction books of recent years (Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland (2018) and Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty (2021)) so I was keen to read more by him. The Snakehead: An Epic Tale of the Chin......more

Goodreads review by Raymond on August 24, 2024

This book is mainly about the stories of the snakehead Sister Ping & the human smuggling ship, Golden Venture. I remember reading about illegal immigration from China & seeing news clips about it years ago. However, this book went into great details about NYC Chinatown, Chinese gangs, & Sister Ping......more


Quotes

Advance Praise for THE SNAKEHEAD

Additional Quotes TK (by 4.20)

“THE SNAKEHEAD achieves what only the finest reporting can: it peels back an astonishing hidden world. Keefe takes the reader on a spellbinding journey from peasant farms in Asia to the treacherous high seas to the violent streets of Chinatown-a journey that will forever change your understanding of what it means to become an American.” – David Grann, the author of THE LOST CITY OF Z


“In Keefe's steady hand, the history of immigration to America is brought to life with the story of Chinese sojourners who arrive in a strange new land. You will pick it up for the drama it promises, but you will read it for the warmth and humanity it delivers.” –Sudhir Venkatesh, author of GANG LEADER FOR A DAY