Having been the smartest kid on his block in East Baltimore, author and educator D. Watkins was certain he would escape the life of drugs, decadence and violence that had surrounded him since birth. But when his brother Devin was shot, the plans for his life were demolished and he assumed the mantel of his brother's crack empire. Equally terrifying and hilarious, inspiring and heartbreaking, The Cook Up: A Crack Rock Memoir is a riveting look inside the Baltimore drug trade portrayed in The Wire and an incredible story of redemption. Join D. Watkins, the winner of Baltimore Magazine's "Best Writer" award in 2015, as he reads from The Cook Up. Sales and signings available.