"Prisoner of Dreams: Confessions of a Harlem Drug Dealer" Provides a Fascinating Look at the New York City Underworld During the Era of the French Connection and Superfly

Prisoner of Dreams: Confessions of a Harlem Drug Dealer is the  true story of Rick Talley, a black man who returned from Vietnam with a dream that he made a reality and who then had to deal with the consequences of his actions. Talley returned to New York City from the Vietnam War in the late 1960s, a time of turbulence and change. Race relations in America were changing, thanks to the Civil Right movement. Still, racism was very much alive in America.

Times were tough for a young black man in America, especially one who has fought in an unpopular war. Rick Talley took what he believed to be the only economic road open to him: drug dealing. In the late 1960s and early 70s, America was awash in drugs, and an entrepreneurial black man bent on a criminal lifestyle could make millions of dollars.

Prisoner of Dreams presents a large cast of characters, from small time street hustlers and pimps to Hollywood and Las Vegas celebrities to organized crime figures. It was a time of the French Connection and of Superfly and Black Caesar and Talley was there to interact and observe. In a poignant, eye-opening memoir, the author describes his life and the times, the good and the bad, in New York City and Harlem, during one of the most seminal periods in America history.

Prisoner of Dreams is more than just a story about the world of drugs. Once a prisoner of his own dreams Mr. Talley is no longer a prisoner of any kind but the master of his life and dreams. The hard times he once lived helped him rise above the problems and to understand their true meaning.

The author dares to speak out loud about real issues of which for years were only whispered about in dark rooms. He tells his story and not for a moment thought to hide from it, forget it, and this way he manages to turn what could have been a failure into a great success. He is one of the few who dares to dream and live his dreams.

“Intriguing, Prisoner of Dreams captures a moment in time and allows the reader to be there. Talley educates the reader about the secrets of a fascinating lifestyle.”
Reggie Wells, legendary DJ, Formerly of 98.7 Kiss FM Radio, New York City

“As a personal and long lasting associate and friend of Rick Talley, let me say that this book is the truth, as well as a serious accounting of an intriguing life style in one of the Big Apple’s most interesting eras.“
Jesse Gray, Harlem hustler and boss maker