Mark Bowden, best selling and award winning author of Black Hawk Down and Killing Pablo, joins us to share his newest book Life Sentence: The Brief and Tragic Career of Baltimore’s Deadliest Gang Leader and the remarkable story behind Baltimore's deadliest gangs and its notorious leader.

Sandtown is one of the deadliest neighbourhoods in the world; it was made notorious by David Simon’s classic HBO series “The Wire.” Montana Barronette grew up in the centre of it all. He was the leader of the gang “Trained to Go,” or TTG, and when he was finally arrested and sentenced to life in prison, he had been nicknamed “Baltimore’s Number One Trigger Puller.” Equipped with unprecedented access to FBI files, Bowden takes readers inside this Baltimore gang and chronicles the 2016 FBI investigation that landed eight gang members in prison.

Mark Bowden talks with investigative journalist and author Justin Ling (Missing from the Village) about Life Sentence , a gritty account of what happens to a city and it's people when drug deals dominate street corners, and ruthless, casual violence abounds.

This event is part of our On Civil Society series, where we host local and international authors, activists and academics in conversation about the most critical topics of our time. Generously supported in part by Chris M. Reid.

Toronto Public Library is committed to accessibility. Please call or email us if you are Deaf or have a disability and would like to request accommodation to participate in this program. Please let us know as far in advance as possible and we will do our best to meet your request. At least three weeks’ notice is preferred. Phone 416-393-7099 or email accessibleservices@tpl.ca

Mark Bowden: Life Sentence