Something extraordinary has happened in the New York City housing projects: a harmless old drunk known as Sport Jacket, a deacon of the local church, has shot the projects' most dangerous drug dealer. The mysterious story alarmed the residents of the projects, and gangsters and police officers, blacks and Latinos, church parishioners, residents of a nursing home and even local ants were caught in the maelstrom of events. A tangle of old secrets and new confusion unwinds on the pages of this lively and sincere book, similar to jazz improvisation. The author, James McBride, a famous American writer and musician, together with his heroes believes and proves that even on the sidelines of life there is a place for hope and love .Published in Russian for the first time.