• The Cornbread Mafia

  • A Homegrown Syndicate's Code of Silence and the Biggest Marijuana Bust in American History
  • By: James Higdon
  • Narrated by: Paul Boehmer
  • Length: 14 hrs and 9 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (372 ratings)

Access a growing selection of included Audible Originals, audiobooks, and podcasts.
You will get an email reminder before your trial ends.
Audible Plus auto-renews for $7.95/mo after 30 days. Upgrade or cancel anytime.
The Cornbread Mafia  By  cover art

The Cornbread Mafia

By: James Higdon
Narrated by: Paul Boehmer
Try for $0.00

$7.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $18.91

Buy for $18.91

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

In the summer of 1987, Johnny Boone set out to grow and harvest one of the greatest outdoor marijuana crops in modern times. In doing so, he set into motion a series of events that defined him and his associatesas the largest homegrown marijuana syndicate in American history, also known as the Cornbread Mafia.

Author James Higdon - whose relationship with Johnny Boone, currently a federal fugitive, made him the first journalist subpoenaed underthe Obama administration - takes listeners back to the 1970s and ‘80s and the clash between federal and local law enforcement and a band of Kentucky farmers with moonshine and pride in their bloodlines. By 1989 the task force assigned to take down men like Johnny Boone had arrested 69 men and 1 woman from busts on 29 farms in 10 states, and seized 200 tons of pot.

Of the 70 individuals arrested, none talked. How it all went down is a tale of Mafia-style storylines emanating from the Bluegrass State, and populated by Vietnam veterans and weed-loving characters caught up in Tarantino-level violence and heart-breaking altruism. Accompanied by a backdrop of rock-and-roll and rhythm-and-blues, this work of dogged investigative journalism and history is told by Higdon in action-packed, colorful, and riveting detail.

©2012 James Higdon the Third (P)2012 Tantor

What listeners say about The Cornbread Mafia

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    262
  • 4 Stars
    60
  • 3 Stars
    29
  • 2 Stars
    15
  • 1 Stars
    6
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    204
  • 4 Stars
    65
  • 3 Stars
    31
  • 2 Stars
    18
  • 1 Stars
    7
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    236
  • 4 Stars
    45
  • 3 Stars
    23
  • 2 Stars
    13
  • 1 Stars
    7

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Mixed bag, but ultimately worth a credit

First, this is an interesting book and I liked it. Second, I could never produce something on a par with it and I respect the effort and diligence that went into its creation. However, I do have a few criticisms. I found that I enjoyed the portions that were based on actual records better than the stuff that's reported from one-on-one interviews with the "hillbillies" who produced all that Kentucky grass. The author is perhaps a bit too credulous when relating some of the stories he was told by these folks. OTOH, the solid straight reporting in much of the book balances those stories with enough facts that the stories are still fun to read, if not exactly "according to Hoyle" journalism.

My larger gripe is the author's insertion of his own book creation/subpeona to testify story near the end of the book. I found this part unnecessary and a little too self-satisfied for my taste (the Obama '08 stuff looks particularly naive in light of the way his presidency has, IMO predictably, played out). But again there is a shorter sort of coda that takes well-earned shots at a trigger happy US Marshall with some solid reporting to balance that excess. This shorter end portion, although also self-referential, works much better. It even includes a final sentence that provides a more level-headed assessment of the possibility that Obama's 2008 election would result in any positive developments in our absolutely insane war on drugs.

Finally, I listened to the audiobook version and the narration was clear and easy to follow. Unfortunately, the narrator was clearly unfamiliar with the regional pronunciations of central Kentucky while I am not. This didn't ruin anything about the book, but each appearance of, for instance, "Lebanon" or "Courier-Journal" produced a slight self-referential smirk from this Hardin County guy.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Horrible narration

Skip this, get the book.

Narrator sounds like a digitally generated synthetic emotionless disaster. Audiobooks are only as good as their narrator allows them to be.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

I'm probably biased but this was a very fun book.

I binge listened to this book. I'm from the area they talk about in the book and it's very interesting to hear about places I know. I don't like the drug aspect of the book (not because the book did anything wrong, but I don't care for drugs even the ones advertised on TV), but like some mention, if it doesn't hurt me then it doesn't concern me. I find it interesting the politics behind the "wars" portrayed and how much freedom we've given away to fight inanimate objects and in this instance a weed. I do think this book represents much of the rural life and mind set. I guess to jump on my soap box and rant, by outlawing something as popular as marijuana you create a massive pipeline for the black market. Along with the pharmaceutical industry pushing drugs and being supported by the gov, you get them started by the doctors and the intricate pipeline seems to have plenty of avenues for the street opiates like heroine that are plaguing this state, but gets overshadowed by media crying over what someone said in D.C.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

True story. Jimmy was not the best reader.

I knew several of these people. Everything in the story is factual. It is an interesting story, but I believe that Joe Keith Bickett's books may be better. Subsequently, it was worth the credit.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Good Book Until Last Chapter

It was great listing the historical events that happened. But the author towards the end was all about him.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Decent Story

The story is entertaining and even gripping in spots. A legit slice of Americana. My only complaint is the mispronounciations by the vice actor. It only takes a couple of minutes to find the proper way to say a word or name.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

from hodgenville ky

good book overall. Had some history I hadn't ever heard before. Definitely will be reading the other cornbread mafia books by the other author

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great read!

I'm not usually into books of this type. Having been in Kentucky for the last 22 years and spending a fair amount of time frequenting Marion, Woodford, Washington, and Fayette counties I've heard stories of the pot grows and the cornbread mafia. This book intertwines with what I've heard from those I know, and couple are mentioned in this book. I can't tell you if he's got all the facts right or not but I can say that more than a few are spot on. It certainly resonates with me, the depressed area, and the struggle to survive, I can't say that I'd do anything different to feed my family!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

very impressive story, hard to turn off

Somthing for everybody story, horticulturist, historian, law men, politics, corruption and concpericy. The ending has a bit of a running man theme, showing how Americas most wanted makes things up to hunt people more effectivly. Big take away for me is trying to understand who made this crazy law, lock up nonviolent FARMERS with killers and scumbags? God bless America?

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great Book

This is a great read. I’m from Casey County so I grew up hearing the stories.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful