A combination of powder cocaine and heroin, usually snorted or injected, that merges the cocaine’s strong stimulant effect with the heroin’s strong depressant effect. Because it combines these opposite effects, speedball can be particularly dangerous, much more so than either of its components taken alone. Primo and Caesar frequently snort speedballs during their conversations with Bourgois, who notes that they are often overtaken by alternating rushes of energy (from cocaine) and relaxation (from heroin).
Get the entire In Search of Respect LitChart as a printable PDF.
Speedball Term Timeline in In Search of Respect
The timeline below shows where the term Speedball appears in In Search of Respect. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1: Violating Apartheid In the United States
...research). Soon, he is an “honorary nigga.’” A few years later, drunk and high on speedball, Primo’s lookout “Benzie” (Benito) admitted that he initially thought Bourgois was “a faggot” because of...
(full context)
