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El Narco: Inside Mexico's Criminal Insurgency (2011)

by Ioan Grillo(Favorite Author)

3.94 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

1608192113 (ISBN13: 9781608192113)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Bloomsbury Press

review 1: A really fascinating account of the rise and operation of Mexico's drug cartels. Grillo goes from a history of Mexico, to a history of the the cartels. There are a number of really fascinating bits, in particular about the operation of the PRI, Mexico's old authoritarian party that ran the country for 76 years (although Mexico's current President is also a member of the PRI.) There are also moments of gobsmacking horror and tragedy. Grillo gives accounts of daylight assassinations where police arrive and provide the fleeing assassins with rides to their destination. The sides in this current spate of violence are incredibly ambiguous. The cartels are fighting each other, the police and the army are fighting the cartels, but you don't know if the local cops are bought and p... moreaid for by the cartels. A frequent comparison is between Colombia and Mexico. Some say that Colombia used to be what Mexico is now, a state riven by such intense violence that the government seems unable to control. But Colombia has gotten better since the 1990s, and that gives people hope that Mexico will conquer this violence. But a part that stuck with me were two conversations, one with a Colombian hitman in his 20s, and another with a 17 year old Mexican boy in a correctional facility. Both were born in slums in their respective countries. The Colombian hitman said that his job was dangerous, difficult, but also that it paid extremely well. With the money he made, he was able to buy his family a home. The hitman himself lived a life with many amenities that you find in the average American household. The Mexican boy, who was in jail for possession of weapons and accessory to murder, explained that you get paid 1000 pesos for a hit. That's about 85$, enough to buy a few meals and beer for a week. That was the price of life, for some people. That was scary, and heartbreaking.
review 2: Fascinating book! Doesn't give much hope to the end of the drug problem considering as long as the demand is there so will be the supply! Problem starts with us as a nation and must stop there as well. Enjoyed reading about the history of the drug growth and how it has escalated and changed over time. Wish all teens could step outside of themselves for a moment read this and understand that the curiosity of a drug is so much more . Wishful thinking i know:) less

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