Book Review #7: "El Narco: Inside Mexico's Criminal Insurgency"

Hey Everyone,
     In light of the recent capture of El Chapo Guzman, I will be reviewing the book "El Narco: Inside Mexico's Criminal Insurgency"  by Ioan Grillo. Funny, I must have some kind of six sense because I finished reading this book like a week before the capture of El Chapo Guzman. So the timing of this review is impeccable. This is a great book for anyone who wants to learn more about the Mexican drug war, it's development, growth, and the consequences of it. If you are interested in purchasing a copy CLICK HERE.
     Overall I would rate this book 3.5 stars out of 5. This book was very well organized and very thorough. It tells you everything you would want to know about Mexico's drug war. And let me make this clear it is not just Mexico's drug war. It is the United States, Columbia plus quite a few other countries' drug war. The war may be in Mexico's territory but it is not just them alone in it. This book is an eye-opener what you think you know about this topic, there is so much more to know. This is not a simple operation, it is like a very complex spider's web. This book brings forth all the influential factors that fostered the development of the drug trade, and the factors that helped it grow to what it is today. This book delves deep in the roots of the drug trade and war itself. It will definitely provide answers to your questions of why? and how? This book will shock you, surprise you, it will make you angry, frustrated and sad.
     This book is about people, how innocent people's lives are affected by the drug war. It will tell you who the victims are, and who is to blame. It goes on to show that your actions are not your own, how what you do affects the community around you. It shows how society is an interconnected web. One of the things I most liked about this book, was that I was able to understand some of the "bad guys" why they did what they did. I am not in anyway condoning, or approving of their actions. I like it when I am able to see both sides of the coin.
     Some things that could have been changed in this book, is that I felt it needed to be more personal, to have more human interest stories backing up the information presented. The tone in which this book was told was more in a "matter of fact" kind of way. It just felt that something was missing, like it needed more gut to the story. The tone of the story needed more emotion. Don't get me wrong this book was emotional it just needed more.
     All said and done I did like this book, it was an excellent well-done book, and the perfect book to read to learn more about the Mexican drug war. Go give it a try I dare you.

Until the next page,
     Jill