Narco History, A

This book should be required reading for anyone looking to understand modern U.S.-Mexico relations, since the topic is so important to understand so many others (violence in Mexico, illegal immigration into the U.S., etc.) and the relationship between the two countries.Written by a Mexican poet/novelist and her American historian husband, it provides a good walk through of the drug trade from before the Mexican Revolution up to just prior to the latest U.S presidential elections. During the journey, it shows the history of both countries, the shift in drug policy over time, the reasons and their unintended consequences which have led to the current situation in Mexico. I think most readers will be struck by learning of the level of brutality, not just in numbers but in the actions of all the players (which are numerous indeed).As someone who has lived most of his life in the Juarez/El Paso border area, I especially appreciated a section in chapter 9 that covers how and why the violence got so bad in my hometown starting with the Calderón administration. In a few concise pages, it covered it not only the drug trade factors, but also the macro economic and social ones that came together to cause it. Having lived through it, I can attest to its accuracy.

This is a terrific, pithy book which I read straight through. The story moves quickly through the origins of American (and, consequently, Mexican) anti-drug policy over the last hundred years, with the narrative expanding to cover in greater detail the dramatic rise in cartel power since 1980. The overarching theme of the book is how American drug appetites, combined with America's 'War on Drugs', are the lifeblood of the cartels. To their credit, though, the authors don't push this theme obtrusively, or engage in America-bashing. They let the story speak for itself in clear, calm prose. Nothing in the book is probably revolutionary to someone with a decent understanding of the situation in Mexico, but the overall portrait is artfully done and quite powerful. For me personally, I will never again look at American drug policy the same way, without thinking of all the destruction it rains down on Mexico. I felt there was not a single wasted paragraph in the whole book. Read in conjunction with The Beast by Oscar Martinez, I have immensely greater appreciation for the horrors visited upon both Mexicans and Central American migrants passing through Mexico.

Read this while on travel in Mexico from the US and, well it's not an easy read, but I think it's very well worth it to appreciate the history of the tragic situation related to drugs between these two countries. With hindsight the current situation seems to make perfect sense....

Great book. I learned so much and living in the rio grande valley it's amazing to read things about places you've been to and where you live. My dad had already informed me about this book, as he knows the authors and helped with some information, but reading it on my own has been eye opening to say the least!! Carmen Boullosa is an excellent writer and I am looking forward to reading her other books.

I read this after re-reading God’s Middle Finger. I expected a somewhat cheesy drama laden blood spat of the narco culture, what I read was an extremely thoughtful and encompassing history and explanation of the complex and pervasive societal impacts on Mexico of the drug trade, the history of the attempts to combat it, why these have failed miserably, and some of the limited successes as well. Damn good book.

The book provided a clear outline of how the war on drugs was established in the United States and (the intended or unintended consequences on Mexico). The book details all legislation, parties, and players involved in the drug war and how devasting it has been to both countries. The drug war was and is today a grave mistake the United States made and the book explains why it happened and possibilities on how to solve it by taking the power away from the cartels and the politicians and instead, giving the people the power to decide for themselves. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book and it only reaffirmed my belief that at least drugs be decriminalized if not legalized in the future.

A good read that filled me in on the long history of drugs and relations between Mexico and the U.S. It seemed like a good overview.

Great book, couldn't put it down. Really interesting.

A must read for anyone wanting to discover the long and clandestine involvement on America in the violent chaos of Central America.

This book did an ok job of summarizing the history of the narcos and how the US also contributed to the situation, but the last part of the book in particular is cringeworthy. The authors outline how to solve the drug wars, but they didn't really build up sufficient credibility throughout the book for them to be taken seriously. I preferred Ioan Grillo's book for a history of the mexico/US dynamic that made the drug wars, and as he spent many years actually interviewing authorities and narcos in Mexico, he builds a lot of credibility. The personal stories of different involves parties he shares throughout his book are much more compelling than anything in this effort. This book isn't terrible but it's not the best.

One can't help thinking that the war on drugs, and the policies and monies being spent in support of it are total madness after reading this.

Extremely interesting, disturbing, but easy to read.