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Product Description
Product Description
In this unprecedented and chilling monologue, a repentant Mexican hitman tells the unvarnished truth about the war on drugs on the American. El Sicario is the hidden face of America's war on drugs. He is a contract killer who functioned as a commandante in the Chihuahuan State police, who was trained in the US by the FBI, and who for twenty years kidnapped, tortured and murdered people for the drug industry at the behest of Mexican drug cartels. He is a hit man who came off the killing fields alive. He left the business and turned to Christ. And then he decided to tell the story of his life and work. Charles Bowden first encountered El Sicario while reporting for the book "Murder City". As trust between the two men developed, Bowden bore witness to the Sicario's unfolding confession, and decided to tell his story. The well-spoken man that emerges from the pages of El Sicario is one who has been groomed by poverty and driven by a refusal to be one more statistic in the failure of Mexico. He is not boastful, he claims no major standing in organized crime. But he can explain in detail not only torture and murder, but how power is distributed and used in the arrangement between the public Mexican state and law enforcement on the ground - where terror and slaughter are simply tools in implementing policy for both the police and the cartels. And he is not an outlaw or a rebel. He is the state. When he headed the state police anti-kidnapping squad in Juarez, he was also running a kidnapping ring in Juarez. When he was killing people for money in Juarez, he was sharpening his marksmanship at the Federal Police range. Now he lives in the United States as a fugitive. One cartel has a quarter million dollar contract on his head. Another cartel is trying to recruit him. He speaks as a free man and of his own free will - there are no charges against him. He is a lonely voice - no one with his background has ever come forward and talked. He is the future - there are thousands of men like him in Mexico and there will be more in other places. He is the truth no one wants to hear.
About the Author
The recipient of a Lannan Literary Award for Nonfiction and the Sidney Hillman Award, Charles Bowden is the critically acclaimed author of Murder City. He lives in Tucson.
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
riveting!!,
This review is from: Sicario (Paperback)
I strongly recommend this book. Even if this topic is not one that you normally read books on, I recommend it simply for the human tale it encompasses. It is a fascinating human story of a man who is beyond reproach yet has found solace and comfort in his later years. The story of drug trafficking in Mexico is heart breaking and this book encapsulates one of the most notorious and secretive aspects of the life. This is a must read and you won't be able to put it down!!
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
3.8 out of 5 stars (16 customer reviews) 20 of 20 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful and educational read.,
By Adam Stayer "WKU2004" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Sicario (Paperback)
I work on the border of Juarez, Mexico. I deal with issues that these guys have created regularly. This is a very good and true, seems to be, account of the life in the most corrupt goverment. Juarez is a battle zone and this guys manages to explain how it got this point. The editing was superb and the narration well thought out. I think that many who have an interest in Mexican/narco politics will find this as a great tool to understand the culture that the narco-terrorists have crafted over many years. Failed drug policies are evident as the reader goes thru the twists and turns of a true sicario. I wish all people would be able to understand and help a nation that is on the verge of collapse.I see the complaints and the jabs that others have given Bowden, but this guy seems to have a true interest in why Mexico is as corrupt as it is. The Mexican people are truly the victims and Mr. Bowden has once again outlined and told the stories that need to be told. Well done sir. Now I am off to read Down by the River. Forthcoming review of that novel as soon as I can. 6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
What An Eye Opener!,
By C. Thomas "BLAQBEATS" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Sicario (Paperback)
After hearing so much news almost on a weekly basis about the horrors that are currently taking place in various states in Mexico, mainly in Ciudad Juárez, I came across El Sicario after seeing the preview for the documentary "Room 164" and thought it may be insightful to hear it from the "horse's mouth" so to speak. I have to honestly say after reading this book completely from cover to cover it really blew my mind. It is literally to the point the you refuse to believe some of the things El Sicario is revealing, but it is just too detailed, emotional, and so full of feeling that it is difficult to doubt. Not to mention various footnotes verifying many of the stories he tells. El Sicario is a chilling autobiography but the scariest and most uncomfortable thing about it is not even the sinister acts of violence he committed and witnessed, but the unprecedented level of corruption in Ciudad Juárez. I mean corruption is a serious understatement to say the least. This autobiography is certainly not for the faint of heart, but if you're brave enough to hear the truth about Mexico definitely consider picking this one up. 5 Stars!
10 of 12 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
Review for El Sicario,
By Alan Petersen - Published on Amazon.com
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According to the introduction the bulk of this book is based on the interviews with El Sicario (recorded for the documentary, El Sicario: Room 164) so it does read like a transcript more than an autobiography. There were a few of these hand-drawn sketches that didn't make much sense so not sure if it was filler for the book. They also got a little preachy not just on religion but on the government. I could have done without the editorial of the author (it wasn't content from the Sicario).The book was Okay. It was interesting to read how this person started out as a pretty normal kid growing up in Mexico to becoming a monster. It's also chilling to read how he glosses over all the killing he has done now that he has found God without paying for his crimes. Not sure how carefully his story was verified but it was an interesting to read and it provides a glimpse how the situation in Mexico has gone from bad to worse over the last few years. The most chilling parts of course are when he describes the torture, murders, and other horrible things he did as a killer for the cartels. |
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