Hey Jazz Dogs! It's The War and Peace of Dope War Books!

Once again, while my family was enjoying the sun and sand, I read about drug wars and torture: The Cartel is part two of Don Winslow's magnum opus on the Mexican drug trade; when I reviewed The Power of the Dog (part one), I described Winslow's writing as "Ellroy-esque," and now, on the back cover, Ellroy himself pays Winslow the highest of compliments . . . he calls the novel "The War and Peace of dope-war books" and then he goes on to say, "it's got the jazz dog feel of a shot of pure meth!" and while that quotation is certainly Ellroy-esque . . . and I'm not sure what a "jazz dog" is, I highly recommend this book (though you should read Power of the Dog first) and while I admit that it's an undertaking, it is worth it-- there's plenty of action and there's even a map, so that finally --after reading five or six books about the Mexican drug wars-- I am starting to understand the how the cartography and the politics fit together . . . and at least it's a real map of actual Mexican states, not a fictional map, like at the start of Lord of the Rings . . . so that when reality mirrors fiction and the real person after whom Adan Barrerra is modeled: "El Chapo" Guzman, escapes once again, you know where he is headed to hide-out (Sinaloa) and while I am always suspect of fiction that requires a map, Game of Thrones has made me change my tune on this rule of thumb, and I am always grateful when non-fiction includes a map because I am spatially challenged.

4 comments:

  1. Are you planning to start your own opium cell or something? I listened to Temple of the Dog in college and I just couldn't get into it.

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  2. "Hunger Strike" is an all-timer, if only for the pairing of a couple of the finest rock voices (Cornell & Vedder) of our generation.

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  3. I disagree, respectfully, with the assertions that Hunger Strike is an all-timer and that Vedder is one of the finest rock voices of our generation. I think my dislike for Vedder's voice ruins ToD. I could never enjoy Pearl Jam for the same reason.

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  4. i like bits and pieces, but generally too much moaning from eddie vedder.

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