American Desperado

My Life - From Mafia Soldier to Cocaine Cowboy to Secret Government Asset

By: Jon Roberts, Evan Wright

Narrated by: Mark Bramhall, Erik Davies, Mark Deakins, Kimberly Farr, Kirby Heyborne, Thomas Vincent Kelly, Steve Kramer, Meredith Scott Lynn, Johnathan McClain, Christina Rooney

Length: 16 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's summary

In 2008 veteran journalist Evan Wright, acclaimed for his New York Times best-selling book Generation Kill and co-writer of the Emmy-winning HBO series it spawned, began a series of conversations with super-criminal Jon Roberts, star of the fabulously successful documentary Cocaine Cowboys. Those conversations would last three years, during which time Wright came to realize that Roberts was much more than the de-facto “transportation chief” of the Medellin Cartel during the 1980s, much more than a facilitator of a national drug epidemic. As Wright’s tape recorder whirred and Roberts unburdened himself of hundreds of jaw-dropping tales, it became clear that perhaps no one in history had broken so many laws with such willful abandon.

Roberts, in fact, seemed to be a prodigy of criminality – but one with a remarkable self-awareness and a fierce desire to protect his son from following the same path.

American Desperado is Roberts’ no-holds-barred account of being born into Mafia royalty, witnessing his first murder at the age of seven, becoming a hunter-assassin in Vietnam, returning to New York to become -- at age 22 -- one of the city’s leading nightclub impresarios, then journeying to Miami where in a few short years he would rise to become the Medellin Cartel’s most effective smuggler.

But that’s just half the tale.

The roster of Roberts’ friends and acquaintances reads like a Who’s Who of the latter half of the 20th century and includes everyone from Jimi Hendrix, Richard Pryor, and O.J. Simpson to Carlo Gambino, Meyer Lansky, and Manuel Noriega.

Nothing if not colorful, Roberts surrounded himself with beautiful women, drove his souped-up street car at a top speed of 180 miles per hour, shared his bed with a 200-pound cougar, and employed a 6”6” professional wrestler called “The Thing” as his bodyguard. Ultimately, Roberts became so powerful that he attracted the attention of the Republican Party’s leadership, was wooed by them, and even was co-opted by the CIA for which he carried out its secret agenda.

Scrupulously documented and relentlessly propulsive, this collaboration between a bloodhound journalist and one of the most audacious criminals ever is like no other crime book you’ve ever read. Jon Roberts may be the only criminal who changed the course of American history.

©2011 Evan Wright (P)2011 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“The Moby Dick of mob memoirs… here is everything you've wanted to know - and much better, here is the way everything felt. Evan Wright puts you so deep inside a career in organized crime that midway through you'll begin expecting a knock on your door and a call from your lawyer.” (David Lipsky, author of the national best seller Absolutely American)

"Delivers all the guilty pleasures one expects from a gangster's memoir, but Wright's superb prose offers something more: a meditation on good and evil during the glittering decay of late 20th century civilization… One of the best books of the year.” (James L. Swanson, Edgar Award winning author of the New York Times best sellers Manhunt and Bloody Crimes)

“ American Desperado is not only stranger but so much better than fiction…Captivating, addictive, and head-spinning, this one-of-a-kind book earns its place on the top shelf of true crime accounts.” (Chuck Hogan, New York Times bestselling author of Prince of Thieves, basis of the Academy Award-nominated The Town)

AWESOME!!

I have a good friend, former SEAL and (ahem) Intelligence Officer, who recommended this for my next long drive. I have only one word to describe it... AWESOME!

If you're into good bio's (I love 'em.. ya can't make this stuff up!), you'll love this one.

Get this book

I’ve read it twice and really enjoyed the whole story. This guy really lived quite a life

Great Story!

Even if half of it is true, wow. Mr. Roberts has lead quite the life & I'm happy he is alive to tell it. I was born in the 80s & feel like I missed out on a great period of American history, thank you for sharing!

Tough to put down

I initially read this book. The only option afterwards was listening to it. Well worth it. What a ride.

Can’t believe this a true story!

10/10 Highly recommended! After watching movies and documentaries related to this area of crime, CIA operations, and drug smuggling, this book really ties a lot of the stories together. If you enjoy true crime, American Desperado definitely is worth the listen.

WOW

OK, so I wasn't expecting too much from this book. I thought it would be like other self-serving criminal biographies with minimal details.

I was so wrong. This is a compelling read. There were moments when I cringed at the horror of this man's deeds. There were moments when I felt sorry for him.

In many ways he never had a chance. That's not to say his life wasn't his fault, but his early life and genes made it very difficult for him to act otherwise. He clearly inherited his sociopath genes from his father and his mother wasn't aware enough, or smart enough, to counteract that damage.

Bottom line? I couldn't stop listening and stayed up all night.

Amazing book, all true

Read it. Watch Cocaine Cowboys.. One of my favorite books, and documentaries of all time

Wow. Great story

Amazing story could not put this one down. Always fascinated the way the government plays a row in something evil. This is the world we live in.

Wow

Truly extraordinary book and performance. Loved every single chapter. Felt bad for Jon when got busted. I know that’s probably not good of me, but the writing and performance is that compelling.

Great story. Great storytelling

loved it. Great story of a man's journey to the top of the drug smuggling game and his downfall. I really enjoyed the delivery of this book from different peoples perspective.