To Die in Mexico

Dispatches from Inside the Drug War

By: John Gibler

Narrated by: Jonathan Davis

Length: 6 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

"Gibler is something of a revelation, having been living and writing from Mexico for a range of progressive publications only since 2006, but providing reflections, insights, and a level of understanding worthy of a veteran correspondent." (Latin American Review of Books)

Combining on-the-ground reporting and in-depth discussions with people on the frontlines of Mexico's drug war, To Die in Mexico tells behind-the-scenes stories that address the causes and consequences of Mexico's multibillion dollar drug trafficking business. John Gibler looks beyond the myths that pervade government and media portrayals of the unprecedented wave of violence now pushing Mexico to the breaking point.

©2011 John Gibler (P)2016 Audible, Inc.

Excellent

Excellent book. Very accurate and full of details. Author did a great research to write this book.

Warning: you may finish this audiobook outraged.

John Gibler lays out the warp and weft of the Mexican drug war. The government won't stop it because they are part of the same cloth. Collusion is too weak of a word to describe the relationship between the military, police and drug captains. They are the same industry, and human lives are the currency.

In this superb overview, written in a conversational and easy to grasp style, Gibler bears witness to lives lost, giving them names and identities so they will not be forgotten. He shows the terror of the citizenry with a particular focus on journalists who try to find ways to tell the world what happens here without being killed.

Horrific stories, extraordinarily told, that left me with a comprehensive understanding of the layers of power and factionalism at work in Mexico's drug war. Narrated by Jonathan Davis who gives it the taut pacing of a Grisham novel while acknowledging the real-life horror.

Trash.

This is just a reporter rambling on about how the whole world has conspired against people like him. He pretends to be convinced the cartels are one and the same the the Mexican government and the US government is actively helping because apparently anyone that makes more money than the author must be dirty. He hand picks a bunch of unrelated facts to move this along but mostly speaks of crime is a vague general sense, which is flatly hypocritical because one of his chief complaints is Mexican politicians often complain about crime in general while doing nothing. The author also makes obvious jabs into irrelevant US domestic politics, namely by tediously spelling out "AR-15 assault rifle" when referring to any and every AK and M16 style variant at all (almost as if he doesn't know the difference). There's also crime statistics that sound exaggerated but I don't care enough to fact check.

It's a wonder why this guy is bewildered why he encounters so much hostility in Mexico if he's going to act like this. Book returned to seller.