The Beast by Oscar Martinez

The Beast: Riding the Rails and Dodging Narcos on the Migrant Trail, Oscar Martinez. Translation by Daniela Maria Ugaz and John Washington. New York: Verso, 2013, 2010. e-book 250 pps.


     The problem of illegal immigration through Mexico is much worse than I realized before reading this book. It is not just poor Mexicans attempting to cross the border into the United States ["El Norte"]. People are fleeing from Central American nations because of violence and threats to their lives and the lives of their family members. Besides Mexicans and Central Americans, some Chinese folks also use the border illegally.

     Some percentage of illegals never make it to the wall. [There is a wall separating the U.S.A. from Mexico now]. They are picked off by narcos after being robbed, sold out to narcos by  coyotes and then robbed and picked off, picked off the roofs of the trains they ride in hopes of some sort of freedom. It is a violent world. The author traveled the migrant trails and rails in preparation before writing The Beast.

     Forced prostitution is common among Central American women who discover that they can send significant amounts of money home to their families. Some settle in the souther-most parts of Mexico to ply the trade. 

     The lucky illegals find a break in the shelters set up for them along the way. The unlucky ones find themselves within shooting range of the narcos.

sapphoq reviews says: Oscar Martinez's book is easily the most informative one about the illegals I have found to date. Building a wall and increasing patrols along it both helps and hinders the situ. The problem encompasses far more than Mexico. Americans increase their demand for illicit drugs. [Marijuana is only part of the problem]. People in Mexico and Central America are not safe from the cartels and attempt to flee. I am still for the legalization of pot in the United States and still against amnesty for illegal aliens. I came away from The Beast with an increased understanding about what is happening south of the border. Highly recommended.

Ma'am Anna by Anna Rodriguez as told to Anthony Bunko

Ma'am Anna: The Anna Rodriguez Story; The Remarkable Story of a Human Trafficking Rescuer, Anna Rodriguez as told to Anthony Bunko. Green Bay WIS: Title Town Publishing, 2013. e-book, 199 pps.


People are not property. Tragically, there are those in the United States and elsewhere who treat others as property-- kidnapping, abducting, buying, selling, trading in human wares. The child slave who toils morning til night. The human prostitute-- we usually think of a woman or a girl but this isn't necessarily so-- in Tijuana waiting with others under the watchful cameras of their masters. A girl or a boy disappears down an alley with an adult. People in abject poverty who agree to allow their child to go "work for" a family or perhaps to migrate to a foreign country for "educational opportunities" or the promise of small amounts of money to be sent back home. Illegals who cannot afford fees to their coyotes who hike up those fees once across the border. People promised great jobs in a foreign country required to pay a holding fee. Once there, they are the ones who are held. Bonded servants. It's ugly. Oh, and the Super Bowl. I never thought of the Super Bowl as being an open market for commercial sex before reading this book.

sapphoq reviews says: It takes one human being to start a revolution. One human being and a friend to imbue that revolution with momentum. Anna Rodriguez is one such human being. Read this book. It's inspiring. Highly recommended.

Gangland by Jerry Langton

Gangland: The Rise of the Mexican Drug Cartels from El Paso to Vancouver, Jerry Langton. New York: HarperCollins e-books, 2012. 253 pps.



Gangland is the second book that convinced me not to migrate to Mexico. Jerry Langton goes into depth about the various factions in Mexico which are trafficking drugs up to the United States. He points out that there is a definite presence of these cartels in some cities in the U.S.A. already. The violence that is committed by the members of the cartels is not just a problem south of the Rio Grande. It is here in our cities and I suspect will increase. Where there are illegal immigrants, the presence of these cartels is higher than in communities where Mexicans who crossed legally are settled.

Jerry Langton accurately points out that even if the United States legalizes the use of marijuana, drug trafficking may not stop. Some will still obtain pot from the streets rather than from a legal "store." Taxes. Strength. Yes, those are two reasons why people will avoid acquiring it from sources that have a government stamp of approval. People up here don't just want pot. There is a demand for Mexican heroin, M.D.M.A., cocaine and meth which will not go away.

One thing unique to Gangland is the description of what is happening in drug rehabs throughout Mexico. Folks from cartels have broken in and either murdered everyone there or murdered the patients that they recognize there. Rehabs have also become a favored recruitment ground for the cartels.

sapphoq reviews says: Gangland is a scary book. It is worth reading for anyone who wishes to understand more about the violence associated with the Mexican cartels and their increasing presence in North American cities. Highly recommended.

El Narco by Ioan Grillo

El Narco: Inside Mexico's Criminal Insurgency, Ioan Grillo. New York: Bloomsbury Press, 2011. ebook, 327 pps.


El Narco gives the lowdown on the total FAIL of the United States' so-called War On Drugs and this country's efforts to strong-arm other countries into joining up. [note: The United States appears to have a sort of pattern of demanding that other countries get on the latest bandwagon. This aggravates me. As an American citizen, I cannot condone these actions. As a human being, I am against my country's politicians and presidents attempting to manipulate other countries into enforcing our "laws," especially if those "laws" are unjust]. There is also a very good description of devotion to the folk-saint Malverde. Jesus Malverde of Sinaloa is revered by many people, not just drug dealers. A shrine to him is popular in spite of the official non-recognition of his veneration by the Roman Catholic Church.

But what really distinguishes El Narco from other books describing Mexican "cartels"-- a term which is not entirely accurate and out of favor-- are the interviews with past and present narcos themselves. I found the interviews to be very informative. They put human faces on the information being presented.

sapphoq reviews says: It is because of this book and another one that I no longer wish to migrate to Mexico. Mexico will always remain special in my heart of hearts as a place that I have fallen in love with and as a spiritual home. Definitely worth reading for a more global understanding of the Drug Wars.

Getaway by Lisa Brackmann

Getaway, Lisa Brackmann.  New York:  Soho Books, Inc., 2012.  e-book 259 pps.

Michelle is the American woman on vacation in Puerto Vallarta.  It was a vacation that she and her now dead Tom had signed up for.  She went alone.  Unexpected things have a way of happening to charming widows.  A hottie named Daniel a.k.a. Danny.  His abrupt and threatening buddy by the name of Gary.  A mugging.  There is a mysterious voice on the phone identifying himself as Ted Banks.   Some ex-pats.  Drug running.  Too much talk about clothing.  A lot of alcohol.  Some parties.  The vacation lasted longer than it should have.

sapphoq reviews says:  Lisa Brackmann did a fine job on Getaway.  The characters are very different than those in her other two books and so is the setting. I found myself hating Michelle for being so dependent upon men, rooting for Gary to die, and really warming up to Charlie.  Getaway is intriguing and kept me guessing until the very end.  Highly recommended.