21 of 100: Cartel- The Coming Invasion of Mexico's Drug Wars

[jerseyfabulous]

Cartel did not live up to expectations. The author is presented as being an expert on the topic, with an extensive background in law enforcement and counterterrorism. If this is what the experts sound like, god help America. At best, it was a mixed bag. There were some good parts, but they were more than outweighed by the less impressive parts, and eventually the nagging feeling that the book was hastily tossed together from prior work the author has done. (Tipoffs include citing Newsweek articles and repetitive passages.) Quite frankly, Ms. Longmire lost me the first time she referred to 'bad guys'- which was fairly early on. Life is not a Hollywood movie. While I will certainly agree to the proposition that many cartel members are dangerous criminals, the world is not divided up into good guys and bad guys, and speaking and writing as if it were is something children do. The day is rapidly approaching when we can't hide from our problem or outsource it any longer- the author's premise that the violence the drug trade fuels will bleed over the border is incontestible- but when that day comes, thinking in black and white, good guys and bad guys, us and them, terms is not going to be terribly helpful.