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El Sicario: The Autobiography of a Mexican Assassin
by
Molly Molloy
,
Molly Molloy
In this unprecedented and chilling monologue, a repentant Mexican hitman tells the unvarnished truth about the war on drugs on the American. El Sicario is the hidden face of America's war on drugs. He is a contract killer who functioned as a commandante in the Chihuahuan State police, who was trained in the US by the FBI, and who for twenty years kidnapped, tortured and mu
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Paperback
,
345 pages
Published
May 10th 2011
by Nation Books
(first published April 18th 2011)
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Community Reviews
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The whole book is a monologue of one man's involvement as an assassin for a cartel operating out of Juarez; it is every bit as disturbing and realistic as you might (not even be able to) imagine.
His is a story of some redemption, telling his tale on the run with his family constantly hiding from the blowback of his history; it is compelling because it is such a dire story.
But, aside from the introduction and a few asides by el sicario, the whole hows, what and whys are largely absent from this t ...more
His is a story of some redemption, telling his tale on the run with his family constantly hiding from the blowback of his history; it is compelling because it is such a dire story.
But, aside from the introduction and a few asides by el sicario, the whole hows, what and whys are largely absent from this t ...more
Plus points for this book are that it provides a shocking and horrific account of the conditions in the city which has the highest murder rate in the world; Juarez. This is told from the perspective of a former sicario, or hit man who was an active duty police officer who conducted kidnappings and killings on behalf of the Juarez cartel.
The downside is that the first hand account acts as a double edges sword. While it allows information to be gained from the horses mouth, it also consists of con ...more
The downside is that the first hand account acts as a double edges sword. While it allows information to be gained from the horses mouth, it also consists of con ...more
This is the only book of its kind. For a cartel assassin to not only escape from his former occupation alive, then willingly share in plain language how it gutted him in every way possible, this is a rare thing. Long after getting out of the business, he decided to marry a girl he'd met in the south of Mexico, where he'd been working an honest job. To do this, he had to submit his real name to the local authorities, along with his address. The cartel hitmen were stalking him around town within t
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This memoir of sorts forms the basis of a movie by Italian film maker Gianfranco Rosi "El Sicario: Room 164". Though he is never identified for obvious reasons, this purports to be the story of this individuals role as a killer and long association with a Mexican drug cartel before he escaped and found religion. Long, tedious, salcious it's everything you might expect if you're familiar with the work of "journalist" Charles Bowden who is hell bent on exposing the ruinous goings on of the mexican
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Having lived in Mexico, been robbed in Mexico, and been kidnapped in Mexico - there isn't anything in this book I don't believe. This is a simple retelling of an underworld life from the viewpoint of a hired murderer. It could've used better editing but the matter-of-fact narrative is mostly effective. Like Bowden says, "There are things no one wants to know. And there are lies everyone wants to hear." This book discusses most of these things and lies as they relate to the cartels and the cultur
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I read this a couple of years ago and have been thinking about it a lot recently.. An incredible account of a man who used to be a part of the infamous Mexican drug cartel scene. The sicario tells his own story about how he was swept into the business of torture, blackmail, extortion, and murder.. In one particularly gruesome account, he speaks of kidnapping the wife of a man who owed money to the cartel. Everyday the man didn't pay up, the sicario describes cutting off one of the wife's fingers
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chilling.....really scarey to have psycopaths among us
I read this book not sure what to expect. I mean, yeah, drug cartels, Mexicans, assassins, and a whole lot of drama, but I was pleasantly surprised. I was surprised to find the story of an ordinary man who watched himself deform into something inhuman altogether. He had taken a certain path that no man should take. He admits his numerous mistakes. He shares what it was all like from beginning to end as one big reflection of his life--the joys, the pains, the perfections, and the imperfections. H
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A wonderful story of one man living a life most of us can't even imagine, and risking it all to leave it behind. El Sicario tells the story of a man trained by the Mexican police, and the FBI, all the while working for the drug cartels. This book is told in his own words, as told to reporters as he is in hiding in the US. The way this reads has good points and bad points. The casual way he describes torturing people, and bringing them back from the brink of death, only to torture them more is re
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This book falls into the category recently invented by the Wonkette blog: "Things You Never Knew About Mexico But Now That I Know It Can I Unknow It?" or something like that.
"El Sicario" is the story of a Mexican guy who was involved with the narcotrafficking cartels in Juarez for years, and then got out, just barely, and because he's still wanted by his old bosses he agreed to tell his story for a filmmaker and the editors of this book only if it was done without his real name, with a hood ove ...more
"El Sicario" is the story of a Mexican guy who was involved with the narcotrafficking cartels in Juarez for years, and then got out, just barely, and because he's still wanted by his old bosses he agreed to tell his story for a filmmaker and the editors of this book only if it was done without his real name, with a hood ove ...more
Dark but insightul review of the corruption, and violence in Mexico.This book explains why it is so hard to fight this problem, as it has been done during past. Bit too short on the topic, could have been bit longer.
Great book
Great read about the life of a cartel killer. This book brings the reality of viciousness of he Cartel to light
Great read about the life of a cartel killer. This book brings the reality of viciousness of he Cartel to light
Good book
Def a good understanding of a assassin' I liked it a g ::) kknm
Huh kill bio good book ok
Def a good understanding of a assassin' I liked it a g ::) kknm
Huh kill bio good book ok
A great read
this book rocks I lived in the same city when I was young why can't I be so lucky dam
this book rocks I lived in the same city when I was young why can't I be so lucky dam
A fast read, "El Sicario" is a raw trip into the heart of darkness. In his preface Charles Bowden wonders if the Sicario is not only a figure out of modern Mexico, but from our future as a whole. The Sicario provides fascinating details on how drugs are transported, officials bought off and political alliances made. Mexicans seem to keep falling into the lure of material possessions with un-match appetite. The collapse of the Mexican society is in direct coloration with their belief system. If y
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Allegedly a direct transcription of a narco enforcer's reminiscences and regrets, chilling in its detail, harrowing in its naked assessment of the socio-political troubles in Mexico stemming from the drug wars. The sicario claims, for instance, that a quarter of all cadets in Mexican police academies are on narco payrolls before they're even out of training. Sometimes just plain horrifying and repugnant, EL SICARIO is also brutally honest in the best way and necessary reading to get a peak behin
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Riveting. The small details the sicario spills in the interview, reveals that he is for real. Gives you a glimpse into an unseen world (how a narco hitter operates), that's encompassed by a larger unseen world (world of the narcos). Fascinating read for any true crime lover.
An enlightening look at the way the Mexican Drug Cartels work.
The content is incredibly interesting, but the "authors'" choice to let the Sicario determine the flow and organization was disastrous (as were their spotted and less than academic citations). He often seemed to exaggerate for effect, repeated himself and used cliched phrases. They should've saved the power of his story by couching it in a well organized story, complete with second hand source documents and people.
I picked this up not knowing what to expect but I was surprised by what I got. El Sicario tells his story without apologizing and without glorifying what he did. This Autobiography of a Mexican Assassin is surprisingly bloodless, and reads like a noir mystery - the facts are laid out and you fill in the 'dark and stormy night' on your own.
March 2012
March 2012
I thought this book was amazing! I learned about it from watching a dateline episode of a woman fighting the cartels because they kidnapped her daughter. This really does show the corruption of Mexico, and all the things that happen there. It will make you happy that you live where you live faraway from this mess. Very well written Anna must read.
Chilling, I believe, is the word. This book edited by Bowden and Molly Molloy is ostensibl the true confession of a drug war assassin. While I feel like the book could have been further edited, it is true that the sicario basically carries the story onto his own tangents. Certainly there is no other document like it.
This book hit close to home. I'm from El Paso and its sad to hear about the narrator's childhood memories. By the same token, it's scary and chilling. Everyone knows about the corruption that is Juarez and Mexico in general but when you read the words of someone who's lived it, it cements the stories you hear.
thought it would be more brutal. but the whole story started off dreadfully slow , had a bit of the action, then ended with church. its an autobiography so i can expect a trilling story line however, it would have been a bit more intriguing if it had more of the dirt behind the "hitman world".
Inside look from an assassin about the countless murders
that have gone on in Juarez and how corruption exists
in all areas of society in Mexico: government, military,
police, business, drug cartels. Written and compiled
by Molly Molloy, a librarian from NMSU -Las Cruces.
that have gone on in Juarez and how corruption exists
in all areas of society in Mexico: government, military,
police, business, drug cartels. Written and compiled
by Molly Molloy, a librarian from NMSU -Las Cruces.
To someone living on the border this book does not contain any revelations about the violence and brutality in Mexico, but it certainly presents the facts from a different perspective. Of course, this assumes el Sicario is not a fictional character. It is worth reading.
This is a transcript of the documentary, but reads well. If you want to understand how the drug biz works in Mexico this is a good place to begin. The "sicario" is recruited as a teen to work for the cartels-a harrowing tale of Mexico's "new slavery".
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