|
|
List Price: $15.00 Amazon.com's Price: $10.20 You Save: $4.80 (32%)Prices subject to change. Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
This item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping.
Binding: PaperbackDewey Decimal Number: 917.210484 EAN: 9781416534402 ISBN: 1416534407 Label: Free Press Manufacturer: Free Press Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 304 Publication Date: March 04, 2008 Publisher: Free Press Studio: Free Press Editorial Review: Product Description: Twenty miles south of the Arizona-Mexico border, the rugged, beautiful Sierra Madre mountains begin their dramatic ascent. Almost 900 miles long, the range climbs to nearly 11,000 feet and boasts several canyons deeper than the Grand Canyon. The rules of law and society have never taken hold in the Sierra Madre, which is home to bandits, drug smugglers, Mormons, cave-dwelling Tarahumara Indians, opium farmers, cowboys, and other assorted outcasts. Outsiders are not welcome; drugs are the primary source of income; murder is all but a regional pastime. The Mexican army occasionally goes in to burn marijuana and opium crops -- the modern treasure of the Sierra Madre -- but otherwise the government stays away. In its stead are the drug lords, who have made it one of the biggest drug-producing areas in the world. Fifteen years ago, journalist Richard Grant developed what he calls "an unfortunate fascination" with this lawless place. Locals warned that he would meet his death there, but he didn't believe them -- until his last trip. During his travels Grant visited a folk healer for his insomnia and was prescribed rattlesnake pills, attended bizarre religious rituals, consorted with cocaine-snorting policemen, taught English to Guarijio Indians, and dug for buried treasure. On his last visit, his reckless adventure spiraled into his own personal heart of darkness when cocaine-fueled Mexican hillbillies hunted him through the woods all night, bent on killing him for sport. With gorgeous detail, fascinating insight, and an undercurrent of dark humor, God's Middle Finger brings to vivid life a truly unique and uncharted world. Average Rating:
 Rating:  - This is MexicoAt one point in this story of the author's travels in the lawless, dangerous Sierra Madre mountains of Mexico, his hosts take him to a cliff-side mountain viewpoint; they agree with him that it is a spectacular sight, remark on how lucky they are to live in such beautiful country, and then dump their garbage over the edge of the cliff. Later, he encounters villagers venerating a statute of God Himself - but it is so old and battered that only the middle finger is left unbroken. Such contrasts make ... Read More Rating: - In Depth Ride Through Hidden MexicoAuthor Richard Grant takes us on a wild ride through a side of Mexico I had only heard rumors about. Grant maintains the perfect balance of observer, participant, and historical perspective throughout while being honest about his reactions, his at times abject terror, and the absurdity of it all. I loved the humor - sometimes at his own expense - and the vivid portraits he paints of this area of the country. The "reality" we are given of Mexico on the news, particularly through political reports, ... Read More Rating: - There are crazy people in this worldAs my title suggests, there are crazy people in this world and I am happy that I get the chance to read about them......rather than mimic there actions. This true story is based on a writers journey through one of the deadliest places in Mexico due to the wilderness and, of course, the people who live there that range from simple farmers (guess what they grow) to killers who are hiding out. The Siera Madre was virtually unknown to me with the exception of a few minor memories that were sparked when ... Read More Rating:  - Predictable, and Not That ExcitingI know, I'm not going to make any friends with this review, but, I calls 'em as I sees 'em. First, this: Nancy Perl, Seattle's celebrity librarian, has a method for deciding when to abandon a book, and for someone like me that's a serious act, akin to betrayal, but here it is - up until the age of 50 you give the author 50 pages, and if (s)he hasn't gotten to you by then you can let the book go. For every year past 50, you give the author one less page, so by the time you reach 99, if the ... Read More Rating: - A very literate thrill-seeker"So this is what it feels like to be hunted. My spine is pressed up against the bark of a pine tree. My heart hammers against my rib cage with astonishing force... The men in the truck are drunk and they have rifles and now there are other men on foot looking for me with flashlights." As you probably surmised from the above passage from the prologue, Richard Grants' GOD'S MIDDLE FINGER is not your typical travelogue; it is one gringo's trip into the band lands of Mexico's Sierra Madre ... Read More |
