Just finished the “Power of the Dog” trilogy by Don Winslow

Submitted by TacticalMongoose t3_10l87fg in books

Wow, blown away by such an incredible series. A page turner in the most literal sense, I couldn’t put any of the three books down upon reading. An epic in the truest sense detailing the US war on drugs, from its beginning in the poppy fields of Sinaloa during the 1970’s to the streets of Harlem in modern day. Would highly recommend the book to anyone who is curious to know more about the war on drugs, and the innocents who are caught in the crossfire between crooked cops, vicious gangs, and a corrupt system that’s failed entire nations.

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StoicIndian87 t1_j5v6l4x wrote

Absolutely sensational book isn't it? It's meticulously researched and almost reads like historical fiction since the author has changed names of main characters. The whole Trilogy is excellent

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TacticalMongoose OP t1_j5v7na0 wrote

I couldn’t believe how true to life it was as well! Constantly I was in disbelief about an event in the story, ended up googling it, and finding out it was something that actually happened. Sicarios disguised as clowns, the train of death, guatemalan death squads trained by US Army Rangers and Green Berets? I was in disbelief

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StoicIndian87 t1_j5v85hi wrote

Exactly and I learned so much. Narcos looked like child's play.

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RainbowPandaDK t1_j5vvf88 wrote

Great books. Read them all in 2021. The last one was the weakest, but it was mainly cause I didn't care for the, at times, American setting. Also I was hoping for more Mencho stuff.

La barbie/narco polo(did they call him Eddie in the books?) Is such a mystery to me. Almost did my masters thesis in criminology on him. Considering he doesn't really fit the bill on most(if any) criminology theories.

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TacticalMongoose OP t1_j5yxpxm wrote

Do you mind elaborating a bit on criminology theories and narco polo?

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RainbowPandaDK t1_j5z01op wrote

In short. The dude was upper middle class. American. Well off family. Star athlete etc. He doesn't fit the general idea of who people join "gangs" or organized crime.

Usually it will fall into subculture theory, meaning, in short, that your peers and the authority people around you don't acknowledge or respect you(for example cause they lack skills in school) and you basically don't live up to the standard norm and value systems of society. Instead you form a subculture with like minded people where norm systems and values are of a whole different category(in this case the more violent you are and the better you are at crime, the more your peers value and respect you).

Another idea would be that of anomy and strain theory. Again, in short, everybody has an idea of what "the good life is" or the "American dream" if you will. However, some people are blocked from getting this through legitimate means. Either cause of societal structures or cause they lack the neccesarily skills(often referred to as capital). This causes strain on their lives, so they seek to eliminate that strain and have "what we have" through other means(crime).

The guy lacked neither. He was perfectly tracked towards a normal life with well off parents. You could argue he did it for sneaky thrills(though that's most common when related to petty crime like shoplifting) or that he is simply a complete sociopath.

Think about all the other cartel figures. They usually came from literally nothing(or it becomes a generational thing where the sons carry on the enterprise). But that guy, he simply doesn't fit The bill.

I almost wrote him a letter angling for an interview, to base my masters thesis on him. But my academic advisor thought it to be a bad idea to potentially put myself in danger, however minor the chance would be(my advisors wife is Mexican, so he had some insight)

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TacticalMongoose OP t1_j5zc4zm wrote

Huh, I never really connected the dots like that regarding La barbie and his privileged early life. Super interesting to think about, how some privileged Chicano football player ends up as a key figure in mexicos drug cartels. Probably made the right choice not to send him a letter though 😂 very interesting read though, thanks for sharing!

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CrispyCracklin t1_j5vgl7x wrote

I only read The Border (nothing on the book indicated it was part of a trilogy or I would have started at the beginning!), but it blew me away too. Rarely has a book come so vividly to life in my mind, probably since most of it actually happened, hah. So much work must have gone into the series, and it was obviously worth it.

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smockinCBJ t1_j5wbf66 wrote

Completely engrossing reads. I think I knocked out the border in one weekend. I’m going to give city on fire a try next

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Tacos_Rock t1_j5x11nb wrote

The Winter of Frankie Machine is also a great read of his.

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pragmatick t1_j5yirol wrote

Absolutely agree, one of the best thrillers I've every read. Not for the faint hearted, though.

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rudebish t1_j5yupme wrote

FINALLY someone has posted about this; I always recommend this series and I wonder why it's not as popular as it should be because it's excellent.

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bighairydinosaur t1_j5yp410 wrote

Loved those books. The first was my favourite, and I don't think that Winslow has done anything close to that quality before or since.

I just finished Age of Vice by Deepti Kapoor and it really reminded me of this trilogy. Might be worth checking out.

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lucia-pacciola t1_j5zmzhe wrote

I've been loving all of Don Winslow's stuff. Even Savages. Even the movie adaptation of Savages.

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Wilforks t1_j60bdwv wrote

Everything Winslow releases is an immediate but for me. He’s not some great author, but I never fail to have a good time reading his books. The Rhode Island gangster book he came out with last year was good too, I think he’s making that into a series or at least writing a sequel.

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Radiant-Signature879 t1_j61mh92 wrote

This trilogy ripped me apart!! I am yet to finish the third book. I had to put it down. I just couldn’t take it. But I would highly recommend the series to anyone. It’s so raw and engrossing.

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