So a lot of people are going to say this book talks about the blood and death that circled Pablo Escobar but in reality this book is more than that. It takes about the politics, the family, the love, and the passion of a man who grew up in the slums and refused to accept the norm. It makes a point to touch upon the things that El Patrón did for the people of Columbia and how they loved him. It touches on the fact the El Patrón was full of love and passion for his country and did many things to try to make things better. In the end it talks about the governments involvement in it all. From the drug trade to his death the government played a part and in some cases it was not legal but this is the life the people of Columbia lived during that time and to my knowledge they still live today. If you are looking for a book to read that will educate you on something that is usually brushed under the table this is the book. Roberto Escobar (Pablo's brother) shows you the many sides of life during this time and talks about the love he had and will always have for his brother. I love this book! Interesting story from an insider about the Medellin cartel.Roberto Escobar is the brother of the infamous head of the Medellin cartel, Pablo Escobar. He paints a loving picture of his brother. This is to be expected. He says he knows that Pablo was a killer but not a ruthless killer. He paints a rosy picture of his brother. This is definitely a one-sided story. I would agree, though, that (1) Pablo did spend his money for the improvement of the local Columbians and (2) the Columbian extradition laws favored the United States and (3) killing Pablo did not stop or slow down the cocaine smuggling into the U.S.Roberto had a good life with a legitimate business of making and selling bicycles before entering the drug business as the "accountant". His job was to hide and launder the money which he did a good job of it. He was also an engineer so he helped build contraptions to smuggle the drugs and money. His inspiration was the James Bond movies. Life was good until the new extradition laws allowing Columbia to extradite their citizens to the U.S. for breaking U.S. laws. As Pablo Escobar would say "better a grave in Columbia than a jail cell in the U.S.".I wasn't familiar with all the drug kings or the Medellin cartel so I had to research some of them to learn more and "fact check" Roberto's story. In this book, he pointed out several times that Carlos Lehder, another Medellin drug smuggler, was extradited to the U.S. and received a sentence of life plus 135 years. Yes, this is true but it was reduced to 55 years which was never mentioned in the book.Sad to hear that either the Columbian government or the Cali cartel (or both) tried to kill Roberto while he was in prison. The bomb didn't kill him but he was blinded for several years.Interesting story as long as you realize it's one-sided.
What do You think about Accountant's Story (2009)?
Very enlightening to the inner workings of the Columbian drug cartels.
—bursucei
Interesting life, jumpy writing. The time line is hard to follow.
—Dev
