Kolejna porcja wiedzy o Narcos, tym razem z jakże unikalnej perspektywy syna narkobossa. Jako fan "uniwersum" Escobara przyjemnie słuchało mi się historii które znałem z perspektywy dziennikarzy czy policjantów. Zagłębiając się w owe uniwersum z tej nietypowej perspektywy, czułem z każdą minutą jak wzrasta moje uwielbienie dla relatywizmu moralnego, jednocześnie zastanawiając się jak dużo młody Escobar wybielił lub ocenzurował że względów bezpieczeństwa...

I couldn't finish it.

I got this book while touring parts of Medellin associated with Escobar's life. Listen: he's a controversial figure and did a lot of good --BUT only because he did a lot of bad; this book is tone-deaf in walking that line... praising and celebrating his success and contributions without always acknowledging that complicated situation.

Also, it's one thing to note the subject as such, but the book itself is chauvinist, homophobic, and therefore toxic when associating reverence and masculinity with power and dominance --regardless of the atrocities associated with it.

And frankly, it's boring --like reading an excel spreadsheet of names and locations. Stick with news stories, documentaries, and programs that more accurately and entertainingly profile this complicated & controversial figure.

I received a copy of this book for free through a Goodreads First Reads giveaway.

I only know the basics about Pablo Escobar: he was a drug kingpin, he was incredibly wealthy, he was ruthless and he was murdered. This book gives us a look at the family side of Escobar and, for lack of a better term, his softer side. It's an inside look from a son about his father, therefore it is rarely critical of the choices made by the father. Juan is clearly disturbed by what his father did and the havoc he created but also offers no apologies for the lavish lifestyle that havoc provided his family while growing up.

One issue that bothered me is that Juan writes with feeling and heartbreak when one of his own family members or friends is murdered because of the "drug war" in Colombia. However when Pablo orders the murder of others, including non-corrupt police and civilians/innocents, he glosses over it as just another day in the life of Pablo Escobar. He apologizes on his father's behalf for those that have lost loved ones, but it's little consolation. It would have held more weight if it had been pointed out that a portion of the proceeds of the book sales would go to some form of charity to support victims of drug violence (or violence in general) either in Colombia or his adopted home of Argentina. Perhaps some proceeds are being donated, but it should be made obvious.

All that said, I'd recommend the book for anyone interested in the history of the Colombian drug trade or in the history of Escobar in particular. It would add another level to the understanding of the man and his family life.

I have a hard time reconciling the Escobar in this book with the man that the world knows him to be. Of course this was written by his son who he loved very much. The writing was ok, but I was most interested in learning more about who Pablo was from a different perspective.