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Title: Doctor Dealer: The Rise and Fall of an All-American Boy and His Multimillion-Dollar Cocaine Empire by Mark Bowden ISBN: 0-8021-3757-1 Publisher: Grove Press Pub. Date: 30 November, 2000 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.71 (7 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Essential Companion Piece With "Killing Pablo"
Comment: If you have never read a book my Mark Bowden, start right now. This guy is to current events what Ken Burns is to documentaries; he can take any subject, dig into it, and narrate in a compelling way that few people can.
I highly recommend reading "Dr Dealer" and then follow it up with "Killing Pablo." Originally written in 1987 (this edition has a 2001 epilogue), Bowden follows an unlikely cocaine dealer in Larry Lavin, a preppy dental student who loves the maverick thrill of coke dealing, yet also enjoys the high-scale suburban American lifestyle. This book emphasizes Lavin's naive rationale that while cocaine is illegal, it is a high society party drug that was accepted by a wide variety of socialites (remember when it was called the "Champagne of Drugs?"), and figured that he wasn't hurting anybody by supplying it to people who sought it out. And that seems to be the consensus of his fellow upscale dealers and clients, up until their arrests. "Who are we hurting" seems to be the dealers' key question.
Which is why "Killing Pablo" is a great companion piece to "Doctor Dealer." The story of the hunt for Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar paints a polar opposite portrayal of the cocaine trade. There are no preppy dentists, no white-collar style arrests; you see a multitude of Colombian citizens, from police to politicians to everyday folks from every walk of life, murdered by Colombian drug cartels. It is a brutal answer to the "Who are we hurting?" question, and Bowden does that very well.
Larry Lavin is a fascinating character, but not to the point that you feel sympathy for him. The more he succeeds in the illegal drug trade, the more arrogant he becomes, and the more risks he takes. On the other hand, he is not a ruthless Pablo Escobar who executes every "John Q Citizen" that he thinks might dislike him. In fact, he never kills anyone, nor even roughs anybody up. There are segments where you see some very likable and sincerely charitable sides of Larry Lavin, but they are overshadowed by the con that he truly is.
Bowden very successfully illustrates all of Lavin's fellow dealers, family and underlings, and which ones had a hand in his undoing and why. You see eccentric socialite Mark Stewart con the cons, and you will shake your head in disbelief and frustration when reading about Lavin's wife Marcia, how she stands by her man.
If it weren't for a few of the key players' fumbles, one might wonder if Larry Lavin would have eventually walked away from the cocaine trade unscathed. And while covered only minutely, you will see what role Frankie Smith played in exposing Larry Lavin and Co. to the IRS (yes, the same Frankie Smith who recorded "The Double Dutch Bus!")Mark Bowden even talks about his own personal opportunity to deal marijuana in college (which is how Larry Lavin started) and the temptation to make that quick money, but wisely deciding against it, leaving him years later to wonder if he could have stumbled into the same dangerous trap Larry Lavin thrust himself into.
This is just one of Mark Bowden's great works, and a good place to start if you want to add them to your library.
Rating: 5
Summary: Not the Typical Drug Dealer Book
Comment: This book was the first drug related book I ever read, it initially got me interested in the subject about two years ago. The original book was called Dr. Snow, which was about a doctor who became a marijuana dealer while in college to pay his way through school, but soon evolved into a multi-million dollar paranoid cocaine dealer. It's an informative book with lots of details, just what I like, on how he did he business (I think it really brings out the true life guy next door image). It tells how evaded the authorities and set up a whole new life with his family, only to be brought down by a snitching best friend. If there's one thing I've learned throughout my reading it's not to trust anyone, because they will turn. As close as you may be, as long as you have known them, when they're looking jail time square in the eyes, they're going to roll over to knock off a few precious years. Enjoy the book!
Rating: 5
Summary: Another winner from Mark Bowden - Highly recommended.
Comment: If you're a fan of Mark Bowden's, add this book to your collection. I was hooked from page 1 until the end. I believe this book was even better then Black Hawk Down (if you can believe that!). I thought the length of the book would provide tiring details about unimportant aspects of the story. Not true. This was a very focused book and I had no trouble keeping high interest througout.
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Title: Killing Pablo: The Hunt for the World's Greatest Outlaw by Mark Bowden ISBN: 0142000957 Publisher: Penguin USA (Paper) Pub. Date: 02 April, 2002 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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Title: Drug Smuggling : The Forbidden Book by K. Hawkeye Gross ISBN: 0873646851 Publisher: Paladin Press Pub. Date: September, 1992 List Price(USD): $20.00 |
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Title: Finders Keepers: The Story of a Man Who Found $1 Million by Mark Bowden ISBN: 0802140211 Publisher: Grove Press Pub. Date: October, 2003 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
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Title: Drug Lord, the Life and Death of a Mexican Kingpin by Terrence E. Poppa, Peter Lupsha ISBN: 0966443004 Publisher: Demand Publications Pub. Date: 23 February, 1998 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
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Title: BLOW: How a Small-Town Boy Made $100 Million with the Medellin Cocaine Cartel and Lost It All by Bruce Porter ISBN: 0312267126 Publisher: Griffin Trade Paperback Pub. Date: 21 March, 2001 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
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