Beyond Bogota: Diary of a Drug War Journalist in Colombia
In this arresting hybrid of journalism and memoir Leech relates his experiences investigating political, economic, and drug-related stories throughout Latin America. The narrative is organized into 11 chapters, which parallel the 11 hours Leech was detained by the FARC, a Colombian guerrilla group, in 2006. Each chapter begins with details of Leech's captivity, which serve as introductions to broader stories, including the civil unrest and massacres in 1980s El Salvador; his meetings with government officials and paramilitary and guerrilla groups vying for power in Panama, Colombia, and other nearby countries; and the wavering effectiveness of the U.S. war on drugs. Along the way, Leech highlights the rampant human-rights violations in the region, the fumigation of cocaine plants, which also destroys other crops, and the large displaced civilian populations often caught in the cross fire. This enlightening book, which mixes a readable level of detail and background with personal narrative, should be in every library, public and academic.—Sarah Statz Cords, Reader's Advisor OnlineCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.