Book Review: Narcas

Deborah Bonello, Narcas: the Secret Rise of Women in Latin America's Cartels. Boston, MA: Beacon Press, 2023. ISBN: 9780807007044.

Genre: women, true crime

Subgenre: drug trade, gender studies, Latin America

Format: e-book galley

Source: Edelweiss Plus.

 

Odds are good many people have heard of drug lords like Pablo Escobar and Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman. Perhaps they have even heard of El Chapo's sons, known often as Los Chapitos. Yet not many have heard about the strong and powerful women of the drug trade, some just as fearsome as the men. Deborah Bonello does the research and brings us the stories of some of these women. 

The book includes an author's note, an introduction, seven chapters, a conclusion, and notes for documentation. Each chapter presents the story of one or more of these prominent yet hidden women and/or a broader look at women's roles in the drugs underworld. We get to meet women such as Doña Digna, leader of the Valle Cartel, and Guadalupe Fernandez Valencia, one of El Chapo's closest confidants. Never heard of them you say? That may be by design for these narcas often navigate under the radar and out of the spotlight. 

This is a very interesting book to read full of many revelations. The author clearly put in the work and wrote a compelling set of stories, real life stories. She combines interviews with as many sources as possible, research into court documents, and secondary sources from reports and government documents. You can check out the book's notes to see the many sources used. 

The book is not just the women's stories. The author also finds new insights and lessons about women, their roles, choices, and behaviors within the very macho and patriarchal world of the drug trade. These women go way beyond the common victim, girlfriend, lover stereotypes. Along the way, the author asks questions about them, about gender roles, and about the readers and our perceptions of these women. These women prove that often they can be just as ruthless, violent, and evil as the men. Evil is an equal opportunity trait. 

The narrative is good and well paced. The book is a relatively easy read, but it is a substantial book that not only explore the topic but also asks essential questions. The author does a great job bringing the women to life. It is just a sampling for, as the author points out. there are many other criminal women working in the shadows and keeping low profiles. 

Overall, this is a great read and a well researched book. Fans of the true crime genre will likely enjoy it. I would say readers interested in women and gender studies may find it of interest as well. I recommend it for public libraries. I also recommend it for some academic libraries for programs in criminal justice and women and gender studies. This was well worth reading.

5 out of 5 stars. 

Additional reading notes: 

Don't assume women can't be violent: 

"The patriarchy of the cartels seems very real, but to assume women don't have the capacity for violence or a thirst for power and status is just another narrow gender stereotype that grossly misunderstands and underestimates women and their role in the social order" (6). 

 

On the Catholic church and narcos: 

"But I kept reminding myself how the Catholic Church remains one of the few institutions that drug trafficking royalty in the region respects-- over and above the government" (16). 

 

Drug cartels may only appear noble locally: 

"The Valles' rapid consolidation of power mutated their role: first they were benefactors and providers, but they soon became violent oppressors" (26). 

 

What motives the author's work: 

"My work is motivated by and a product of my position as a woman in the world. When I'm researching, I want to speak to the women in the room, and when I speak to the men, it's about their relationship with and views of those women" (37). 

 

This book qualifies for the following 2023 Reading Challenge: