Reviews with content warning for Gun violence - Some People Need Killing: A Memoir of Murder in My Country

Utterly harrowing and haunting. Not my "typical" type of read but was prompted to give it a go as it's on the longlist for the women's prize for non fiction 2024. This investigative journalistic memoir was eyeopening. I was shocked and horrified throughout, at the many eyewitness testimonies and pure grief families suffered during the drug war was relentless.
This book is not for the fainthearted. I was in such a state of horror throughout reading it did make me slightly disconnect from the book, but that definetly is on me.
I didn't jell with the occasional passages on language and definitions, I think this was just my personal preference and I was in a state of overwhelm, so wasn't able to digest these sections (and some of the stories of killings) as much as I wanted too.
I learnt alot from this book and made me question how precarious democracy is and how anybody's life can easily change due to extreme political power.

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annamusgraves's review against another edition

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challenging dark informative sad tense slow-paced

4.75

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mollylovesbooks's review against another edition

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challenging dark informative reflective slow-paced

4.0

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omgsynecdoche's review against another edition

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dark informative reflective medium-paced

3.5

This is a thought-provoking piece about the state of not only the Philippines but also its people. In the midst of a “war on drugs” declared by a former president, there is a need to examine the casualties, and whether they were indeed enemies or simply collateral damage.

Evangelista’s writing remains to be sharp yet poetic at the same time. I found especially interesting the way she paralleled the (re)birth of Philippine democracy 30+ years ago and the death of literally thousands of Filipinos. A must-read if you’re Filipino, by blood, by law, or just at heart.

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cheruphim's review against another edition

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5.0

Beautifully written, and chilling. This book details the presidency of Rodrigo Duterte in the Phillipines, from 2016 to 2022, and the casualties that resulted from his 'War on Drugs'. As someone from the United States, this book was highly informative and sobering. It reminds its readers of the real human cost that incurs when a presidency declares how they're dedicated to 'cleaning up the streets'. It's reminiscent of Nixon's war on drugs, on former NYC mayor Rudy Giuliani's war on drugs, on George H.W. Bush's war on drugs, and is probably where Duterte got his inspiration.

I wish nothing but the best for the writer, and hope she is doing well.

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owmyleg's review against another edition

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4.75

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isthisbooktaken's review against another edition

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dark informative sad tense medium-paced

4.25

I caught the last minute of Evangelista’s NPR interview and was impelled to read this book. This was a very heavy read. You should expect to feel frustrated and angry and heartbroken reading this book. You may find yourself continuously stopping to put the book down, take a deep breath, and process like I had to. Regardless of the weight, it is important to bear witness to this careful documentation of violence, corruption, and injustice during the Philippines’ drug war.

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