A review by hooliaquoolia
Midnight in Mexico: A Reporter's Journey Through a Country's Descent into Darkness by Alfredo Corchado

4.0

The negative reviews for this one confuse me, perhaps because this book is being mislabeled as a research-heavy narco encyclopedia. This is more of a memoir than a collection of journalism, and the writing is a little melodramatic at times, but I can't think of subject matter more suited to it than the drug wars along the US-Mexico border. Corchado's writing of Mexican-American/mexicamericano identity, history, and culture against the backdrop of the military/political tensions that have spiked along the Rio Grande since the beginning of the century is a breath of fresh air in the current climate. I lived in border regions for years and I can remember a lot of what was mentioned in the book, but from a different vantage point, and it's eye-opening to read about it from someone who was on the front lines. We too easily forget our history on that border and it's fatal to all involved.