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Marching Powder
 
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Marching Powder (Paperback)

by Rusty Young (Author)
4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (47 customer reviews)
RRP: £7.99
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Product details

  • Paperback: 320 pages
  • Publisher: Pan; New edition edition (2 Jul 2004)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0330419587
  • ISBN-13: 978-0330419581
  • Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.8 x 2.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (47 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 1,772 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories:

    #1 in  Books > Society, Politics & Philosophy > Social Sciences > Law & Disorder > Punishment
    #1 in  Books > Travel & Holiday > Countries & Regions > Central & South America
    #5 in  Books > Biography > True Crime

Product Description

Review

Thomas McFadden was a minor drugs dealer in Bolivia who was summarily arrested and thrown into jail, the notorious San Pedro Prison. Within the grim walls of the corrupt institution, he discovered a world which mirrored many of the wrongs of South American society at large: bribery, drugs, intimidation and violence at every level. McFadden needed to raise $5,000 to get released and how he managed this - for instance, by giving backpackers tours of the prison - is much of the story. Inevitably, Marching Powder recalls the nightmarish world of Midnight Express, but is sufficiently different in its own right to remain compelling. Young's account was written partly during a three-month stay with the unfortunate McFadden and reeks of authenticity. Not for the faint-hearted, perhaps, but those who enjoyed Killing Pablo may see this often surreal history as some sort of follow- up and it should do well. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.


Product Description

MARCHING POWDER is the story of Thomas McFadden, a small-time English drug smuggler who was arrested in Bolivia and thrown inside the notorious San Pedro prison. He found himself in a bizarre world, the prison reflecting all that is wrong with South American society. Prisoners have to pay an entrance fee and buy their own cells (the alternative is to sleep outside and die of exposure), prisoners' wives and children often live inside too, high quality cocaine is manufactured and sold from the prison.

Thomas ended up making a living by giving backpackers tours of the prison - he became a fixture on the backpacking circuit and was named in the Lonely Planet guide to Bolivia. When he was told that for a bribe of $5000 his sentence could be overturned, it was the many backpackers who'd passed through who sent him the money. Sometimes shocking, sometimes funny, MARCHING POWDER is an always riveting story of survival.

‘All the staples of the prison memoir are here: sadistic guards, an attempted break-out, the terrors of solitary confinement, the joys of freedom . . . The result is a truly gripping piece of testimony’ Sunday Telegraph

‘This exotic, cautionary yarn opens the abyss beneath our wealthy world’ Uncut


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Customer Reviews

47 Reviews
5 star:
 (37)
4 star:
 (7)
3 star:
 (3)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.7 out of 5 stars (47 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
24 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Money talks!, 13 Dec 2004
It's a kinda Bolivian version of the book 'The damage is done'. Although life inside San Pedro prison is somewhat different in many ways.. Money talks! Inmates buy and sell their own cells, manufacture coke, bribe anyone to get whatever they need and make a little extra cash from backpackers tours of the prison.
Thomas McFadden is a convicted British drug dealer who lived here for 5years.

A truly fantastic read, and Rusty Young certainly takes you into the bizarre prison with every chapter..

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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Another World, 28 Jul 2008
By M. Edney "Board Reader" (Wales, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Many people have said good things about this book and they're mostly true. Marching Powder takes the reader into another world. Surreal and dystopian, this is travel as you don't want it! If you've missed it so far, read it when you can.
For another view across the world, try Escape by David McMillan. There, we have the true life story of just about the only Westerner to break out of one of the infamous hell-hole prisons.
Escape: The True Story of the Only Westerner Ever to Break Out of the Bangkok Hilton
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Worth the read, 27 April 2008
By Coco (Brazil) - See all my reviews
Just to provide a bit of balance to some of the reviews below... this is no Papillion. It's not particularly well written and is often disjointed while you get the feeling that the account is rather selective. Some stories could do with elaboration while others could have been ommitted. This not with standing, it is an interesting story and gives some fascinating insight into the crazy world of a Bolivian prison.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Marching Powder
If one book got me back into reading it was this. A book that I now have passed on to my son, now he might get the bug! Read more
Published 6 days ago by Andy Man

3.0 out of 5 stars Of interest but limited
Interesting in parts but I agree with a previous comment - this is no Papillon.
Published 11 days ago by Demosthenes

5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating read!
I had to keep reminding myself that this book wasn't fiction! Marching Powder paints the intricate world inside San Pedro Prison, one as far removed and fascinating as deep space... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Anita McAree

5.0 out of 5 stars Gripping Read!
I loved this book. All I'll say is that it was fantastic and well worth the read, it makes you open your eyes a little wider. Ok, its no literacy gem but who cares? Read more
Published 1 month ago by C. Butt

5.0 out of 5 stars Must Read!!!
I have just finished reading this book - Amazing. Like lots of the others I couldnt put this book down. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Ms. L. S. Sparling

5.0 out of 5 stars marching powder rusty young
This is one of the best books i have ever read i couldnt put it down a really good read that leaves you wanting more. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Lynsey Cairnes

5.0 out of 5 stars Unbelievable, Gripping, Fantastic
This is by far one of the most absorbing books I have ever read. Every chapter will have you either laughing, shaking your head in disbelief, tutting or cringing. Read more
Published 4 months ago by H. Moore

5.0 out of 5 stars Marching Powder
If you are thinking of drug smuggling then this is the book to read. Them thoughts will leave your head straight away, Great book.
Published 5 months ago by S. Hill

5.0 out of 5 stars Best book this year...
I really enjoy this book. I bought it to improve my english and to read something interesting. Both work perfectly.
Published 5 months ago by Ivan Staffen

3.0 out of 5 stars Morally wrong, yet a gripping read
This is not a book that I would ever choose, but my book group picked it, so I read it. As a prison memoir/biog it is a gripping and interesting read, but the bizarre and totally... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Annabel Gaskell

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