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Marching Powder
Marching Powder
paperback
Published:
30 June, 2016
paperback
Published:
30 June, 2016
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Description
'All the staples of the prison memoir are here: sadistic guards and attempted break-out, the terrors of solitary confinement, the joys of freedom . . . The result is a truly gripping piece of testimony'
Sunday Telegraph
A darkly comic, sometimes shocking account of life in San Pedro, the world's most bizarre prison, through the eyes of one bemused Englishman.
When Thomas McFadden was arrested trying to smuggle five kilos of cocaine out of Bolivia, he was flung into San Pedro prison - the strangest penitentiary system in the world. Thomas was astonished to discover that corrupt politicians and major-league drug smugglers lived in luxury apartments in one wing, while the poorer sections of the prison were too dangerous to enter after dark. Prisoners had to pay for everything: their cells, their food and their clothing, not to mention the many bribes required by the police. To survive in San Pedro you needed an income - and so prisoners turned to the trade they knew best: manufacturing cocaine. Even the prison cat was addicted to crack.
Initially mistaken for a hated American, Thomas survived numerous attempts on his life as he tried to adjust. In Marching Powder he describes his journey from despised gringo to San Pedro's most famous inmate. After trying drug dealing, shopkeeping and becoming a Mormon pastor, he hit upon the idea of giving guided tours of the prison. Thomas became legendary on the South American backpacking circuit - which is how he met young lawyer Rusty Young. Rusty was so impressed by him that he moved into the prison for three months to write his story - discovering that behind the show Thomas put on was a much darker reality, where brutality and death were common currency, and sometimes even the strongest didn't survive.
More Details
| Type | Book |
|---|---|
| ISBN13 | 9781509829408 |
| ISBN10 | 1509829407 |
| Number Of Pages | 400 |
| Item Weight | 274 g |
| Product Dimensions | 131 x 198 x 26 mm |
| Publisher / Reseller | Pan Macmillan |
| Format | paperback |
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Media Reviews
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
Astonishing real-life story of a Brit drug smuggler banged up in Bolivia's most notorious jail. -- FHM
This exotic, cautionary yarn opens the abyss beneath our wealthy world. -- Uncut
The book is filled with characters ranging from outrageous to inspiring, and Young layers on the texture – sights, sounds, smells – until we feel as though we have visited the place. Travel literature of a very special and captivating kind. -- Booklist
Author's Bio
Rusty Young is an Australian lawyer who met Thomas McFadden on a tour of San Pedro. He was so impressed by him that he stayed there (voluntarily) for three months in order to write his story, Marching Powder. Thomas McFadden is now a free man and living in Africa.