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God's Middle Finger: Into the Lawless Heart of the Sierra Madre | 
 enlarge | Author: Richard Grant
Publisher: Free Press
Category: Book
List Price: $15.00
Buy New: $7.99
You Save: $7.01 (47%)
New (23) from $7.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  16 reviews
Sales Rank: 10444
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 304
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.9
ISBN: 1416534407
Dewey Decimal Number: 917.210484
EAN: 9781416534402
ASIN: 1416534407
Publication Date: March 4, 2008
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Twenty miles south of the Arizona-Mexico border, the rugged, beautiful Sierra Madre mountains begin their dramatic ascent. Almost 900 miles long, the range climbs to nearly 11,000 feet and boasts several canyons deeper than the Grand Canyon. The rules of law and society have never taken hold in the Sierra Madre, which is home to bandits, drug smugglers, Mormons, cave-dwelling Tarahumara Indians, opium farmers, cowboys, and other assorted outcasts. Outsiders are not welcome; drugs are the primary source of income; murder is all but a regional pastime. The Mexican army occasionally goes in to burn marijuana and opium crops -- the modern treasure of the Sierra Madre -- but otherwise the government stays away. In its stead are the drug lords, who have made it one of the biggest drug-producing areas in the world.Fifteen years ago, journalist Richard Grant developed what he calls "an unfortunate fascination" with this lawless place. Locals warned that he would meet his death there, but he didn't believe them -- until his last trip. During his travels Grant visited a folk healer for his insomnia and was prescribed rattlesnake pills, attended bizarre religious rituals, consorted with cocaine-snorting policemen, taught English to Guarijio Indians, and dug for buried treasure. On his last visit, his reckless adventure spiraled into his own personal heart of darkness when cocaine-fueled Mexican hillbillies hunted him through the woods all night, bent on killing him for sport. With gorgeous detail, fascinating insight, and an undercurrent of dark humor, God's Middle Finger brings to vivid life a truly unique and uncharted world.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 11 more reviews...
 An okay read....... August 21, 2008
It's difficult trying to decide how to review this book. It's a good enough read but completely disjointed. I've read a bit about the area in the past so nothing here was completely new. The writer's attitude and premise gives me a problem. There is too much of the "I can only live if I'm living completely on the edge" here. Pretentious? Is that the word? He spends most of the book impressing on the reader how dangerous the Sierra is to the extreme! This is stressed on almost every page. And when he is faced with it first hand he puts his tail between his legs and scrams for the border. So much for living on the edge! It's an okay read, I guess, but there is something of the childish amateur about the writer that will put me off reading anything else he writes or has written.
 A failed state explained: July 24, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
If you have ever been to or thought about going to Mexico: first read this book. You might change your mind. Mexico is a failed lawless state and the book is quite clear about the danger there. Whatever illusions you have about oppressed campesinos will quickly be dispelled. Any thought you may have had about glamour in the drug trade will also be dashed. Instead you will have a birds eye view about a dangerous (in the extreme) lawless land that unfortunately borders the U.S. This is a stomach churning page turner that happens to be true. Read it. Enjoy Mexico in your local Tex-Mex restaurant instead.
 The author displays his eggs in this travel adventure July 6, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I am always favorably impressed when I find a book with impeccable research at its core. That's the case with GOD'S MIDDLE FINGER: INTO THE HEART OF THE SIERRA MADRE. [...]
The Sierra Madre is an expanse of gnarly ridges, towering peaks, immense canyons, and high desert landscapes all scrunched into a 200-mile wide by 900-mile long swath that runs south in Mexico starting just below the US border states of Arizona and New Mexico. It is a violent and shadowy area inhabited by drug growers, narcotics traffickers, bandits, Indians, and poverty-stricken natives trying to hold on to a scruffy existence. And Grant can't wait to get in the middle of all this loveliness to explore its intriguing history.
Warned about traveling in the wilds of the Sierra Madre where strangers are not welcome and often murdered, Grant thumbed his nose at the concerns, survived, and has written a compelling story of his adventures. He sought out unusual folk healing processes, strange religious practices, exotic food and drink (including mind altering recreational snacks), corrupt law enforcement officials, narcotics bigwigs, and macho bullies to get perspective on living tough in the neighborhood. In general, he just prowled around with his notebook, sometimes violating preferred guest behavior, and recording the reception he was given. Most of the time it was unfriendly.
You'll find the author's audacity somewhat startling and will be amazed at his willingness to venture into uncomfortable situations. I kept turning the pages wondering when he was going to get the ass-kicking (or worse) that he seemed to be inviting. I'm not going to tell you whether or not it happened, because this is a book of suspense and I don't want to ruin it for you.
a remarkable, funny, and terrifying read. buy it. it'll be your favorite book of the summer. June 29, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
When I first saw this book in my local bookstore, I was prepared to be be offended by the title alone...until I read what the title means to the author. Yes, there is a statue of God used during the Holy Week in the Sierra Madre where God has fallen so many times that he's left with one finger, giving Him the appearance of flipping the bird. At the same time, I'm sure that the author (Grant) literally felt like he was being flipped off by God as he goes from one terrifying encounter to another, including literally being hunted by coke fueled bandits just for the sport of it.
Grant has captured a world of beauty and danger. His descriptions of the landscapes and of the innocent locals that live in this lawless, seemingly God-forgotten region of the world are inspired. An easy and enjoyable book to read. It's terrifying to know that these kinds of events are taking place mere miles from the border of my home state of AZ and that many of these characters are regularly in the Tucson and PHX area. And Grant so easily conveys both the beauty and the terror that co-exist in this region of Mexico. But be warned: this book will make you think twice about heading into Mexico. I was so intrigued that I wanted to jump into my car and head south of the border to see for myself some of the things that Grant relays in this book. At the very same time, I'm tempted to never set foot in Mexico ever again for fear of encountering some of the horrifying characters Grant so effortlessly describes. Buy this book. You'll love every single page.
Simply a good read. June 21, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
When I first came across this book, I sort of pictured the story of a foolish quest by a white man way over his head in some of the most dangerous parts of Mexico. I imagined that the title of the book reflected his hardships while doing hands-on research for God's Middle Finger, leaving the author wondering why exactly he decided to travel one of the most violent places in North America - alone - to begin with, with comical results for the reader. While the story does certainly touch on some dangerous encounters, I was instead surprised to see that the title is more of a reflection of life in rural Mexico; it's as if God himself turned a blind eye to this land and the poverty and violence is reflected in the people there.
God's Middle Finger certainly has its comical elements to it but what I most got out of reading this was the amazing contrast between the lives of Mexicans and those of us Americans right across the border. Life in rural Mexico is difficult, brutal, unforgiving, and spontaneously violent. To balance out the many hardships faced, Mexicans overindulge in alcohol, cocaine, and religious festivities involving a laughably large amount of the two.
The book is almost a perfect length, with a lot of ground covered in the story and never is there a point where it feels as though the author is dwelling too much on a certain point. Despite describing quite successfully the brutal and difficult lives Mexicans face, Grant never comes across as preachy, or that the rest of us are spoiled for enjoying much less violent lives. In fact, on a few occasions he reacts with scorn towards the absurd level of machoism that Meixcan men display, and their often callous disregard for human life.
The only reason I gave this book four stars as opposed to five is due to its abrupt ending. After returning from Mexico, I expected Grant to give us at least a quick chapter of reflections on his experience in the Sierra Madre, but instead I turned the page to find the bibliography and wondering "what happened next??" Nevertheless, this is one of the most entertaining books I've read in some time, and I'll definitely be checking out more of Grant's work.
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