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 enlarge | Author: Richard Grant
Publisher: Free Press
Category: Book
List Price: $15.00
Buy New: $7.99
You Save: $7.01 (47%)
New (22) from $7.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  16 reviews
Sales Rank: 9869
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
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: New book but is a remainder copy with light shelfwear to cover. Book is crisp and clean--no remainder mark. Ships quickly in a padded envelope.
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| Customer Reviews:
 better than good June 13, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This book is just unusually good. I live in NC and picked it up on a visit to Tucson as a popular "local interest" kind of thing and was not expecting to be this blown away. It's easily one of the most exciting books I've ever read. I've recommended it to friends and relatives ad naseum and I look forward to reading Grant's previous and future work.
GREAT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! June 9, 2008
Why doesn't he write more books ????? Come on Richard, you are great.
I am loving this one as I loved Ghost Riders. WRITE MORE! Now.
No thanks. May 27, 2008
1 out of 4 found this review helpful
For many years since reading John Reed's "Insurgent Mexico" I have dreamed of traveling northern Mexico (and seeing the "real Mexico") as did Richard Grant. His book is a wondrous picture of the Sierra Madre which enthralled me, but also-- along with news reports, etc.-- completely cured me of any desire to visit that country.
P.S. From the final paragraph:
"I drove out of the mountains and then north across the plains and deserts and I didn't stop driving for fifteen hours until I was in striking distance of the U.S. border...I never wanted to set foot in the Sierra Madre again. The mean drunken hillbillies who lived up there could all feud themselves into extinction and burn in hell. I was out of courage, out of patience, out of compassion. They were sons of their whoring mothers, who had been fornicating with dogs."
Now you understand better my comment about being cured of any desire to travel in Mexico...
 Humbling. A reason to be grateful you live in America. May 10, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Grant does a superb job describing the culture and personalities he meets along the way. The story can come across unbelievable, unless you have visited any parts of "real" Mexico. Parts of the book are funny, scary, depressing, and a range of other various emotions from page to page.
It is hard to imagine that people live in countries and areas in countries like this all over the world. As an American it makes you feel grateful to live in a country where a woman has rights, bandits aren't lurking on every highway, and AK-47's aren't the common travel accessory.
Good author and a great read. I look forward to reading more of his work.
T.
Fear and Loathing in the Sierra Madre April 28, 2008
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
This book has touches of gonzo but manages to be a profound and relevant look into the heart of darkness that is Mexico. (America has its own H.O. D. but its quite different) I grew up in Venezuela and travelled in both Mexico and Spain for work. While I never had any trouble, my American cousin and her British boyfriend were stripped of everything in less than 24 hours in Mexico City a year after I had been there. This is the book for anyone who has ever been to Mexico and is shocked by the poverty and wonders what the heck is going on. It is also an insightful book for anyone who owns a business and employs people from Mexico. It explores issues that extend beyond the Sierra Madre into the culture as a whole, such as the pervasive machismo, sexism, etc. Richard Grant is a great tour guide in that he is an accurate observer, has the right amount of humor and moral discrimination, and isn't afraid to give an overview to the culture and history and anchor his story in reality, for all the surreal touches. My family has lived in Arizona and had land near the border for over 50 years but in the last few years there has been an unprecedented number of illegals coming over our land, leaving clothes, underwear, water bottles while they wait in the night to get around the checkpoint just up the highway. They've made off with tractors, guns, horses, all kinds of stuff. A book like this does a lot towards answering my questions - like how much money does get sent back to Mexico and what are the number one and number two sources of income in Mexico? Plus its extremely well written. Apparently it has produced some controversy by people who are offended by the portrayal of the Sierra Madre as dangerous. That is kind of crazy because I know native Mexicans who tell me all kinds of stories about people being held up by bandits and how dangerous it is. Its definitely a place where anything can happen. Of course, this is true of life in general. This should be required reading - its quite educational.
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