Narcoland

The product of five years’ investigative reporting, the subject of intense national controversy,

and the source of death threats that forced the National Human Rights Commission to assign

two full-time bodyguards to its author, Anabel Hernández, Narcoland  has been a publishing

and political sensation in Mexico.

The definitive history of the drug cartels,  Narcoland takes readers to the front lines of the

“war on drugs,” which has so far cost more than 60,000 lives in just six years. Hernández explains

in riveting detail how Mexico became a base for the mega-cartels of Latin America and one of the

most violent places on the planet. At every turn, Hernández names names—not just the narcos,

but also the politicians, functionaries, judges and entrepreneurs who have collaborated with them.

In doing so, she reveals the mind-boggling depth of corruption in Mexico’s government

and business elite.

Hernández became a journalist after her father was kidnapped and killed and the police refused

to investigate without a bribe. She gained national prominence in 2001 with her exposure

of excess and misconduct at the presidential palace, and previous books have focused on

criminality at the summit of power, under presidents Vicente Fox and Felipe Calderón.

In awarding Hernández the 2012 Golden Pen of Freedom, the World Association of Newspapers

and News Publishers noted, “Mexico has become one of the most dangerous countries in the

world for journalists, with violence and impunity remaining major challenges in terms of press

freedom. In making this award, we recognize the strong stance Ms. Hernández has taken, at great

personal risk, against drug cartels.”

From the Hardcover edition.