Gangster Warlords by Ioan Grillo is not a book for the faint of heart. It is violent, brutal, horrifying, gruesome, and terrifyingly real. Ioan Grillo embarked on a journey from the slums of the favelas in Brazil to the ostentatious tombs of Mexican kingpins.
Each gang had its own unique reason for existing, but they all shared one common trait . . . brutality.
I stumbled upon Ioan Grillo’s work after an appearance on the Joe Rogan podcast. He told stories of interviewing murderers, dealers, psychopaths, and gangster warlords. The stories he told were hard to listen to and even harder to believe.
I did not purchase his book out of morbid curiosity. As someone who writes about female superheroes, I wanted to have a greater understanding of how criminal enterprises worked.
Unfortunately, after reading Gangster Warlords, I learned more than I wanted to know.
Gangster Warlords gives you an in-depth look on the birth and administration of an international gang. Grillo tells stories of a boy whose father was murdered at the hands of a street gang. The boy then joins a rival crew so that he could get revenge on the gang that killed his father. That boy then discovers a love of killing and becomes the top hitman for what is now known as MS-13.
In Jamaica, the citizens regard their gangster warlords as defenders of the poor.
King Dudus, the President, Jim Brown, these men were adored by their community. They brought food to the slums and kept the hungry satiated, all while defying the government. At the same time, these same men were responsible for the thousands of dead bodies that littered the streets.
Brazil is home to the Red Commando. In Gangster Warlords, Grillo interviews the founder of the gang and discovers how political prisoners imprisoned with gang members, led to the formation of the most powerful gang in Brazil. With their political upbringing, the Red Command create their own rule book which citizens in the ghetto must abide by.
If you steal, rape, or hurt from your fellow slum dweller, the Red Commando will brutally punish you. But when the Red Commando do the same, their actions are ignored.
The last destination in Gangster Warlords is Mexico. Here, Grillo details how a megalomaniacal gang leader transformed himself into a religious icon. He documented how the leader professed to exact religious justice on the unjust while ordering the execution of a small business owner in the same sentence. Grillo also explains what happens when the citizens revolt against the cartel and form their own vigilante militia.
Spoilers, it doesn’t end well for anyone involved. Without judicial systems in place, the cycle of corruption and violence continues anew. The heroes live long enough to see themselves become villains.
After reading this book, I found myself wondering how my fellow Americans choose not to take pity on migrants. They are literally trying to escape genocide and we are content with ignoring it. I can only imagine what the build a wall supporters would do if the roles were reversed.
I don’t like to get political in my reviews, but it’s impossible not to after reading Gangster Warlords. Ioan Grillo has done a masterful job of taking you into a world ruled by kingpins and business savvy murderers.
He shows you how hunger, poverty, and violence, can turn an innocent teenager into a greedy psychopath.
I cannot see how anyone can read this book for pure enjoyment. If it were fiction, this book would be considered the most brutal story of all time. However, in terms of research, Gangster Warlords is an excellent introduction to the world of gangster crime. I think this book is a must-read for people who don’t understand why migrants are drowning themselves in the Rio Grande.
If it wasn’t for fear of execution, none of these foreigners would be leaving their country.
My one criticism of Gangster Warlords is that the book felt long. This is ironic because the chapters are deceptively short and move at a brisk pace. But the amount of content and detail in the events that transpired made it feel as if I was reading The Stand from Stephen King. It wasn’t bad, but it was exhausting.
Minor nitpick aside, I have to give Gangster Warlords by Ioan Grillo . . .
5 Stars.
