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The Accountant's Story: Inside the Violent World of the Medellín Cartel
"I have many scars. Some of them are physical, but many more are scars on my soul. A bomb sent to kill me while I was in a maximum security prison has made me blind, yet now I see the world more clearly than I have ever seen it before. I have lived an incredible adventure. I watched as my brother, Pablo Escobar, became the most successful criminal in history, but also a he...more
Hardcover, 304 pages
Published
February 25th 2009
by Grand Central Publishing
(first published 2009)
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Aug 02, 2011
Ian Kemp
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Pablo Escobar - famous in the West mainly for giving Columbian and US authorities the slip on many occasions. His name evokes the larrikin archetype of the crafty rebel, up there along with Ned Kelly, and the Scarlet Pimpernel, though whether his name evokes the same feelings in Spanish speakers is questionable (his name translates as "Paul Brush").
This book is a major contribution to the mythmaking process, as well as being an apologia for Pablo and his brother Robert. Why, says Robert, they ne...more
This book is a major contribution to the mythmaking process, as well as being an apologia for Pablo and his brother Robert. Why, says Robert, they ne...more
Escobar's book is one of the strangest I've read, simultaneously acknowledging the damage done in Columbia by his brother's work while at the same time defending his brother's right to be the king of cocaine and a hero to many to this very day in his homeland. Roberto Escobar had a job and a life on the 'legit' side of things before he became his brother's money man. It's fascinating to read his disillusionment when he realizes that joining the cocaine business and hiding billions of dollars for...more
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On my last trip to the Library I visited a location that was extremely small with a very tiny collection. It didn't have any of the books on my list but then this random book caught my eye & I'm pretty happy about taking a chance on it. The book is written by Roberto Escobar, who was both the Brother & Personal Accountant for Pablo Escobar, the Infamous Cocaine Dealer who controlled the Medellin Cartel. The book is almost more of a Biography on him, ha! Actually, quite a bit. Learning ab...more
I was not yet ten years old when Pablo Escobar was killed/ possibly killed himself as his brother suggests in this book, so the story of the Medellin cartel is not one that I was very familiar with prior to this book. It occupies that strange space in time--too long ago for me to know it as news, too recent for me to have learned it as history. That said, even I can tell that this is a very biased account, written by the brother of the Colombian drug lord in question.
Still, Pablo Escobar is an...more
Still, Pablo Escobar is an...more
An autobiography of Roberto Escobar, the brother of the infamous drug kingpin Pablo Escobar, who gives first person information and anecdotes about the rise and fall of the Medellín drug cartel.
Prior to reading this book I'd only known vaguely the Escobar name in the drug smuggling world. Roberto's accounts give vivid details of the inner workings of the Medellín cartel. Naturally it can be assumed that there is always room for exaggerations and lies when dealing with a former high ranking drug...more
Prior to reading this book I'd only known vaguely the Escobar name in the drug smuggling world. Roberto's accounts give vivid details of the inner workings of the Medellín cartel. Naturally it can be assumed that there is always room for exaggerations and lies when dealing with a former high ranking drug...more
Wow! This book started off well but ended in a huge disappointment.
Alas the author did not tell the whole story and made Pablo Escobar look like an innocent hero who was simply running a harmless business. While in in reality he was the head of a ruthless organization who's only goal was to make money irrespective of who got in their way.
If you read the history and lived through the times one can only conclude that Pablo was a dangerous amoral killer who ruthlessly clawed his way to the top of...more
Alas the author did not tell the whole story and made Pablo Escobar look like an innocent hero who was simply running a harmless business. While in in reality he was the head of a ruthless organization who's only goal was to make money irrespective of who got in their way.
If you read the history and lived through the times one can only conclude that Pablo was a dangerous amoral killer who ruthlessly clawed his way to the top of...more
The details were what was most interesting in this book to me - the fact that they spent $2500 a month on rubber bands to hold their money together. That they lost about 10% of their cash each year to moisture damage, misplacement, or because it was eaten by rats.
The sheer volume of money involved is staggering.
I'm too young to recall when all this went down in the early '90s, but I did find myself feeling compassion towards Pablo, however dark his bad side may have been.
The narrator, Pablo's...more
The sheer volume of money involved is staggering.
I'm too young to recall when all this went down in the early '90s, but I did find myself feeling compassion towards Pablo, however dark his bad side may have been.
The narrator, Pablo's...more
This is the story of Pablo Escobar, the head of the Medellin drug cartel in Colombia, as told by his brother Roberto. It was fascinating to read what his life was like, how originally the cocaine business didn't deal in violence, and how it was both different and the same from the legend that grew up around him. It seems that history likes to pick a target; Pablo was blamed for violence that he didn't perpetrate, though his life was far from free of violence. He did what he promised for the poor...more
This book suffers hugely from the author's desire to portray Pablo as an innocent victim and a noble outlaw. I also agree with other peoples' comments about the wandering narrative -- it's all over the place. But I still really enjoyed it, largely because I find the political situation in Colombia so fascinating. I would almost always rather read a whitewashed book written by a criminal than a journalistic account of a crime syndicate. Both are usually wrong on many counts, and clearly biased, b...more
Not good, but it does manage to afford a reader some degree of specificity and access to the Escobars during both hardship and wealth. Although much is surely confabulated and desperate to apologize, forgive, and explain any moral trespasses, the official story is just as mussed and untrustworthy. The violence is mostly glossed, and Roberto's self-consoling humanitarianism is writ large. But any person's memory does this, especially when weighted with guilt, their own or a loved one's, revising...more
This book is the story of Pablo Escobar, Medellin drug cartel leader, as told by his brother, Roberto, who served as Pablo's chief accountant.
Overall, I was disappointed by this book. The biggest problem I had with it was the wandering narrative. It was written as I suspected it was told: as a story recounted regardless of the chronological occurrence of events. The retelling followed a rough timeline, beginning with Pablo's exploits in the smuggling business (which he was involved in prior to t...more
Overall, I was disappointed by this book. The biggest problem I had with it was the wandering narrative. It was written as I suspected it was told: as a story recounted regardless of the chronological occurrence of events. The retelling followed a rough timeline, beginning with Pablo's exploits in the smuggling business (which he was involved in prior to t...more
The story of Pablo Escobar and how he started out, written by his brother and chief accountant. Very biased to all the good deeds by Pablo (building schools, churches, helping the poor) while he bribed and murdered government officials and started the global expansion of cocaine. Details how money was laundered through companies, the use of Hawalas and trade-based money laundering schemes. A good book. A glimpse into how much cocaine is produced and how much money the drug cartels make.
Story of the Medellin Cartel and Pablo Escobar was fascinating and it's amazing the impact they have had on cocaine in the US. The book and corresponding story was good but I guess the part I didn't love is the fact that the story is told through the brother's (Roberto Escobar) viewpoint and he is clearly trying to make his brother seem like a saint. The guy murdered hundreds of people directly and indirectly and no amount of helping the poor can make up for that. In any case, supposedly there...more
Paparazzi-lit. You don't listen to this for the "truth" but to see how the heck Pablo's brother will walk the line between family loyalty and giving us some juicy inside view of their over-the-top bad-boy world. Despite the stiff prose, I made it all the way through (slowwwy), which I suspect speaks to how well the book was co-written and edited and the fact that Pablo was about to be shot for all 9 CDs but only finally is towards the end of the 9th.
The title of this book should have been Whitewash. Pablo Escabar, the Columbian drug czar was portrayed as close to saintly by his brother, in this ghostwritten chronicle. The drug trade was a business enterprise that didn't harm anyone and enabled the Columbian peasants to earn a living from the land. In other words, a fairy tale. Boatloads of cash were buried in the ground and in the wall of houses in many cities, forgotten and probably rotted by now.
Not the most fact-filled historical crime novel around. Would have liked there to be more in depth background story. It read more like a nostalgic trip down memory lane where the details were glossed over. As well as the writing structure was incredible weak. Often restates things several times verbatim ie. "10% of all the money we made every year was lost to rot and rats." appears 4 times in the first 70 pages. If you just gotta know about Pablo Escobar then go ahead and read it, but don't expe...more
If even half of the things Roberto Escobar recounts in this book are true, it would still be incredible. Sure, it walks the line of a skewed and biased retelling of an event with major global ramifications, but it's still a very loving portrait of family (which, as others have mentioned in their reviews, is a bit strange). There were so many instances where I had to stop and reread passages--the extravagance was like nothing I had ever heard before. Taken seriously or as a joke, it was a really...more
I wasn't planning on reading another book in NC after Blue Highways, but I noticed this on the library's new release shelf, and decided to check it out.
Roberto Escobar was the brother and accountant to Pablo Escobar, one of the most infamous drug traffickers in history. This is the first-hand account of their lives, specifically addressing a lot of the myths brought about through propaganda and the course of time. It's a story of extremes, from the amounts of money exchanged through cocaine traf...more
Roberto Escobar was the brother and accountant to Pablo Escobar, one of the most infamous drug traffickers in history. This is the first-hand account of their lives, specifically addressing a lot of the myths brought about through propaganda and the course of time. It's a story of extremes, from the amounts of money exchanged through cocaine traf...more
I heard about the Medellin Cartel but never paid that much attention. Drug wars...blah, blah, blah. Overall, book was o.k. Interesting to think somebody could have so much money they had trouble finding places to hide it. I'm thinking - hey over here...I could use a few. But, since I don't want to be involved with a violent drug war I'm thinking I don't need the money, not so much.
The overall flow of the book was interrupted, but the details described made it a page-turner. It's mind-boggling to read about the day-to-day life and end of a drug lord with so much power and unglamourous life. It's biased since it's told by his brother's point of view, but it was definitey an interesting read.
This is the story of Pablo Escobar, as told by his brother. The story is completely biased and portrays Pablo as a great man while at the same time acknowledging that Pablo was responsible for some terrible and very violent crimes. It is still a very interesting story and worth reading.
I got really interested in this book after watching the ESPN 30 For 30 documentary about Pablo Escobar and the Colombian national soccer team in 1994, which was incredible. I'd heard of this book before and wanted to read it, but I had it specifically recommended by a friend shortly after watching the doc. Escobar's story really is remarkable, and his brother has and is willing to share so many amazing things he had first-hand knowledge of. Not surprisingly, he's sympathetic toward his brother,...more
In spite of that Roberto is brother mythical Pablo Escobar he describes all good and vicious thing which were happened.The author not defense his brother as much I expected.His story is very interesting because haven`t unnecessary detailed information.This book have a tidy story for a lot of money,drugs and violence.
I like this book, it is not a page turner, but interesting to read. This Pablo Escobar biography is written by his brother, so there is evident bias, but I can sense some honesty in the events reminisced by his brother.
Came across this at Barnes & Noble one day so bought it. It's a fascinating look at the Pablo Escobar's life and the Medellin Cartel from an insider's perspective. Pablo's brother wrote it
The people's champ Pablo Escobar's story as told by his accountant and blood brother, Roberto. Everything you've heard about the Colombian Scarface is here: the coke wars, the brutal violence, the daring escapes, wealth & family, political career, humanitarian efforts, Frank Sinatra, and Business 101 in Import/Export & Cash Management all told with an insider's point of view. A great companion book to "Killing Pablo" by Mark Bowden.
it seems soooooo easy to have build your own cartel; (americans didn't learn anything from pablo, and now they deal with the mexicans; when they catch one bad guy, they set him free!!) roberto escobar lies and distorts the truth just so they appear to be victims! and with the priest in his dreams... please!
I got to page 176--and I'm done. I think this story is pretty well summed up on the front leaf of the book. And then painfully bad writing leads us through interesting enough events (outlined on the leaf), continually asserting how he, Roberto Escobar, is not a criminal! Hilarious, if it weren't for the complete, insanely stupid denial of the truth. It is almost as though because he alleges he never pulled a trigger that he has a pristine past. I seriously wearied of the allegations and finally...more
great book! two sides to every story and somewhere in between lies the truth...I hope there is a movie about this...good read for sure.
This book is completely one sided. I am interested in Columbia though so I wanted to read it to learn more about the country. Wouldn't really recommend the book.
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