000			02449nam a2200265 a 4500
001			062011
005			20231009193126.0
008			230103s20082008nyu 000 0 eng d
020			_a9781416534402
050	0	0	_aF1340 _b.G73 2008
082	1		_a917.2 GRA _2
100	1		_aGrant, Richard, 1963-
245	1	0	_aGod's middle finger _b: into the lawless heart of the Sierra Madre _c/ Richard Grant
250			_a1st Free Press pbk. ed
260			_aNew York _b: Free Press _c, 2008.
300			_a288 p.c ; 22 cm
504			_aIncludes bibliographical references and index
520			_aTwenty 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 Fingerbrings to vivid life a truly unique and uncharted world.
546			_aEnglish
600	1	4	_aGrant, Richard, 1963-
651		4	_aSierra Madre Occidental (Mexico) _x-Description and travel
655		4	_aLAS - Latin American Studies
942			_cMO
999			_c261120 _d261120