Marching Powder

BOOK: Marching Powder: A True Story of Friendship, Cocaine, and South America’s Strangest Jail

AUTHOR(S): Rusty Young and Thomas McFadden

GRADE: A-

Arrested while attempting to smuggle cocaine out of Bolivia, Thomas McFadden finds himself squatting on the cold floor of a fellow inmate’s cell because he can’t afford rent for his own prison cell. Yes, you read that correctly: Mr. McFadden needs to pay rent for the privilege of occupying a single room cell in San Pedro Prison! Oh, and should he get hungry by chance, he will need additional cash to purchase food. Need some clothing? Again – that’ll cost you sir!

Welcome to the bizarre world of San Pedro Prison in La Paz, Bolivia: a city within a city. San Pedro is quite possibly the only prison on earth where inmates pay rent for their cell, buy their own food and clothing and run restaurants and stores within the prison. Everything in San Pedro runs on cold hard cash – actually Bolivianos. It truly is capitalism at its best and Young and McFadden’s testimony is shocking to say the least.

After discovering the prison in The Lonely Planet Guidebook, Rusty Young decides to visit and signs up for a tour run by inmate Thomas McFadden. What he witnesses prompts him to voluntarily live inside the prison with McFadden for four months to learn more about this unprecedented arrangement. The result is an absolutely stunning account friendship, love and life inside the walls of a Bolivian prison.

It should be noted here that technically the Bolivian representatives deny all allegations of charging for room and board, food, clothing etc. They steadfastly deny all charges of corruption despite the foolproof documentation in Young and McFadden’s book (in addition to numerous guide books). The prison runs on bribery, blackmail and extortion. The livelihoods of the San Pedro employees depend on the money made from the prisoners through bribes and hush money (since their salaries are next to nothing).

Marching Powder is a grade A page turner. You simply won’t be able to put it down. The chapters are short and sweet and keep you begging for more. It is by far the most fascinating account I’ve read all year!