tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post7391900737029411173..comments2024-03-19T08:42:56.206-04:00Comments on Jungle Red Writers: The Real-Life kidnapping that....Jungle Red Writershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646429819267618412noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-62685710961360184842010-11-04T14:34:40.496-04:002010-11-04T14:34:40.496-04:00Hi everyone- thanks for having me!
Roberta- this ...Hi everyone- thanks for having me! <br />Roberta- this was the one and only time that I haven't personally visited the place where much of the book was set. It was just too hard to try to convince my husband that Mexico City was the ideal place to take our four year old for a vacation. Although other sections of Mexico are safer, it is absolutely much more dangerous than it used to be, even in the resort communities (as evidenced by the recent grenade attack in Puerto Vallarta).<br /> So I did most of my research online, and by talking to gang experts in the FBI, contacts from Mexico City, and by reading memoirs written by kidnapping survivors like Ernestine Sodi.<br /><br />Janet- hope you enjoy the book, be sure to let me know what you think!<br /><br />I have a few wonderful friends who were born and raised in Mexico City, so they did all of the translation for me- a great help, especially with the slang. <br /><br />I recently received a lovely note from a friend of the Batista family, thanking me for posting about his abduction. Hallie, to be perfectly frank, the only real way to stop the violence is to destroy the drug cartels, and the only way to do that is to eliminate the demand completely. The irony of all this is that the roots of the current violence stem from the relative success of the war on drugs in Mexico- when there were only a few cartels, they divided the territories and maintained a relative degree of peace. But by eliminating those with arrests of the major players, the government cut off the head of the Hydra, and dozens of others sprang up to take their place and vie for dominance. No easy solutions, and it just seems to keep getting worse.Michelle Gagnonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02757760335203540717noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-69925399967434519712010-11-04T11:41:44.721-04:002010-11-04T11:41:44.721-04:00Hi, Michelle, and congratulations on the new book!...Hi, Michelle, and congratulations on the new book! I love Mexico, and especially Mexico City but all of the violence has kept us from going back. Please, share any links that will help us better understand what's going on there and how, if any, there are ways to help (short of writing a book).Hallie Ephronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04759439029582054503noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-22963462416570793492010-11-04T11:08:59.718-04:002010-11-04T11:08:59.718-04:00Hi Michelle,
Welcome to Jungle Red. Your book soun...Hi Michelle,<br />Welcome to Jungle Red. Your book sounds fascinating. A terrific read. <br /><br />Since I'm contemplating a book set in Marseille, I'm wondering how you deal with the language issue in your research? Do you speak Spanish. Get an Interpreter or just not need one because there's enough English spoken?Jan Broganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11323983086318138814noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-34124951936184109262010-11-04T10:53:16.548-04:002010-11-04T10:53:16.548-04:00Welcome Michelle. I can't wait to read this. M...Welcome Michelle. I can't wait to read this. My daughter used to work on humanitarian issues in Juarez. I am so glad she's back home. The entire border is no longer safe, and even tourist resorts are seeing murders and kidnappings. I bet you'll open eyes to the real dangers.Rhys Bowenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06663634889908752121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-34748081598829587832010-11-04T10:29:42.936-04:002010-11-04T10:29:42.936-04:00Yes, my family and I--used to go to Mexico all the...Yes, my family and I--used to go to Mexico all the time--we had a house there. And it was the LEAST scary place.<br /><br />So frightening how much it's changed.Hank Phillippi Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17420701704169428286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-39766576376914393692010-11-04T10:16:28.888-04:002010-11-04T10:16:28.888-04:00I picked this up yesterday and I'm really look...I picked this up yesterday and I'm really looking forward to reading it.<br />I've loved the first 3 books, so I know I'm in for a good read.Janet C.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-72968773628844181332010-11-04T10:13:07.994-04:002010-11-04T10:13:07.994-04:00Welcome back Michelle! this book sounds fascinatin...Welcome back Michelle! this book sounds fascinating--and very scary! I have to say my urge to travel to Mexico has been curtailed by the horrors in the news lately. How did you research this gang and how closely did you decide to stick to reality?Lucy Burdette aka Roberta Isleibhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04660402177299546055noreply@blogger.com