A Young Man's Guide to Late Capitalism: A Novel / by Peter Mountford

In 2005, Gabriel Francisco de Boya is an American currently on assignment in Bolivia. Though officially a freelance reporter, he's actually an emissary for an aggressive hedge fund known as the Calloway Group who are eager to outbid other investors during the country's current political and financial overhaul. This is neither an easy nor a plausible feat as Gabriel must be as discrete as possible in nonchalantly extracting information pertaining to the economic development plans of the new President-elect Salvador Rodriguez. But there's a hefty bonus in the cards if Gabriel, only just out of college, can get the job done. Standing in his way are multiple obstacles including the country's financial minister, a former hedge fund liason who's more clever than he's given credit for; a fellow reporter, a real one who adopts Gabriel as a love interest; and finally his outspoken mother, a noted college professor and former survivor of the Chilean revolution who's seen the devastation which the international capitalist system has done to the oppressed masses in these parts of the world. Caught in a growing web of lies and questioning his own role in profiting from an impoverished people, Gabriel sets in motion a terrifying plan that could cost him the love of all those he holds dear.

In the backwards but very atmospheric city of La Paz, Mountford has set his tale of modern day economic policies, international politics and the personal lives caught in the middle. The setting and the character of Gabriel create a complex and engaging story, a tale of a man who's not all that out of place as a well-to-do, bilingual American in a Latin country which can barely keep a president in office but has loads of economic potential. But though he likes to think that his common heritage and familiar accent gives him the necessary cover he needs to blend in, he's far from welcomed as a kinsmen. The stakes of the game are higher than anyone could imagine as the game of international finance and surging capitalism intersects Gabriel with all types of characters--rich, poor, then even richer and even poorer--and his own convictions and preconceived notions are turned on their head with each new revelation. This book, both a novel about ideas and politics, succeeds at being equally well-plotted and introspective while remaining a fluid, character-driven story and a tremendously good read. Seattle-based Mountford has lived in Washington, D.C., Sri Lanka and Ecuador and holds an MFA from the University of Washington where he's now a writer-in-residence. (FIC MOUNTFORD)

Cuidad de Deus (City of God) DVD (2002) / a film by Fernando Mireilles; starring Alexander Rodriques

"It was like a message from God: 'Honesty doesn't pay, Sucker!'"
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Buscape "Rocket" is a teenager and aspiring photographer in Rio de Janeiro when he begins to tell his story, adamantly clear about how his place in the world came to be. The sprawling slums outside Rio didn't happen by accident, he says. They were built by the government in the 1950's for the purpose of relocating the poor outside the city center. By the 1970's and at present, the favela--as it's still known--has grown into a desperately dangerous place, a place rampant with lawlessness where gangs not only operate thriving drug businesses, but control many aspects daily domestic life. The slum has become a city in itself, even tagged with the ironical label of Cuidad de Deus (City of God). In the City of God, ordinary citizens are literally caught in the crossfire (the movie's climactic sequence and the point where Rocket begins his tale is, in effect, this very situation). Their lives are hopeless in nearly every respect, equally meaningless to both the ruthless druglords and municipal authorities who constantly jockey for power in the streets.
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Rocket has lived side-by-side with the gangs since his early youth. Drug kingpins and gang co-leaders Lil' Ze and Bené have even accommodated his artistic ambitions, incorporating his ties to the local media for personal glamour and using photo ops to further their influence. With murder and destruction commonplace in the City of God, lives are short and violence is inevitable. Soon after the sociopathic Ze offs another headstrong rebel (Ze having previously raped the man's girlfriend) a new wave of heavy violence hits the streets. Only this time, Rocket has been secretly employed by the local law and order, one of a small handful of only partially corrupted entities, who plan to employ his unique abilities to infiltrate Ze's gang and hopefully put an end to the current wave of carnage.
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Most non-third worlders are aware, to some degree, of the plight of the masses living in places like the City of God. Dictatorial regimes, corrupt governments, the lack of a middle class, etc. have always existed, giving rise to disadvantage, disorder and poverty as the only certainty. But nothing sheds light on the reality of things quite like a movie the caliber of Cuidad de Deus. The film neither preaches nor panders, but it does show, with incandescent clarity, how the purity of love is smothered by a world where death and destruction reign supreme and senseless violence is far too great an adversary for peace and stability. Take for instance the scene in which Lil' Ze effectively begins his life of crime as a pre-adolescent, strolling into a brothel one night, laughing with glee as he guns down around 25 defenseless souls before riding away in a stolen car with the proceeds of the evening's excursion. Or the scene near the end of the film where another young boy, unnamed but obviously representing the next generation of up and coming hoods, must shoot his best friend to test his allegiance. It becomes shockingly clear to everyone watching that things happen on a whim in the City of God. Comradery and affection mean nothing when life is this cheap.

Detour / by James Siegel

Paul and Joanna Breibard are childless Manhattan professionals who have traveled to Colombia to adopt what they hope to be their first child. But no sooner do they meet the newest addition to their family than they're kidnapped by left-wing militia who blackmail the couple, getting them to cooperate in a risky drug smuggling operation in exchange for their safety and the safety of their daughter. The plan involves Paul himself smuggling the drugs into the US alone. After being forced to swallow 36 condoms stuffed with cocaine, he's told he has 48 hours to deliver the contraband to a to-be-specified location in New Jersey. His failure to complete the transaction will mean death for both his wife and the baby.

After making it safely through customs and into America, Paul finds that his contact's residence has been destroyed, suspiciously having burnt to the ground overnight. Desperate, he contacts his faithful lawyer Miles Goldstein who links Paul up with Moshe Skolnick, a Russian mobster and character nearly as grisly as Paul's kidnappers. James Siegel has been compared to Dean Koontz and Harlan Coben as an author who writes action-packed thrill rides. His 2005 novel Detour was well-received by both fans and critics. Like Koontz, Siegel keeps the action suspenseful, writing in short paragraphs and swift, abrupt chapters usually ending in one cliffhanger or another. Readers who like these kinds of thrill rides will enjoy the near-warp speed pace of the novel, but those who like a little more substance to a character may not be so intrigued. The book does feature some creative sequences and is fairly unpredictable throughout. (FIC SIEGEL)

The Testament / by John Grisham

Self-made billionaire Troy Phelan is a very proud man. Like anyone else whose personal worth registers over $11 Billion, he's rigidly protective of his assets. So it's not so odd that at age 80, Troy promptly decides to die, popping up out of his wheelchair, through a glass window and plunging down 33 stories to the pavement. Troy's suicide was in fact done with 'rational' intention, an act perpetrated to prevent his children, grandchildren, ex-wives and a horde of mooching lawyers from inheriting the fortune he'd worked so hard for. With stipulations in the current will (re-drafted just prior to the fall) admonishing Troy's sane diagnosis and with no reputable doctor to state otherwise, potential heirs are essentially "cut off" from the money. The uncontested and legally valid will bequeaths--with bittersweet irony--the bulk of the inheritance to one Rachel Lane, a heretofore unknown illegitimate daughter currently working as a missionary in remote South America.

Attorney and once-revered litigator Nate O'Riley is currently where many lifelong drunks find themselves--rehab. His wife long gone, alienated by his kids, and having forfeited his job and all but a few friends, Nate has used up whatever second chances he was once given. So it's somewhat a surprise when he's asked to go on a strange business trip to a remote region of South America--Brazil to be exact--to locate a missionary and dictate legal conditions pertaining to a vast sum of money she's just inherited. But even Nate has his doubts about maintaining sobriety long enough to reach her, much less pinpointing her exact location. While he's no Faulkner (even if he does inhabit the same hometown), John Grisham's long list of court room thrillers have never failed to entertain, making him a publisher's dream over the last two decades. It's the endearing nature of his characters along with his story's humanistic appeal which most garner applause and of course the southern gothic elements in many of his books always making for a dramatic story. Not so much of the legal jargon is dished out here though as 'Testament' definitely stays on the lighter side of things; its colorful depictions of the vulturous Phelan flock, Nate's will to succeed against addiction and the uniquely compassionate heroine all making for a one-of-a-kind inspirational story. Readers wanting an absorbing read for say, a really long trip, can't go wrong here.