Law in a Lawless Land by Michael Taussig.It starts off in diary form, and explores the daily life of Colombians caught up in paramilitary territory. Though some background in Colombian history and politics certainly helps, its a good way to get at the daily lives of those caught between guerillas, paras, drug trafficking, and Colombian government officials.
The second half of the book is where it gets good though. Taussig starts to question what it means to be writing a diary and at times self-consciously delves
into magical realism inspired writing. Its interesting in both content and form, and I'm always a fan of ethnographic writing that challenges the boundaries of academia.
Loyal Soldiers of the Cocaine Kingdom by Alfredo Molano
Admittedly, I haven't actually finished this one yet, but the first half has been surprisingly refreshing. I expected a somewhat dry account of cocaine trafficking in Colombia, but this is a rich, character driving exploration of the different types of people and motivations caught up in the Colombian traffic. Its told via narratives of different characters (presumably real) who are involved in Cocaine trade, and is woven together nicely so that the stories fit nicely together, and even the most ruthless of people are understandable, if not relatable.
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