When I previously posted aboutIoan Grillo's new book about the failed "war on drugs" in Mexico, I had only just begun to read it. Now that I have finished it I can only commend Grillo for its excellence. The research (much of it among unsavory people in dangerous places) is impeccable, the information surprising and often tragic, but overall, it's written with a sense of humor. If you care about what is happening -- on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border -- due to misguided policy, you must read this book.

For East Coast friends: Grillo will be talking about El Narco in New York on Monday, November 28, at the Half King Bar, 505 West 23 Street, at 7 pm. On Thursday, December 1st, at 11 am he will be in D.C. at the Washington Office on Latin America, 1666 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 400.