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Blood in the Fields

Ten Years Inside California's Nuestra Familia Gang

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Blood in the Fields

By: Julia Reynolds
Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
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About this listen

The city of Salinas, California, is the birthplace of John Steinbeck and the setting for his epic masterpiece East of Eden, but it is also the home of Nuestra Familia, one of the most violent gangs in the United States. Born in the prisons of California in the late 1960s, Nuestra Familia expanded to control drug trafficking and extortion operations throughout the northern half of the state and left a trail of bodies in its wake. Award-winning journalist Julia Reynolds tells the gang's story from the inside out, following young men and women as they search for a new kind of family, quests that usually lead to murder and betrayal. Blood in the Fields also documents the history of Operation Black Widow, the FBI's questionable decade-long effort to dismantle the Nuestra Familia, along with its compromised informants and the turf wars it created with local law enforcement agencies. Reynolds uses her unprecedented access to gang members, both in and out of prison, as well as undercover wiretaps, depositions, and court documents to weave a gripping, comprehensive history of this brutal criminal organization and the lives it destroyed.

©2014 Julia Reynolds (P)2017 Audible, Inc. Americas Latin American Studies Organised Crime Social Sciences Specific Demographics True Crime Latin America Crime Crime Mystery
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Gets bogged down in semantics and fine detail from early on, I gave it an honest 2hrs but I couldn't give it more sorry. It was just scene setting and fluff.
It could get better, who knows. Not me...

It's meh

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The subject of the book - the rise and fall of Nuestra Familia organised crime gang is really interesting and at times depressing and dark. The writing style seemed a bit too emotive and "flowery" given the serious nature of the book. Also the narrator did a good job , the exception is when she breaks into a chicano accent for certain sections - that just doesn't sound right. However I'm no expert so judge for yourselves.

Interesting topic, so-so writing style

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Can’t believe this one was free, with all the crap being sold these days well done

5 stars

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