I purchased the book "Marching Powder" a few years ago but its only recently that I made the effort to give it a read. At the time of purchase I had just finished reading "The Damage Done" which is the story of Warren Fellows survival in a Thai prison (a book I would highly recommend). I thought the stories would be similar and in a way they were, however, Marching Powder stood out by having a remarkably surreal aspect to the tale.
THE STORY
"Marching Powder" (slang name for Cocaine) tells the story of Thomas McFadden's experience as an inmate in a Bolivian prison. McFadden is a young, black Englishman who prior to his sentencing lived in Liverpool.
Thomas MacFadden was arrested in 1996 for drug trafficking. Although he had never tried Cocaine, he discovered there was a huge amount of wealth to be gained from smuggling it. After many successful runs MacFadden travelled to Bolivia and attempted to smuggle 850 grams of Cocaine through customs. Having acquired many contacts in high places, he was pretty confident that it was going to be a smooth run having already given a Bolivian official a backhander to turn his eye. However, he was soon to discover he had been "set up" and found himself sent to a notorious Bolivian prison in La Puz; San Pedro.
You would be forgiven for believing this is just a story about McFadden's survival within the prison walls. His journey for survival is obviously the root of the story; suffering the mental torture of solitary confinement, the near death beatings amongst prisoners and the twisted corruptions and sick power fetishes of the guards. What is quite unbelievable throughout the tale though, is the actual running of San Pedro Prison itself.
SAN PEDRO PRISON
At San Pedro you must pay an entrance fee. Once you have been confined to the minimum security prison you must purchase your own cell. The inmates appear to be living in a small community as oppose to a prison, at times it even sounds like a holiday camp. Capitalism thrives within the walls and the inmates run their own businesses ranging from running restaurant's to developing photographs. Some of the prisoners even work as estate agents selling "cells" and earning a tidy commission.
The prison is rife with drugs. A number of the prisoners operate Cocaine factories within their cells and make money by dealing to both the inmates and the guards. One of the Cats that is homed in the prison has developed a habit and is nicknamed "Crack Cat". At one point in the book MacFadden (upon early arrival to the prison) tries to stroke the cat but is warned by a fellow inmate to stay away from the aggressive cat until it's had a fix. The Cat's owner then lies on his back and lights a pipe. The Cat crawls upon his chest and cranes its neck to inhale the fumes, then lays back in feline bliss.
The segregation of class is evident at San Pedro. The more money you have the more comfortable your sentence will be. The people with more money stay in five star cells which are likened to personal apartments containing colour televisions, stereos, en suite bathrooms and prisoners even hold the key to their own cell. The prison is split into sections and the inmates without money are basically sleeping rough within the confinement. The areas where the poor prisoners stay could be likened to any slums within a city.
Because of the poverty in Bolivia, once a man has been sentenced to the prison it is more economical for his family and children to move into the prison with him. With children playing about and wives making dinner it proves to appear even more like an everyday community. However, its never forgotten that San Pedro is actually a prison and as a result displays a very dark edge.
After condemning MacFadden for his crime, the book allows you to witness an arrogant chancer reach breaking point. The transition to prison life initially is torturous for MacFadden as a "foreigner" but as the story unfolds you begin to develop a fondness for the character he is becoming. MacFadden lays his own pathway through prison life and towards the end of the book you find you have actually grown to respect this likeable man. What initially worked against him (being English) he later discovers as a huge asset. Being one of the few English speaking inmates he invites backpackers into the prison (bribing the guards) and conducts tours of the prison. He strikes up unlikely friendships with the backpackers and at times allows them to stay over in his "cell" for parties where they consume vast amounts of the purest Bolivian Cocaine. His prison tours became so popular on the backpacking circuit that they were even added to "The Lonely Planet".
Rusty Young is an Australian backpacker who met MacFadden by attending one of his prison tours. The pair struck up a unlikely friendship upon Young's visit and it was agreed that Young would go on to write the book "Marching Powder" portraying McFadden's time in San Pedro.
THE BOOK
Although "Marching Powder" is written by a second person (Rusty Young) it has been written as a first hand account. There is a chapter at the beginning of the book written as Young's account of meeting MacFadden then the tale begins as MacFadden's personal experiences. At times I did forget that this wasn't written first hand and on occasion thought there was a depth of emotion missing, however, remembering that this was written by Young I came to realise this was quite understandable and marginally forgivable.
Instead of being a beginning to end journey, the story is split into chapters of specific events and characters. These are written in chronological order, although throughout there are references to events before and after hand. This is obviously the way MacFadden's accounts were told to Young and I think as a biography this works very well.
In written form the prison comes across as a very colourful place, however, specific ghastly events change the atmosphere and throughout you are reminded that there are some not very nice characters within the walls. There was one particular violent event which made me put down the book as I began to feel quite nauseous. As a whole the violence is not too bad (by my standards which are quite highly tolerable, so they may differ from yours) apart from that specific event. I'm sure if you've read the book you'll be aware of what I'm referring to.
Because of the geographical location there are many Spanish phrases and expressions in the book. With both MacFadden and Young using English as their first language, the Spanish has been fully explained in the book in a non-patronising way. The book is written in relatable English making it easy to read and understand without mental exhaustion.
I am reluctant to describe the book as gripping although it was a very eye opening read. I read the book in about 3 days; books I have found to be gripping I've usually read within 24 hours. The book is easy to pick up and continue, likewise it is quite easy to put down at the end of a chapter. I wouldn't let this discourage anybody from reading it as "Marching Powder" is a book I would highly recommend primarily for social awareness. To describe the book in short I would have to stick with the words "Eye Opening".
There are 16 pages of colour photographs within the book. These pictures are quite useful in adding reality to the book; there are photos of the Cocaine Factories, "Crack Cat", parts of the prison and some of the inmates.
I have a bit of a personal problem with biographies as in my eyes they often end abruptly. I felt this way when I finished "Marching Powder", reasoning with myself though, its unrealistic to tell somebody's story forever and ever and there must be a close at the end of one journey……it's just something I must get used to, its not a fault of the book.
I would recommend "Marching Powder" as quite a remarkable read and a safe insight into one of possibly the strangest prisons in the world.
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