American Desperado
My Life as a Cocaine Cowboy
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American Desperado
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About this listen
American Desperado is possibly the most jaw-dropping, event-filled, adrenaline-soaked criminal autobiography ever written. Like a real-life Scarface Jon was born into the upper levels of the Gambino crime family and witnessed his first murder at age seven. He became a one-man juvenile crime wave before joining an assassination squad in Vietnam. He returned to New York at age 20 to become one of the city's top nightclub promoters, then journeyed to Miami where he became the de facto transportation chief of the Medellin Cartel, and along with a tech-wizard partner, created some of the most sophisticated smuggling technologies ever. With a hulking 6'6" bodyguard always at his side, and a rural fortress protected by mortars, tear-gas cannons, and a gold-fanged attack dog, Roberts was brutally effective at what he did. To law enforcement, he was known as the "Bearded Gringo," a spectre they could never touch. To United States senators and CIA officials, he was "the guy who can get things done". He eventually formed a clandestine alliance with the US government and in the end found personal late-life redemption.
©2011 Jon Roberts and Evan Wright (P)2011 Random House AudioGo LTDListeners also enjoyed...
Some of the escapades are entertaining, but something is missing
Bragging from soulless man.
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Was broadly three parts, growing up the son of someone high up in the Mafia, being a soldier in Vietnam and finally his life as a smuggler.
All were told from a different angle which made the story more interesting, for example the war veteran was not from the "look at me I'm such a macho hero", but actually told of how the U.S. Government depended on people like him who would do "dark" things to the enemy, even though as he puts it they went too far on a number of occasions.
Great listen
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Brilliant
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You have to give the guy credit for his ability to lead, problem solve and discover potential in every opportunity. However, the way he did it was really twisted and selfish. How he managed to get to the end of this era without being taken out is astonishing. Like playing a 30 hour PS4 shooter game on one life and successfully getting to the end. Amazing how he did it.
Loved the parts with Mickey the best (this book is about 25% Mickey), mainly because he was a big kid playing games with the government just for kicks.
Read it if you have a strong stomach.
This is not a bed time story
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Very interesting from start to finish.
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