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It's a great reminder too how important it is to have wise friends around you and that it's equally important to actually listen to those friends. Author 13 books followers. Full disclosure: I know the author. But I also think the book delves into what it's like to care about someone in prison in a way nothing else I've read has ever done.

Such a fascinating, frustrating, painful world. Hollye Dexter. Author 3 books 3 followers. What compelled me from page one of this book was my need to understand how a nice Jewish girl ends up marrying a convict. But — how is it remotely possible for a beautiful, smart, well-bred, successful, SANE woman to end up the wife of a convicted murderer? As a journalist, award-winning storyteller, and gifted writer, Friedman leads you through her journey with her clear-eyed intellect.

But the deeper truth is, we are all human beings with deeply layered and complicated passions that drive us. Friedman lays out the humanity on both sides of this coin. I tore through this book in a matter of days, and now I understand how a nice girl ends up with a convict. Like anyone else, they met, and they fell in love. Seeing only the best in each other, they had great plans, and then, things fell apart. A highly recommended read.

Jennifer Chow. Author 12 books followers. Friedman provides an intriguing look into the world of prison. It's especially interesting to hear her portrayal of the beginnings of her relationship with Will. Sometimes I wonder: Who would fall in love with someone behind bars? She tells her story with courage and honesty. In retrospect,it would have been great to hear his side of the tale, too.

I also thought that Friedman did an excellent job at detailing the injustices that families deal with just by association. There were many behind-the-scenes concepts and practices that I didn't know existed. I wonder how much of her experience could translate to the American system. There was a small portion of the book that I felt to be filled with acronyms that I couldn't follow.

Sometimes I also had difficulty tracking the different people and prisoners mentioned. Also, I think I came into this book expecting that I would see more of her marriage after the parole began. The bulk of the memoir takes place while she navigates prison visits, though. However, I believe this is a powerful book that exposes the unknown experiences of prisoners' families. I admire the bravery it took for Friedman to write this book.

It is never the "bad" parts of a bad guy we fall for, at least with those I've been smitten with, but the flashes of good -- warmth, humor, vulnerability, whatever -- that contradict the persona and leaves you feeling deeply special and justified in your passion.

Friedman finds herself quite the bad boy in Will, a convicted murderer, and it's easy to assume this is an all-too-familiar good girl meets bad boy, gets crushed by bad boy, becomes an even better girl story. But Friedman, has a fierce sense of justice that permeates the narrative. You want to see these two on the outside -- to see if they make it, and if so, how. A thoughtful, smart, bravely written book that's as much about a cold hard look at the penal system and the often ignored realities of prisoners' families as it is about the unexpected places our hearts can take us.

Wonderful story. Really interesting topic. Fills in the gaps if you saw cocaine Cowboys. By clicking "Notify Me" you consent to receiving electronic marketing communications from Audiobooks.

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Close Reset Password. Processing Please Don't Refresh the Page. Play Sample. Remove From Cart. Give as a Gift Send this book as a Gift! Book contains everything a good action title need: murders plenty , sex, bribes, smuggling, CIA, top secret government operations. It describes many anecdotes from live's of people who became very rich too quickly: putting gold teeth for beloved dog, sending favourite dish to friend using Air Forces aircraft or sailing a motorboat to anothe Greatly written book about life of a man who started as a soldier in Italian mafia and ended as a most influential American member of Colombian drug cartel.

It describes many anecdotes from live's of people who became very rich too quickly: putting gold teeth for beloved dog, sending favourite dish to friend using Air Forces aircraft or sailing a motorboat to another country to buy delicious bread. It reads very fast and I've found it pretty difficult to put it away on the shelf so there were some sleep deficiencies during this reading Jul 25, Matthew rated it it was ok.

Fuck this book and fuck this guy. He is or at least was a mean spirited criminal and it's annoying to have him relay tails of murdering people and making money in the cocaine trade with little to no remorse. Sure, there are some entertaining anecdotes and stories. He was young and made a lot of money coordinating the import of cocaine throughout the 80s, but the underlying narrator is just kind of a scumbag and you're not cheering for him to pull it all off with no consequences.

If you're into Fuck this book and fuck this guy. Nice about Howard Marks. Mar 30, Cara rated it it was amazing. Well holy crap. This guy has had SOME life. I first learned about him from watching the documentary 'Cocaine Cowboys'; he pretty much single-handedly started the cocaine smuggling in the 70s and 80s that had a huge impact on the Miami culture. But his story is even more interesting than that- from a Mafia family, Vietnam vet, and crazy as all getout while also pretty freakin' brilliant.

I was sad to finish this one Jul 03, Elias McClellan rated it liked it. American Desperado, Jon Roberts' autobiography with Evan Wright, is better than this type of book should be. Most true-crime books begin with a definition of terms or a humanization of the subject with lines like, "Fothermucker McGee speaks in the coarse language of the street which belies his inherent sensitivities and intelligence. Wright does neither. His introd American Desperado, Jon Roberts' autobiography with Evan Wright, is better than this type of book should be.

His introduction is Jon Roberts' own assertions that he is evil and evil has supported him quite well. It will come as no surprise to anyone who reads true crime books that there is considerable overlap between Roberts and prominent organized crime figures like Gambino and Gotti and Lansky--all of whom put in appearances as Jon Roberts progresses from broken-home punk to NYC street hood to Gambino soldier.

It's only after the early establishment pages, that Mr. Wright gets out of his own way that we get to details of that life. Even still, it's another pages before Roberts gets to Miami--where the book really takes off--his first forays into the cocaine business, and then his full-tilt ascent to the top of U. Sadly that means first third of the book is slow, bordering on tedium.

However, if you read through, your patience is rewarded with a wealth of details and insight you can only get from someone with an immunity deal. Is there BS here? It wouldn't be an as-told-to mafia memoir without a healthy cartload of BS.

However, to Mr. Wright's credit, he never claims friendship, or sheds his objectivity, as evidenced by extensive annotation of Roberts' claims. Further, there is a read-between-the-lines treasure hunt for any student of the '80s' cocaine empires, the associated criminal excesses, and the political chicanery that made it all possible.

If you read this book, do yourself a favor and also read Cocaine Politics by Peter Dale Scott as a companion. While the title would rightly suggest, Mr. Scott's book is a "dryer" read, the scholarly study is also an excellent supporting reference and balm for the numerous "Oh, you've got to be kidding me!

Wright's history of the cocaine cowboys and their wild Florida hijinks. Jun 14, Nick Moran rated it really liked it. Equal parts outlandish and gruesome, just like you'd expect, but what really sets it apart is the practical wisdom delivered in the style of Henry Hill from Goodfellas.

Just got out of jail? Avoid associating with other criminals who might turn you in for a reward. Happen to get indicted? Don't panic because those indictments are always inflated. Leave a safety deposit box full of cash in a bank that's since closed down? Get ready for an IRS tax bill. Between the housebroken jungle cat, the outra Equal parts outlandish and gruesome, just like you'd expect, but what really sets it apart is the practical wisdom delivered in the style of Henry Hill from Goodfellas.

Between the housebroken jungle cat, the outrageous murders, and the dog with gold-plated teeth, I'm not even sure what my favorite part of this was. It's hard enough to narrow down my favorite University of Miami-adjacent moment: how Jon loaned cash to the guy who just paid for Miami's indoor practice facility, or how he used to cruise the campus passing out quaaludes.

Griselda Blanco's boyfriend was a Hurricanes fan. Apr 21, Jeffrey rated it really liked it. Very compelling biography of Jon Roberts. Sometimes the writing is a bit boorish. I wish that all those half-talented military scifi authors who so disappoint me would read this book for descriptions at least the military sections, they attempt to create the feel that this guy or Evan Wright's voice and fail. There's a journalistic conceit here that I love, where the author breaks out of the nar Very compelling biography of Jon Roberts.

There's a journalistic conceit here that I love, where the author breaks out of the narrative occasionally to call Jon on his BS or to give additional information or sometimes correct the flawed tales. This information is almost always an excellent addition and worth breaking the narrative.

Apr 02, Donna rated it really liked it Shelves: crime-mystery , non-fiction. This book is True Crime about Jon Roberts and his life in crime. As a sociopath he would be every psychologists dream.

This book was entertaining. I listened to the audio and the main narrator was perfect for this book. I think hindsight was this book's bestfriend.

The humor was appreciated. Jon shrugged things off a lot. He didn't feel bad about his actions nor did he blame others He took every opportunity to link himself to negative labels, 'ev This book is True Crime about Jon Roberts and his life in crime. He took every opportunity to link himself to negative labels, 'evil' being the most predominant one, satan's follower was used a lot toward the end.

He wanted people to fear him because it made less work for him. But overall, I found this interesting, so 4 stars. Mar 23, Marco rated it it was amazing. Great book. Super interesting. Probably the best book I've read in a while, def top It's hard to believe everything the guy said because some things are too farfetched or too exaggerated for poetic reasons, but I want to believe in them anyway. I saw the documentary "Cocaine cowboys", I don't usually read a book after I've seen a movie, because usually the movie keeps things short and simple.

This book added soo many informations it was definetly worth the read. Probably one of the smartest str Great book. Probably one of the smartest street wise person I've read from.

Highly recommended, not sure why this book isn't even more popular. Aug 28, Wanda Keith rated it liked it. This book is supposedly a true story about the son of a Mafia kingpin who turned from the Mafia to being a drug lord in Florida. The story is told to Evan Wright by Jon Roberts. Roberts is the drug lord and he tells some pretty amazing stories about his time in both the Mafia in New York and his drug dealing days in Florida.

The stories he tells sound pretty far fetched and only some of them can be verified. However, if even half of these stories are true then this guy was a very bad dude. Rober This book is supposedly a true story about the son of a Mafia kingpin who turned from the Mafia to being a drug lord in Florida.

Roberts did serve some time in prison but the time was cut short due to his taking a deal. Interesting read. Jul 15, Atar rated it it was amazing Shelves: non-fiction , cartels , favorites , true-crime. What an unbelievable story. Jon Roberts life was one of perpetual craziness, shockingly disturbing, yet so terrifically wonderful that putting down the book hurts.

I am dumbfounded that one man can go through so much. The author Evan Wright writes it in such a way that not only are you hooked by every word, but you learn a ton of carefully vetted detail from his footnotes, which make this story all the better. I have read some very interesting books with fantastic stories, but this has made it i What an unbelievable story. I have read some very interesting books with fantastic stories, but this has made it into my top five. I absolutely recommend this book to anyone.

It has more to offer than your average true-crime. This book has something for everyone. Aug 09, David Smith rated it it was amazing.

From the second i picked this book up i couldn't put it down. Thoroughly entertaining and absorbing on every single page. The book chronicles Jon's exciting and violent criminal life from a Mafia connected tough guy in New York to a big time cocaine smuggler based in Miami. It outlines Jon's balancing act with a multi billion dollar drug empire controlled by a major ruthless Colombian cartel and corrupt politicians and government officials.

It is told by Jon himself but other people who were invo From the second i picked this book up i couldn't put it down. It is told by Jon himself but other people who were involved throughout Jon's life also have their say. Factual footnotes at the bottom of most pages to corroborate Jon's recollections. An extremely exciting life story. Sep 26, W. Jason Vejcik rated it it was amazing. This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

I actually think sometime down the road I am going to listen to it again, which I have never done before. A gossipy tell-all drenched in buckets of blood and coke Roberts is a highly entertaining rogue storyteller with a psycho chip on his shoulder with just enough of a human code of honour in him to sucker the reader into sparing him outright condemnation.

Some of these yarns are obviously tall-tales meant to goose his sales, but whatever the case, it's a compulsively readable, funny and profane behind-the-scenes account full of colourful characters and savvy schemes that enabled him to elude ju A gossipy tell-all drenched in buckets of blood and coke Some of these yarns are obviously tall-tales meant to goose his sales, but whatever the case, it's a compulsively readable, funny and profane behind-the-scenes account full of colourful characters and savvy schemes that enabled him to elude justice for so long.

May 19, Sabrina W. Couldn't put this down Seriously, I could not put this book down. The footnotes are just as interesting, as other reviewers have stated. I finished this book in record time, read it before bed and got up early to read it before work.

I hope to find more books on some of the other people in here. It's certainly a fast of crazy characters. I do have to wonder what Jon is doing for a living now, though. I recently read Mickey Munday went prison again just last month!

He just couldn't stop. Has Jon s Couldn't put this down Seriously, I could not put this book down. Has Jon stopped?