The best book that I’ve read so far this year is Thomas MacFadden’s Marching Powder, an account of how his former career as a drug traffiker ended up putting him into Bolivia’s San Pedro Prison, which is run as a micro-economy. In order to survive its pay-to-play system (prisoners pay for everything, even their cells), he ends up supporting himself by giving tours to backpackers and evetually becomes a celebrity on the Lonely Planet circuit. MacFadden draws you in with his natural voice because he’s so obviously smart, witty, and entrepreneurial. In fact you realize early on that the qualities that make him a natural writer/storyteller (and tour guide) are also the same qualities that got him into prison. His smarts and charisma have made it easy for him to ditch the 9 to 5 existence that most of us have to tolerate. These qualities likely also made him more suspectable to trafficking because for a lot of people, it isn’t the money or the drugs that they enjoy. Rather it’s the game of trying to outwit the authorities and play the system – the same type of thrill that people get from gambling. Those insights, how MacFadden ultimately recognized them and made the decision to go straight (without falling into mawkish cliches about redemption) made it a fascinating (and fast!) read. It’s also a fascinating insight into capitalism, as he discusses the whole “parallel economy” that exists inside of this prison.
My one complaint about the book? Unfortunately, there’s not much written about his post prison life other than his release in 2000 and returning to England to lead a life not funded by crime. I’ve heard there’s plans to film an adaptation of it (though Don Cheadle is about 10 years too old to play MacFadden), so hopefully there’ll be an update or perhaps another memoir.
