Tewksbury Public Library

Loving Pablo, hating Escobar, Virginia Vallejo ; translated from the Spanish by Megan McDowell

eng

illustrations

no index present

non fiction

Loving Pablo, hating Escobar

1035280622

Virginia Vallejo ; translated from the Spanish by Megan McDowell

Pablo Escobar was one of the most terrifying criminal minds of the last century. In the decade before his death in 1993, he reigned as the head of a multinational cocaine industry and brought the Colombian state to its knees, killing thousands of politicians, media personalities, police, and unarmed citizens. In the 1980s, Virginia Vallejo was Colombia's most famous television celebrity: a top-rated anchorwoman and a twice-divorced socialite who had been courted by the country's four wealthiest men. In 1982, she interviewed Pablo Escobar on her news program, and soon after, they began a discreet--albeit stormy--romantic relationship. During their five-year affair, Escobar would show Vallejo the vulnerability of presidents, senators, and military leaders seeking to profit from the drug trade. From Vallejo's privileged perspective and her ability to navigate the global corridors of wealth and high society, Escobar gained the insight to master his manipulation of Colombia's powerful elite and media. Loving Pablo, Hating Escobar chronicles the birth of Colombia's drug cartels: the kidnappers, the guerilla groups, and the paramilitary organizations. It is, above everything, a great love story--a deep and painful journey through a forbidden relationship--that gives us an intimate vision of the legendary drug baron who left his mark on Colombia, Latin America, the United States, and the world forever

Days of Innocence and reverie. The kingdom of white gold -- Presidential aspirations -- Ask me for anything! -- Death to kidnappers! -- Days of splendor and fear. The caress of a revolver -- Two future presidents and Twenty Love Poems -- The lover of El Libertador -- In the devil's arms -- A lord and a drug lord -- The seventh-richest man in the world -- Cocaine blues -- Not that pig who's richer than me! -- Under the sky of Napoles -- That palace in flames -- Tarzan versus Pancho Villa -- How quickly you forgot Paris! -- A diamond and a farewell -- Days of absence and silence. The Cuban connection -- The king of terror -- There's a party in hell today