Synopses & Reviews
Like any American teenager, Brenda Paz spent much of her time with her friends. They would go to parties, listen to music, and show off their cars late into the night. But Brenda and her friends belonged to the Mara Salvatrucha--the MS-13--the most violent gang in America, and in addition to enjoying the things that all teenagers do, her friends were thieves, drug dealers, human traffickers, and murderers. A street gang that began in Los Angeles in the 1980s, the Mara Salvatrucha has spread across the United States and Central America with startling speed, boasting tens of thousands of members. They deal ruthlessly with competing gangs and any members who display disloyalty, often leaving a trail of dismembered corpses in their wake. They are poised to surpass the Mafia as the country's most organized criminal network. And by operating within the insular Central American immigrant communities, the Mara Salvatrucha has been able to easily elude law enforcement. All that changed when Brenda Paz turned informant for the FBI, exposing the incredible scope of the gang's operations. But Brenda's cooperation with the FBI was only the beginning. What followed is an extraordinary story of strength, intelligence, and incredible courage. This Is for the Mara Salvatrucha takes us into a dark and violent world that few people have seen, but is closer than you think.
Synopsis
At age 12, Honduran-American Brenda Paz was affiliated with a powerful Los Angeles clique of the Mara Salvatrucha, a violent stree gang. At the age of 15 she willingly took a 13-second-long beating from a group of gang members without fighting back. She soon became the girlfriend of a high-ranking leader of the vast criminal network. After she'd witnessed (and helped commit) countless robberies, stabbings, and murders, Brenda was arrested. She decided she'd had enough. Brenda became an informant, and her testimony helped finger MS members in Virginia, Texas, North Carolina, California, Colorado, and Idaho. Before she'd even turned 17, Brenda was in the Witness Protection Program. But her new life didn't last long. Brenda missed her friends, and within a few weeks she reached out to them. Less than a month after she left the Program, Brenda was dead. This Is for the Mara Salvatrucha is journalist Samuel Logan's gripping exploration of Brenda's life within the complex, powerful group. The first book to shed light on a criminal network that affects countless cities but has never been fully understood by the general public, it is both an edge-of-your-seat read and an eye-opening expose.
Synopsis
At age 12, Brenda Paz was affiliated with a powerful Los Angeles clique of the Mara Salvatrucha, a violent street gang. By 17, she was dead. Journalist Logan offers a gripping exploration of Paz's life within the group and sheds light on a criminal network that affects countless American cities.
About the Author
Samuel Logan is an investigative reporter based in Latin America. For the past 3 years, he has reported on gang activity across the U.S. and central America. Originally from New Orleans, he lives in Brazil with his wife and daughter.