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Comments about THOMPSON, MATT MY COLOMBIAN DEATH:
Matthew Thomson decides to leave his 8-month pregnant wife in Australia to go on an ill-considered journey to Colombia, a country with a reputation for being dangerous, ignores good advice and generally tries to get himself into trouble in an attempt to 'find himself' away from the numbing comfort of his life as a journalist in Sydney. Admittedly, I have been to Colombia, and have contacts there so I know more than the average reader, whose knowledge of Colombia probably only stretches to Pablo Escobar, which could have affected my enjoyment of this book. I didn't find Thomson a particularly sympathetic character in his initial ignorance of the country and passively suicidal decision-making. While there are some insightful observations, I think there has been some poetic licence taken too.
from Melbourne, Australia on 9/26/2008
Comments about THOMPSON, MATT MY COLOMBIAN DEATH:
This book is a work of beauty. The descriptions and characters and settings are so lovely, even if they are often frightening. It makes me want to go to Colombia, because as Matthew Thompson makes clear, you don't have to have the time he was having. It's about world within worlds. Highly recommended.
Comments about THOMPSON, MATT MY COLOMBIAN DEATH:
This book will blow your mind. From the how-to-survive advice in Manila to the how-to-die scenes in the ganglands of Colombia, it really captures the quest to live life on the edge.
Thompson writes extremely well, taking the reader right into the ring with him for the maddest of bullruns, and right through the experience of dying from a shaman's medicine.
Read it and you will ask yourself how you could be more alive.
[0 of 1 customers found this review helpful]
Comments about THOMPSON, MATT MY COLOMBIAN DEATH:
This book plays on the fears many Australians have of the unknown. The fact is security in Colombia has improved out of sight and many countries have a higher murder and kidnapping rate in Sth America, Venezuela and Brasil for example. It's a good read, but take the stereotypes with a grain of salt. I have been to the places mentioned many many times and I think there has been a lot of poetic licence here. Go for yourselves and see arguably one of the most beautiful places on the planet. Thankfully what makes it special is that many people are afraid to go and this book will only strengthen this reality.
[1 of 1 customers found this review helpful]
from Brisbane, Australia. on 8/9/2008
Comments about THOMPSON, MATT MY COLOMBIAN DEATH:
My Colombian Death is a wild and extremely well-written book about what happens when you look for the edge of life in one of the world's craziest and most dangerous places. Matthew Thompson runs from a boring life Down Under and ends up in bull rings, gangland war zones, meeting death squads, and taking part in a shamanic ceremony that throws him out of this world. Freaky but compelling stuff, with a really vivid depiction of life in a country we have all heardd about but not many of us would dare visit. This ex-Sydney Morning Herald journalist is obviously a great writer. It's smooth and shocking and weird and funny and I love it.