Alexander L. Fattal, Guerrilla Marketing: Counterinsurgency and Capitalism in Colombia (Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2018), pp. xiii + 310, $82.50, $27.50, hb and pb.
in the first part of the book, an example of how mistaken these comparisons are is the diversity of organisation charts in the literature dedicated to studying the criminal organisation. The author understands that these variations elucidating the PCC’s structure occur because the group is horizontal, dynamic and without rigid hierarchies. Each element that the criminal organisation covers (such as drug trafficking, prison governance and cigarette smuggling) has its own unique organisation. In the second part, this book presents the expansion of the PCC beyond the prison system. On this subject, the data presented by Feltran complements Manso and Dias’ explanations. Therefore, for researchers on the subject, it is essential to read the two works to understand how the PCC has expanded internationally to neighbouring countries and how it has organised and evolved since the attacks it orchestrated in 2006, becoming a present-day concern for not only Brazil but also Paraguay, Peru and Bolivia. Taken together, the two books provide two excellent overviews of the PCC’s history and illicit business expansion throughout South America and beyond. Both works demonstrate how Brazil’s mismanagement of the prison system generated the unprecedented expansion of a criminal organisation with power to control social spaces, make million-dollar profits from illicit activities, and corrupt authorities. Thus, A Guerra and Irmãos are an essential starting point for understanding this non-state actor that, unfortunately, will continue to affect the lives of thousands of people in Brazil and neighbouring countries.