Patricia Evangelista is a Philippine journalist who has been actively writing for many years now. She has specialized in investigative journalism in past years. This book started as a series of articles on the anti-drug war of then President of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte, which resulted in thousands of extra-judicial killings, blatantly encouraged by the former President's rhetoric.
The author narrates interviews she has had with immediate relatives of deceased victims. She also interviewed some Philippine authorities. Her work is well-researched and fact-checked. She has also read and analyzed hours of interviews and speeches of Duterte.
The book is not a political statement against former President Digong (his nickname), but rather a narrative of facts. Patricia is courageous in writing this book, considering that the stories she tells compromise the police force and the former President himself, who has publicly issued statements like:
"I'm not kidding," he said in a campaign rally in 2016. "When I become president, I'll tell the military, the police, that this is my order: find these people (drug addicts, pushers) and kill them, period."
"Hitler massacred three million Jews," he said. "Now there are three million drug addicts. I'd be happy to slaughter them."
This work is for more mature readers who can understand the context of events and who can stand foul language issuing from the mouth of the former president. Some descriptions of extra-judicial killings are not for the fainthearted.
This is an interesting read for those who want to acquire some background on the anti-drug war of Rodrigo Duterte.
This work was included in the New York Times' 100 best books of 2023, Time Magazine's 100 must-read books of 2023, and Barack Obama's favorite books in 2023.