Isabela Supovitz Capstone

1.

Hernandez, Anabel. Narcoland (The Mexican Drug lords and Their Godfathers). Mexico: 2010. 304. Print.

After a visit to Mexico in which I began to learn more about what the police and government are like, and how they really work as the backbone for the drug cartels I decided that I wanted to write a novel about the drug wars happening there. The first thing I did as a part of research for my book was to buy Narcoland by Anabel Hernandez because she is a well respected Mexican Journalist, and her book states all of the facts and very detailed explanations and recalling of events throughout drug cartel history. From this book I was able to pool a reliable variety of information that helped inspire events in my book, and helped my portray things more accurately. I appreciated the way she wrote the book, because she wrote it completely unopinionated, stating only the facts and citing her resources.

2.

Goldberg, Natalie. Writing Down the Bones. Boston: Shambhala, 1986. 171. Print.

Mr. Block my American Government teacher recommended I read this book in order to learn more about what it means to be a good writer. Although I have not finished reading this book, what I have read depicts simple but accurate techniques that help any writer continue to write. This book will continue to function as my main resource as far as how to write a book professionally. I think the main way it is helping me achieve my goal in writing a book is by giving me a constant wide variety of ways that I can improve my writing and create a book that appeals to everyone. I want to make sure my book is well written, so this resource is helping me do that.

3.

Fabrizio, Mejía Madrid. "Drugs and Mexican culture." BBC Radio World Service. (2008): n. page. Print. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/news/2008/11/081029_narcoculture.shtml>.

I have looked at many websites that depict what cartel life is like in Mexico, but I think BBC does a wonderful job at doing so accurately. The way that Mejia Madrid (the author of this article) talks about the cartels in many different perspectives is not only interesting, but accurate. People fail to realize how many different roles the cartels play in Mexican society, and how differently certain people in the country relate to and react to what they are doing. I want to portray all of these different perspectives in my novel because I think it’s very important for me to make it as accurate as possible.

4.

Daily Mail Reporter, . "Mexican 'hitman' called El Ponchis 'who killed seven people' ." Daily Mail. 04 DEC 2010: n. page. Web. 29 Jan. 2014. <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1335510/14-year-old-Edgar-Jimenez-known-El-Ponchis-arrested-committing-murder-Mexican-drugs-cartel.html>.

This article is really important to my book because it is a good example of the shocking things that occur in Mexico because of the cartels. The 14 year old boy murderer whom this article is about is a character in my book. I use this story in my writing to show how shocking the things that happen in Mexico now are and just how close danger is to innocent people there. I also want to make a point to unveil the absolute hardest truths because I want people my age to read this and think “Wow. I can’t believe I didn’t know how bad things were there.” and “What could I do to stop this?”. These types of things hardly ever happen in America, and I think we shouldn’t be alright with it happening anywhere else.

5.  Calderon, Beatriz. Personal Interview. 15 Dec 2013.

My Grandmother from Mexico, Betty, had a close encounter with the dangers occurring in Mexico. This experience was not only absolutely terrifying, but it accurately represents the types of things that happen in Mexico now a days. I decided that this book, in order to stay true to me and my background, had to include real life events that had impacted me. I think this story that I interviewed my grandmother on adds grit to my story, and makes it all the more appealing to the reader.

6. Nabokov, Vladimir. Lolita. Paris: Olympia Press, 1955. Print.

A great majority of the research I have conducted for this project has been through reading great novels so that I have some frame of reference on how to properly write a novel. This book is not only a classic, but it is very controversial and sort of perverse, and I think my novel in it’s own way has similar characteristics, as it is dealing with the hundreds of thousand murders that have occurred because of the drug cartels. I want to learn how to present these issues in a way that people can understand.

7. Diaz, Junot. This is how you lose her. Riverhead, 2012. 224. Print.

I chose to read This is How you Lose Her by Junot Diaz as one of my research books because I figured that it was drastically different from Lolita, and I want to make sure my book incorporates modern ideas. One of the ways in which Junot Diaz helped me with my book is by creating an endearing sense of humor in the midst of chaos and heartbreak. I want to make sure that my readers feel everything in the way that Junot Diaz has made me really feel everything. I think the main reason why this book is great for my research is because it has taught me the importance of adding humor to good literature.

8. Walker, Alice. The Color Purple. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1982. Print.

The Color Purple is another drastically different text that I chose to read for my research, mainly because it is structured in a clever way that I have never seen before. When I read this book I saw issues that used to exist in slavery and sexism portrayed in a very unique way. You are thrown into the diary of a woman whom at first you don’t particularly like, but as she grows and the book gets better, you grow with the character. I think I want my main character Alma to have this kind of growth.

9. Kerouac, Jack. On The Road. Viking Press, 1957. Print.

On The Road is a classic piece of literature that takes the reader from one location to another. Towards the end of my book, Alma and Chello take a road trip from Cancun to Sinaloa, Mexico. In order to write this as accurately as possible, I used Jack Kerouac’s style of writing to teach me how to describe things vividly and at a fast pace.

10. Multiple, . "Mexico Drug War." La Times. 2 Dec 2013: n. page. Web. 4 Feb. 2014. <http://projects.latimes.com/mexico-drug-war/