“The poignant cumbia requiem of a kid from the slums. A social and political panorama. It makes visible the little people, the normal people, it tells the story of our world. Bang bang!”

“Cristian Alarcón’s book is so good that reading it almost feels like a sin. He brings out the full humanity of the survivors of addiction, drug dealing, theft, and murder who live in Buenos Aires’s shantytowns, and his magic with words makes you become enchanted by and forgive completely unforgivable characters. The world would be a better place with more writers as talented as Alarcón, who can render human suffering so beautifully.”

“...a multifaceted marvel: part investigation, part eulogy, and a nuanced, subtle description of a culture steeped in violence and fatalism. Cristian Alarcón is a masterful writer and an intrepid, sensitive reporter, and this book is a must-read. You’ll emerge from its spell with a new understanding of youth and violence at the margins of Latin American society.”

“...Alarcón’s work appears to renew a long tradition of artists and writers from the center of Buenos Aires seeking insights about the nature of modern Argentina by exploring its ragged outskirts and their sordid but authentic forms of popular culture....Much to think about indeed.”

“The book’s appeal lies in the fact that it is a crossover between genres—at once a well-researched reportage and a literary portrait of society.”

“Despite his closeness to his subjects, Alarcón manages to avoid the traps of idealization, of sentimentality. A multifaceted picture of the criminal youth is assembled.”