BLOW+3

= Blow By Bruce Porter =

= Bruce Porter = There isn't much to find about Bruce Porter. He was a reporter and editor for the newspaper Newsweek. He has wrote for The New York Times Magazine, The Washington Post, Rolling Stone, Playboy, and Connoisseur. He is currently a teacher for the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.



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= Characters =

= George Jacob Jung = Born August 6, 1942 and nicknamed “Boston George”, was apart of the cocaine trade in the 1970s to the 80s. He is famous for being the biggest drug trafficker in the US at that time. His Cartel, The Medellins, contributed for 85% of the cocaine smuggled in the US. Jung smuggled large amounts of cocaine from Columbia Jung was a part of the Medellin Cartel which was responsible for up to 85 percent of the cocaine smuggled into the United States.

George Jung was born in Boston Massachusetts and raised in Weymouth Massachusetts with his parents Frederick and Ermine Jung. In school, Jung did poorly in academics, but shined when it came to football, as he was the star of the school. He was described as a natural ring leader by his classmates. He attended the University of Southern Mississippi for a short time, and then he traveled to California to try to get a degree in advertising. He was unsuccessful.

Jung began to use and sell marijuana. He used the money he got from selling marijuana to buy more and continue using it. In 1967 George had realized that him and his childhood friend could really make some money by selling cannabis and smuggling it across the country. George had many friends that helped him sell weed while he was living in California. His girlfriend was a big part of his drug trading life, she was a stewardess on a plane and would smuggle 50 pounds of weed and give it to a trusted friend that would distribute it to local dealers and make profit.

= Diego Delgado = Diego was George’s best friend when he got sent to jail. Diego got sent to jail for stealing cars. Once diego found out that george got there by smuggling marijuana into the country he introduced him to cocaine once they got closer they planned out how they would do it in jail. Diego got out first and told george that once he got out he would meet up with him and start business. The first smuggle was very successful and they continue to make a large profit out of the cocaine smuggling business.

The second time that george got caught smuggling cocaine across the border diego thought that working with george he thought that it was over but when he got out again george was ready to start again. Then things just got even better because they made so much money they didn't even know what to do with it. Then diego got married and at the wedding George fell in love with one the wife's bridesmaid. then it was back to business of smuggling cocaine through customs.

= Derek Foreal = Derek Foreal was and eccentric character throughout the book and one of George’s best friends. They met while george was in california and had an instant liking to each other. Derek was a major part of the distributing chain around california and he knew everyone and everything about selling weed. When george first came up to Derek, Derek first said no but then after being asking again and wondering for a while if he could be a major part of the dealing business Derek lets George in and they start selling Marijuana all over the state. Derek has all the connections any drug dealer would ever need to get going and make enormous amounts of cash. Derek starts selling Cocaine with George and they sold 110 pounds in 36 hours. As they continue selling cocaine across the country, Derek and Diego meet as a result of george being shot from a bad drug deal. Derek and George didn't speak for a while and then met again at george’s birthday party Derek got 6 months in prison and was then released. After derek got out he immediately went on the run and no one has seen him since prison.

= Genre = //Blow// is a novel about George Jung’s experience in the drug cartel. The author interviewed friends and family of Jung and witnesses. Bruce Porter found details about the events of George Jung and gathered the facts into a non fictional story about George. This book can be seen as a documentary about Jung.

= Brief Summary Of The Story = George Jung was just a normal kid that was able to do anything in the world. He had everything he needed in life. George Jung had grown up with a loving father and a mother that always left, George grew up knowing that life is going to disappoint you, you just have to push through. George when he turned 17 he moved out to California with his best friend Tuna. They were the casual weed smokers, and George’s girlfriend Barbara “barbie” Buckley knew the best person to get them started in the pot dealing business. Derek Foreal was the big guy around California he was able to sell anything. Derek and George became best of friends they could take over all the drug trades in California and spread east. When George got caught with 660 pounds of weed he is sentenced to prison for 10 years and then put on parole. While in jail he meets Diego Delgado and he starts his new new life once he gets out of prison

George he gets out of prison George calls Diego up to see how he is doing in this conversation Diego makes a deal George can't refuse a chance to start dealing cocaine and meet Pablo Escobar the man who controls all of the cocaine industry for north and south america. George flies down to Colombia to speak about the process of the deals and how they will transport the cocaine across the border and sell it. George leaves Colombia and arranges for a plane to pick up 110 pounds of cocaine. When George comes back to the states he shows up at his old friend Derek Foreal’s house with the cocaine. George and Derek flip all the cocaine in 36 hours and make 500,000 dollars. George soon realizes that if he flies the planes with his friends and doesn't hire a pilot they will make much more money by cutting out the middleman. George flies back to Colombia with six planes and gets 660 pounds for each trip he runs. Each trip makes around 15 million dollars and he does this many times. Making so much money he doesn't want to launder the money inside the Country because that would have a 60 percent surcharge so him and Diego put all of their money in panama city bank. “I give you 30 million dollars and you give me a little book” George Jung. George and Diego continue to sell cocaine until Derek and Diego meet. Diego and Derek go behind George’s back and screw him out of the dealing business. Once George’s birthday arrives his wife throws him a party and invites all of his old friends including Derek. Derek and George make up and are all good until the F.B.I. shows up and busts the entire party. George goes to institution for 2 years. Once he is out the first thing he does is go see his daughter. he promises to take his daughter out to california for a weekend and right before he takes her he does his last cocaine smuggling. But he is set up by the F.B.I. again and is sentenced to institution until 2015, George’s daughter Kristina is outside waiting for her dad to pick her up for 4 hours and he never comes. George says he wasn't mad about being set up, he is mad that he never took Kristina to california. Kristina never went to see her father until recently and it was the first time ever since he got institutionalized.

= Setting of the Story = The story first takes place in Boston Massachusetts when George is growing up. He then goes to California when he turns 17 and decides to leave home and live on the wild side for a change. George lives in California until he is arrested for transporting marijuana across the country and then he goes to prison. upon George’s release from jail he calls Diego and is persuaded to fly down to Columbia George flies down to Columbia and then comes back the next day. George then stays in California and flies down to Columbia when he is needing to restock his cocaine. George then lives out a majority of his life in California with his wife. Until it is George’s birthday and he throws a party for himself. George’s party is busted by F.B.I. agents. He was imprisoned for 5 years. George now released from prison again starts only caring about his daughter. George then gets a call from a long time friend Kevin Dulli about the last cocaine heist they will ever pull. And it goes horribly wrong, the entire gang frames George with half of the cocaine and takes the rest and sells it. George knows that this will be it for him and does nothing but lights a cigarette and sits there and waits for the F.B.I.

= Literary Terms =
 * **Internal Conflicts:** struggle in the story that occurs within the mind main character
 * George wasn't always smart. George got caught several times and continued to display illegal actions. George constantly took illegal drugs, sold drugs, and other actions that would prove to be bad decisions. George promised himself after he got caught that he would stop doing illegal activity and live a nice peaceful life with his daughter. Unfortunately George didn't take these actions because he continued doing what he usually did and got caught. He was sentenced to 60 years in an institution. He missed his opportunity to raise his daughter. George was unable to stop and didn't listen to his parents advice. While in an institution, George wants to see his daughter. The story ends with George seeing visions of his daughter visiting him and having walks together.


 * **Climax:** the point in a story where intensity reaches its greatest
 * George Jung was on top of the world. He making a living by selling cocaine. He had so much money he didn't know what to do with it all, he married a beautiful woman, and he soon had a child. Throughout the movie you see his success in the business, that is until he gets arrested on the night of his birthday party. After that point, George gets all of his money taken away. George and his family live in a small house. His wife becomes angry and dangerously addicted to cocaine. They fight constantly in front of their child. The fighting is a symbol of how George’s dad and mom used to be when he was a kid. Soon George is caught by the cops again due to his unstable wife and is arrested. His wife divorces him and takes custody of their child.


 * **Resolution:** the outcome or result to a conflict in a story that follows the plot
 * George gets caught once again selling cocaine and is sentenced to 60 years in an institution. The story ends with George going to an institution and never seeing his daughter in person. George has visions of his daughter visiting him with her grown up. These are just visions for George, as she hasn't visited him. George is expected to be released in 2015.


 * **Conflict:** conflict can be an opposition between two characters, a large group of people, or man vs man, man vs nature, man vs society
 * In the story, George Jung has to smuggle illegal drugs over the border into the US. It is very difficult and requires experience. George has to be very careful when going to customs in the airports because if the security finds him to be suspicious, they may find the drugs that he’s carrying. George is a fugitive throughout the story and has to stay away from the cops.



= Theme = Mo' Money Mo' Problems: George Jung is distracted by the amount of money that he is bringing in to see that he is going down a troubled path. The more money he gets, the more problems that will occur in his life. More money unfortunately doesn't make everything better as we can see from George Jung’s life.

= Connections to other books/real life/movie =


 * The book can teach you a lot about who you may become when you grow up.
 * The book and the movie are very similar and cover every area the book does. the book goes more into the depth of prison life for George and how it affected him.
 * The book is able to connect to everyone because everyone knows that one kid or one story of someone selling or doing drugs.

= Favorite Quotes with Explanations =

“And remember that time when you told me that money wasn't real. Well old man, I'm 42 years old, and I finally realize what you were trying to tell me, so many years ago. I finally understand. You're the best, pop, just wish I could have done more for you, wish we had more time. Anyway, may the wind always be at your back, and the sun always upon your face, and may the wings of destiny carry you aloft to dance with the stars. I love you Dad. Love George.” By George Jung Pg #292
 * This was the very last time george’s father would ever hear George’s voice. It shows that George has grown up and finally understands the meaning that his father was trying to tell him. **

“The official toxicity limit for humans is between one and one and half grams of cocaine depending on body weight. I was averaging five grams a day, maybe more. I snorted ten grams in ten minutes once. I guess I had a high tolerance.” By George Jung Pg #187
 * George was always the kid that would be the best at anything he did and I mean anything. **

= Media =

Movie
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Documentary
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George Jung's Daughter
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= Sites =
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 * __ [|Videos via YouTube] __