Some People Need Killing: A Memoir of Murder in My Country
Patricia Evangelista
A fearless, powerfully written on-the-ground account of a nation careening into violent autocracy—told through harrowing stories of the Philippines’ state-sanctioned killings of its citizens—from a journalist of international renown “My job is to go to places where people die. I pack my bags, talk to the survivors, write my stories, then go home to wait for the next catastrophe. I don’t wait very long. more
428 pages, Hardcover
First published Random House
4.25
Rating
1980
Ratings
297
Reviews
Patricia Evangelista
1 books 59 followers
Patricia Evangelista is a trauma journalist and former investigative reporter for the Philippine news company Rappler. Her reporting on armed conflict and disaster was awarded the Kate Webb Prize for exceptional journalism in dangerous conditions. She was a Headlands Artist in Residence, a New America ASU Future Security Fellow, and a fellow of the Logan Nonfiction Program, the Civitella Ranieri Foundation, and the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma. Her work has earned local and international acclaim. She lives in Manila.Community reviews
I don’t know. But can I just summarize this into: putangina mo Rodrigo Roa Duterte. more
In the first two years of the drug war, Simon killed two more men. By kill, he meant he pulled the trigger. He had other roles in other operations. He conducted surveillance. He acted as a lookout. more
I received this book through a Goodreads giveaway. I honestly learned so much surrounding the Philippines and the murders that took place because of this book. Prior to reading this, I had no knowledge as to these events even happening. It really opened my mind as to what was going on and how these events affected those living in the Philippines. The material was really throughly researched and you can tell the author really cares about this material. more
‘Some People Need Killing: A Memoir of Murder in my Country’ by Patricia Evangelista is a scream of frustration and rage. She does not hold back in writing of her disgust and horror about ex-President Rodrigo Duterte and his open support for the murdering of addicts and dealers of drugs, encouraging neighbors and police to kill addicts on sight, without a trial. She writes of eyewitness declarations, videos of speeches and murders, and a lot of reporting by reputable journalists as proof. Not to mention the piles of tied-up dead bodies that were found everywhere in neighborhoods, seen by any of the locals who cared enough to take a look. She has good reasons for her frustration and rage. more
"What I want to do is instill fear. "—Mayor Rodrigo Roa Duterte"This is a book about the dead, and the people who are left behind. It is also a personal story, written in my own voice, as a citizen of a nation I cannot recognize as my own. The thousands who died were killed with the permission of my people. I am writing this book because I refuse to offer mine. more
We write so we may not forget. A sobering account of the horrors of the last administration, Patricia Evangelista writes with such precision that each word feels like a gut punch. . more
I could not, for the life of me, not think of my father who voted for Duterte, a maniac and murderer. It went against all the virtues we value. Supplementary audio references:Patricia Evangelista on this bookPart 1: https://open. spotify. com/episode/3bT1. more
Wowowowowow. Unbelievable. Ever since reading Patron Saints of Nothing, I've wanted to find a book that covered Duterte's drug war in this way, and I literally couldn't put this down. It's actually wild how many times it's casually mentioned that the author literally risked her life in the process of researching for this book. Not something I expected at all, but probably my favorite part of the book, is how many times she delves into analysis of the language and rhetoric surrounding Duterte's administration. more
Incredibly informative and engaging. The research done for this work was impressive and the author deserves her flowers for the work she has done following this drug war. It has been a long time since I sat down and read a nonfiction book and I am happy to have jumped back into it with such a masterpiece. . more
I still find it appalling that as Duterte proclaimed/promised killing drug addicts and drug users in our country and that this platform is that one that pushed him to his presidency. I still wonder how fellow Filipinos approved the execution of their own people and voted for him with thunderous applause. I am still angry that he is not held accountable, that most families won’t see the light of justice, that we can never really put an exact number to all the EJKs that happened and that continue to happen. I feel uneasy rating this book — because the mourning continues and the people who should be held liable remain free, some are elected officials even. All I know is that it's is a book that needed to be written, it is a book that needs to be read because we need to remember and we need to stay angry. more
This is the second book on Philippine's Rodrigo Duterte and his war on drugs that I've read in the last year. It's also the second written by journalists at Rappler (the other is Maria Ressa's How to Stand Up To a Dictator). I did not plan this, but both journalists impressed me with the courage of Rappler's staff. I love reading anything written by passionate, courageous authors excelling at what they do. Ressa won a Nobel Prize for her work as a journalist. more
More people need to be talking about this book. I can absolutely see why it was named by so many review publications as a "best of 2023" nonfiction pick (Time, New Yorker, NYT, to name a few). . Patricia Evangelista, a Filipina journalist, has worked as a field correspondent for an independent news agency based in Manila, Philippines. This book is the product of her research, interviews, and anecdotes surrounding former president of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte's crooked campaign against the country's war on drugs and the extrajudicial killings that happened under his presidency from 2016 to 2022. more
Gnarly yet necessary content. Solid audiobook performance. . more
One of the best Southeast Asia books I've ever read and the best one on the Philippines. Staggering work. more
I wanted more from this book, or maybe I wanted a different book. While it did cover a lot of Filipino history early on, the narrative got muddled the further I got into the book. I was expecting more of a non-fiction, big-picture overview of the killings and repercussions of the drug war in the Philippines, but was surprised how much memoir and personal history was present throughout. No offense to the author, but I did not come to read about her childhood and brief international fame. Some other issues I have with the book in no particular order: - The writing style is very stilted and can be hard to read, which may be an artifact of the author's training as a journalist. more
I highly, highly recommend. This is my top book of the year and now an all time favorite. Her reporting is incredible and devastating. I listened to the audiobook, which was very well read. . more
Compelling storytelling about the victims of Duterte's drug war, but not enough grounding in the political history of the Philippines in the latter half of the 20th century to provide context for what the conditions were that allowed people to buy into Duterte's bloodlust in recent years. It's notable that Evangelista only interviews Duterte supporters who eventually renounce their support for him—for me, this had the narrative effect of furnishing a "happy ending," though it's less than clear what the political aftermath has been. I wondered if some of the same criticisms of liberal journalism during the Trump era were also applicable here—that in focusing on the incompetence of the ruling regime and the bigotry that sprung up during the years it was in power it neglects a more systemic look at violence and the fragility of electoral democracy. more
Heart wrenching. Eye opening. Should be assigned reading. Some of the best reporting I've ever read. more
Riveting. Powerful. From start to end, this book had me at the edge of my seat. It felt like I was there, watching the deaths, watching the families mourn. It's like 2016 all over again. more
Genuinely one of the most moving and well written investigative journalism books I have read - the author who was born and brought up in the Philippines details the vicious massacres conducted under the Dutarte regime in the name of anti communism and a war on drugs. Evangelista contextualizes the regime so well, she provides a well told history of both colonial and internal factors that brought about present conditions that was so digestible that I was able to carry it with me through the rest of the book. The way she describes the heartbreak of watching one’s own people internalize and enable the devaluing of each other on the basis of fearmongering and exploitation is stunning and deeply emblematic of trump-era vitriol. The fact that this is a history of indiscriminate state sanctioned carnage that occurred within the last decade is genuinely terrifying and deeply underscores the necessity of a shared value for each others’ lives that is so aggressively undermined by our political leadership across the world. Amazing 10/10 everyone should read. more
This fascinating and informative memoir is a journal of the drug war in the Philippines that was orchestrated by Rodrigo Duterte, president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. Under his regime, thousands of people were extrajudicially killed by police and vigilantes presumably on drug-related offences that couldn’t always be proved. Duterte was elected to the office of the President based on his promises to end corruption and poverty, and “to find those people involved in drugs and kill them. ” What many of his supporters did not expect was the blood bath and the vigilante lawlessness that overtook the streets following his election. In this book, journalist Patricia Evangelista takes a long and lingering look at some of the many killings Duterte is responsible for and recounts the stories of the victims and their loved ones. more
I received this book as part of a GoodReads Giveaway and I highly recommend reading it. This book is thoroughly researched, well-written, and fast paced. The topic is both compelling and haunting. Prior to reading it, I knew almost nothing about either the Philippines or President Duterte, so at some points I would get lost in all of the people and place names. This book may be easier to follow for those who have pre-existing knowledge of Filipino history. more
Met open mond dit boek gelezen. Een bizarre, duistere, maar vooral eerlijke omschrijving van Duterte’s walgelijke ‘war on drugs’. Inclusief een mooie samenvatting van de moderne Filipijnse politiek. Alleen al om de moed van de auteur en de nabestaanden zou ik dit boek heel graag 5 sterren willen geven. Ware het niet dat dit boek echt een stuk korter en daarmee veel efficiënter had kunnen zijn. more
The book rigorously examines the complexities of the Philippines' drug war under Duterte's watch - exposing the pervasive culture of impunity within the law enforcement, the stark realities of police brutality and corruption, and the widespread human rights violations perpetrated by state agents themselves. Kudos to Patricia Evangelista for this brave expose. Another woman who chose not to remain silent amidst the attack on press freedom. With the ICC investigation ongoing, we can only hope that Duterte and his cohorts will finally be convicted for the heinous crimes they have committed. Some people need jailing. more
I came across this book on Obama’s favorites of 2023 list. Before reading this I had no knowledge of politics or history in the Philippines. This book opened up my eyes to what has happened and the atrocities of Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war. Former Filipino President, Duterte, led an all out drug war against drug users, drug dealers, and petty criminals after his election in 2016. His rhetoric encouraged the police and vigilantes to kill thousands in an effort to purify the country from drugs. more
Content was interesting and certainly important but book could benefit from way sharper editing. The writing is very self indulgent and painful to wade through. Would have preferred a non-fiction without all the navel gazing of an unknown narrator. more
Absolutely shocking. The book recounts the numerous instances of extrajudicial killings of Philippine citizens, and in a style that is disorienting and confusing. The narration moves between a personal biography of the author, a history of the Philippines, the political history of President Duarte that led him from mayor to president, the corruption and vigilante mentality of governments and every day people trying to solve a problem but going about it in a way that creates more problems than it solves, and a deep dive into the lives of every day Philippine citizens and the many that met a gruesome and tragic end. Hard to read and not sure if I developed a better understanding of the conflict that is helpful, but if nothing else it was eye opening. . more
While I was always aware of the drug war going on around me, I don’t think I ever truly got into the personal stories of the people who perished. This book served that purpose remarkably well. I like how this book situated the events in their cultural context. What did Duterte say. What did the Police Memorandum say. more