I enjoyed this book very much. It is the autobiography of Howard Marks who was a major marijuana smuggler in the 70s and 80s. The book is his account of his early life and then his life as a smuggler. There is particular emphasis on how the various smuggling operations worked and detail about his colleagues. The style is fast-paced but very easy to read, absorb and ponder on. Throughout the book, there is a theme of how the attitude to drugs - especially weed and hash should be decriminalised. Some of these arguments make sense and some are clearly a form of downplaying his responsibility. I did get the feeling that we were being told selected facts at times. The author does come across as articulate and his story of how these operations worked is a riveting one, told with style, wit and clarity. There are lots of asides about the nuances of the US penal system, legal procedures around extradition and the philosophy of dealing in drugs. These enhance the book and come in at exactly the right time to explain what is going on. They never get preachy or too long and as mentioned, make the story more compelling. I think that anyone with an interest in modern history, criminality and good autobiography writing will thoroughly enjoy this book.