It’s the ’90s. My mom, my grandma, and my two younger sisters all live in a one-bedroom house on a ridge that overlooks the desert city of Juarez.My father, he died years ago in a firefight with the cartel, so even though I’m just thirteen, I’ve already dropped out of school and work odd jobs around the city to help the family. Sometimes I wash cars at the roundabout, other times I sell food near the border.One day, my neighbor, Carlos, asks me to help him with something. I know Carlos is in a gang. I know he’s part of the drug world. But he also helps protect the barrio. And my youngest sister, Isa, has type I diabetes, and she needs insulin every day, which is crazy expensive, so I do what needs to be done and help Carlos.Afterwards, I try to forget about it.But Carlos comes back asking for more help, offering more money, and before I realize it, I’m part of his gang, doing things my father had given his life to stop. But I’m making more money in a day than my mom can make in a month at the maquiladora, and Isa has her insulin, so maybe it’s for the best.Except no one stays safe for long in this world. Not Carlos, not me, not my family. I thought I could make things better. They’re so much worse.

Isa’s Insulin: A Cartel Thriller (Jacob White) PDF

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