Many reviewers have said that News of a Kidnapping is a piece of nonfiction that reads like a novel. Do you agree? Why or why not?

Find out about the current situation in Colombia. What is the status of the drug trade and what is its relationship to the United States?

García Márquez, as well as his reviewers, have pointed out economic benefits that the Colombian drug trade brought to the country. Find out more about these economic effects as well as the drug trade's effects on society in general. Analyze the cost benefit of the drug trade for Colombia.

In the 1980s, both Colombia and the United States declared a War on Drugs. Find out about the American "war" and compare the two.

García Márquez has played a significant role in the politics and policy of his country. Learn more about the author's sociopolitical activities, particularly those he is currently undertaking.

Imagine that you were writing a novelization of News of a Kidnapping. How would it differ from García Márquez's work? Which characters and events would you focus on? How would you introduce Colombia's history of drug trafficking? Write an outline of the novel.

Find out more about the extradition treaties that Colombia and the United States have signed in the past. How did most Colombians react to these treaties and why? How did most Americans react to them and why?