Conor Woodman has always been fascinated with crime, and he’s not the only one. Criminality, in its many forms, dominates TV dramas, the box office and the book charts, with criminals presented as lovable rogues and their transgressions glorified. However, the more time Conor spent with criminals, the more interested he became in what it really takes to commit crime. As a result, he has spent the last four years journeying around the globe, tracking some of the world's richest, and most unpleasant criminals.
SHARKS takes us on a journey through the lawless backstreets of cities such as Mumbai, Bogota, New Orleans, Mexico City and Jerusalem. Here, in the hidden depths, he uncovers the people and the scams that keep the global black economy moving. From steamy Southern State dice games to a kidnapping in Mumbai, from Argentinian currency counterfeiters to cannabis cultivation in Birmingham, Conor investigates who really runs these cities, who they are exploiting and what local corruption allows these dark markets to thrive.
Conor’s hands-on approach - risky, brave, occasionally reckless – gives us his most daring reportage to date. In one breathtaking encounter after another, Conor Woodman’s SHARKS reveals a picture of the crooked underworlds you never knew existed and the real life criminals you never, ever want to meet in a darkened alley.
Many of our favourite brands now openly espouse 'ethical' credentials, so how is it that they can import billions of pounds' worth of goods from the developing world every year while leaving the people who produce them barely scraping a living? Are they being cynically opportunistic? Or is it that global commerce will always be incompatible with the eradication of poverty? And, if so, are charity and fair trade initiatives the only way forward?
In Unfair Trade Conor Woodman travels the world - from Nicaragua to the Congo and from Laos to Afghanistan - to establish the truth. In the course of his journeys he uncovers some truly shocking stories about the way big business operates, but he also sees a way forward that could reconcile the apparently irreconcilable.
Unfair Trade was longlisted for the Orwell Prize 2012.
Conor Woodman has decided to test his negotiating skills, charm and eye for a bargain against some of the world's oldest trading cultures. He's sold his house to finance the trip, but if his hunches are right – trading Sudanese camels for Zambian coffee, coffee for South African red wine and then off to China to buy jade with the proceeds – he’ll return six months later with a lot of money, some new tricks and a whole raft of brilliant tall tales.
The Adventure Capitalist offers an exciting insight into the human story behind the money in our pockets, and reminds us that making a living is about exactly that – living.
The Adventure Capitalist has been translated and published worldwide.
