Some People Need Killing

Why people recommend it

Some People Need Killing by Patricia Evangelista is a harrowing non-fiction memoir documenting the brutal extrajudicial drug war in the Philippines through the eyes of an investigative journalist. The book received prominent attention on The Book Review podcast, where host Gilbert Cruz and Jumana Katib discussed its powerful subject matter. Cruz later revisited the publication on the same podcast when reviewing the best non-fiction lists of the year, reading the full subtitle, A Memoir of Murder in My Country, to listeners. During these discussions, the host provided essential background context regarding the book's unflinching coverage of state-sanctioned violence and the profound personal toll it took on the local population. The speakers emphasized the courage required to document such dangerous events, positioning the memoir as a vital historical record of a tumultuous era. By featuring the work on multiple year-end recommendation lists, the podcast highlighted the book's significance as a harrowing yet necessary piece of international investigative journalism that exposes the grim realities of modern political brutality and human rights abuses.