37 Tons

A brutally honest account of a life of extremes that began in a tough Boston neighborhood of immigrants in the 1960s, 37 Tons is a story of survival, addiction, wild successes and failures, and the attempt to make sense of it all. Beginning in his teens, Victorson tries out pot dealing on the Boston Common, progressing to smuggling hash out of Amsterdam and broader operations in India and Nepal. While working for a Colombian cartel and living the high life in Marin County, he orchestrates an operation that ultimately results in one of the biggest pot busts in this country to date. “David Victorson has written a searingly honest book about his life that will both break your heart and give you hope. He takes an unflinching look at the circumstances and choices that fueled his life—from poverty to addiction, from kingpin to prison, from executive to self-destruction, from despair to redemption. Though the writing is raw, his voice is clear. He has lived a life of extremes. He's a survivor, sometimes surprisingly so, but his honest self-reflection makes his tale compelling. His memoir is powerful and unique. I recommend it without reservation.” —J. Mulligan, Senior Insurance Executive