The Guatemala Reader: History, Culture, Politics (The Latin America Readers)

The Guatemala Reader is an impressive compilation of 200 texts in a broad, comprehensive introduction to Guatemala’s history, culture, and politics. I wish I had this when I was a Peace Corps Volunteer in the early 70s, or when studying for my Masters at the Institute of Latin America at the University of Texas later in the decade, not to mention over eight years working with different organizations, as these materials provide a wealth of insights into the beauty and complexity of Guatemala. This book will appeal to travelers, scholars, students and practitioners alike as it presents the stark realities behind the beautiful façade.The editors bring together a formidable source of information about the Maya, including selections from the first piece, and an excerpt from the Popol Vuh, a mid-sixteenth-century text believed to be the single most important source documenting pre-Hispanic Maya culture. Acknowledged experts like Michael Coe provide fascinating background information on “Breaking the Maya Code”, which was made possible by a Soviet linguist who travelled from Russia to Guatemala in 1990. While there, he received a medal from Guatemala’s first civilian president, only to have modern Guatemala politics come to the fore when he received a death threat and had to depart from Guatemala in haste. Each article is preceded by insightful background information like this.“Acts of Genocide: Commission for Historical Clarification” provides invaluable background to understand the longstanding racism within the country. The commission describes how the army defined entire Maya communities as “internal enemies”, so the annihilation of Maya populations was intentional, even though the military’s overarching motivation was officially to “defeat the insurgency”. I’d heard of such examples of ethnic cleansing, but didn’t appreciate the history behind it until reading some of these articles. Additional articles provide a real appreciation of the incredible influx of refugees to the U.S., which, according to Exodus, the Catholic Church estimated that a million people, or 15% of the population, were displaced during the violent period of the 1980s.New sources of information made possible by the “Freedom of Information” act provide an additional appreciation of the CIA’s 1954 orchestrated coup that overthrew a democratic government, which led to the appalling violent period that lasted nearly four decades and included six hundred massacres in indigenous communities, a campaign the United Nations ruled to be genocidal. Such documents as the CIA’s “A Plan of Assassination” showed how they compiled lists of Guatemalans “to eliminate immediately in the event of a successful anti-communist coup.”More contemporary problems, such as the influx of drugs and proliferation of gangs, are chronicled in “The Untouchable Narco-State”, in which the U.S. Embassy in Guatemala told the Associated Press that 75% of the cocaine that reached American soil passes through this Central American nation. Despite this very dismal reality, the Reader includes poems, songs, plays, jokes, novels, short stories, recipes, art, and photographs that capture the diversity of everyday life in Guatemala. The many maps and photos further strengthen the broad, diverse picture of Guatemala in all its physical beauty and human suffering.The book is part of a Latin America series published by Duke University Press. The three editors of this Reader have exceptional backgrounds for this comprehensive undertaking. Greg Grandin is a Professor of History at New York University and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He is the author of Fordlandia: The Rise and Fall of Henry Ford’s Forgotten Jungle City, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in History, and a truly exceptional book in its own right.Deborah T. Levenson is an Associate Professor of History at Boston College and the author of Trade Unionists against Terror: Guatemala City, 1954–1985 and Adiós Niño: Political Violence and the Gangs of Guatemala City from Duke University Press, and Elizabeth Oglesby is an Associate Professor of Geography and Latin American Studies at the University of Arizona. She previously worked as the editor of Central America Report and the associate editor for NACLA Report on the Americas, which I used extensively when working on my Master’s degree.This magnificent collage of pictures, stories and scholarly articles is not to be read in one sitting (well, it is over 600 pages) but I suggest the reader savor the book like a fine wine. In my case, I read an article, which is usually no more than three pages, each evening and have a far better appreciation of the incredible culture and historic complexities that make up “The Land of the Eternal Spring.”

This is not the book for a casual reader. It is an in depth exploration of the history of Guatemala using source documents over a 300 year period. I found it fascinating and loved reading it. Sort of a lite version of a college textbook, but no one has already marked it up with highlighter. If you want to know why Guatemala is the way it is, and you have the tolerance to read a wide variety of source documents, I highly recommend this book. If a Michener book is as historic as you want to be, this may not be for you.

A tertulia is often an informal gathering of minds to discuss politics, current events, literature, art, culture, etc. THE GUATEMALAN READER is a portable tertulia, one you can carry in your pocket. No taxis or excuses for being late are needed. You merely find a quite place, open the book and your mind, and you will learn about Guatemala from A thru Z. What was Maya life before the arrival of the Spanish? What is all the fuss about the Popol Vuh? How was the Maya code broken? What was the role of chocolate? How was rape used to control the masses? Why is Rigoberta Menchu so well known? No matter to which page you turn, you will interesting, well-written articles that will captivate you.

A fine book to inform on the original people of the Andes but not specifically mentioning Mayan people. Their current way of life and party politic as it is well known, in effect the nature of my expectations, are not mentioned. In my view, the content was more of a journalistic detailed report on the natives people's warring activities which took place in early Guatemala several decades ago; although it is well written information.! Nor did I find much political science propos which, given the last century's political/social chaotic history was not evident. I reckon that half way in the readings, the country civil war was not yet invoked. This is nonetheless very good fiction like materiel which deals with old facts of life in Guatemala especially those involving natives of the old Mexican era.I may be wrong but I could not detect much about the last 60 years historicals but I want to stress that, I did not read the entire book, for I became dissapointed but in fact, as I read, I coincidently went through a mild temporary decline in health. The book is nevertheless very interesting in terms of a live description of ancient native warriors' ways and means in multi killings.

I had to purchase this book for one of my classes. While some of the content is strictly informational, I found most of the content to be interesting and new. It taught me lots about the recent history of Guatemala. If you need to get through this book quickly, i would suggest just skimming it. I feel like a chapter that is 15 pages could've been written in 5.

Covers a wealth of topics useful as an orientation to Guatemala. Many short stories, articles that paint the complex fabric useful as an initial backdrop. Easy read.

A broad range of selections, covers colonial and modern eras. Good coverage of the social and political issues of the country.

This book is incredible. Incredibly extensive and thorough from many angles and wth a variety of sources. Personal accounts, historic documents, actually really good poetry and art. One of my all time favorite readers.

Excellent book. I did not finish yet, but I love the way it is organized and the richness of texts and authors.

What a surprising range of sources! This is an absolute treasure to dip into. I found myself getting lost down rabbit holes when I had only intended to read a single article. Highly recommend.