I am not really a reader, but there was something about this book that completely captured my attention. It was given to me one day and once I started reading it, I noticed I coulnd't let go of it. It is very good because you can picture everything that is going on. It also informs you of things that you wouldn't never possibly thought that could go on in a country. This is defenately the best book I have ever read. Let's see if Wilfredo can write another capturing work like this. I hope so, I'll be the first one to purchase it.

IT GAVE ME MUCH JOY BEING A STUDENT WHO IS CURRENTLY MAJORING IN POLITICAL SCIENCE WITH A MINOR IN LATIN AMERICAN AND CARIBBEAN STUDIES TO READ SUCH WORK OF ART. I'VE HAD THE FORTUNATE OPPORTUNITY TO READ MANY WORKS BY LATINO/LATINA WRITERS, BUT NOTHING HAS MOVED ME MORE THEN THE WORK OF WILFREDO ARGUETA. HE HAS SUCCESSFULLY GIVEN A VOICE TO THOSE THAT TEND TO BE VOICELESS IN LATIN AMERICA, PARTICULARLY CHILDREN OF WAR. THROUGH HIS WORK HE HAS GIVEN A HUMAN TOUCH TO THE HARDSHIP, POVERTY AND REALITY THAT HAS PLAQUED MUCH OF EL SALVADOR DURING ITS CIVIL WAR AND CONTINUES TO PLAQUE IT TODAY. AND BEING THAT MY MOTHER IS SALVADORIAN AND HAVING VISITED EL SALVADOR SEVERAL TIMES, DURING ITS CIVIL WAR, THIS BOOK HAS TRULLY HIT HOME, EXPOSING THE REALITY AND STRUGGLE SALVADORIANS HAVE ENDURED DURING THEIR CIVIL WAR, THROUGH THE EYES OF A CHILD. THIS BOOK TRULLY SHOWS THE BEGINNING OF A NEW WAVE OF POLTICALLY MOTIVATED YOUNG LATINO WRITERS, WILFREDO ARGUETA BEING ONE OF THEM!

The purpose of this review is to congratulate the author on a creative and poignant piece of work. For those of you who have read the book, you will agree that it is an insight into the trials and tribulations of emigrating from any war-torn country. For those of you who have not read the book, get one - you will not be disapppointed.

I am very proud of Will, his achievements, his tenacity and most of all his perserverence in achieving whatever he wants to achieve in life, regardless of whether or not it is against the flow.

Much love Will,

Your friend down under.

Mark Danner has written a marvelously researched and page-turning account of one of the larger attrocities in Central America committed by U.S. trained, supervised and funded armies. After the American War in Vietnam, the U.S. made a strategic decision to pay the locals to do our fighting. In other words, a proxy war. Lieutenant Colonel Domingo Monterrosa, the crafty, spirited and charismatic officer who commanded the Salvadoran forces at El Mozote, trained in Panama at the U.S. training installation later moved to Ft. Benning, Georgia and named the School of the Americas. Graduates of the SOA have been implicated in the murders of thousands of civilians, Archbishop Romero and American nuns and priests.

What I found most interesting, contrary to my previous opinion, is that the Ambassador and at least several American officials in San Salvador believed something terrible had happened in El Mozote. Without access to the site - it had been recaptured by the FMLN rebels - they could prove nothing. Nevertheless, they attempted to communicate their fears to Washington. Washington decided not to believe. Instead, the New York Times recalled one of the reporters who had been to the site at FMLN invitation and had seen the bodies. The story seemed unbelievable.

The story was, of course, Communist propaganda and therefore not to be believed. Well, yes, the FMLN did broadcast the story with the intent of influencing Salvadorans and Americans. It was propaganda. It was also true.

There is a parallel in U.S. history. (There may be more than one.) During the 1920's and 30's and even later, the American and European press was rife with reports of mass murders in the Soviet Union. The press reporting these attrocities had for years been reporting and editorializing against the Soviet threat and Communist revolution, many times exaggerating or being more than a little creative. They had also supported the American-British-French invasion of the Soviet Union after WWI. Liberals regarded these sources as unreliable and untrustworthy, and continued to defend Stalin. The liberals were right, of course, just as the Reagan Administration was right: the reports were propaganda. The reports were also true.

Sometimes the enemy is right. We should take care to listen.

What a shame it would have been to the writers of the American constitution to see the policy that the US took in El Salvador and the Latin American region. How could a country with the ideals of liberty and freedom of oppression support a government whose army killed and cruelly repressed its innocent inhabitants? I was a young girl when El Mozote massacre occurred but I remember the fear that infused every sector of society. Where was the liberty that the US was promoting if the only emotion allowed in the population was fear? Dissent, protest even ideological differences were brutally repressed! Mark Danner is an excellent journalist and a corageous human being by bringing to the attention of the American society the barbarism committed with the funding and support of the US government. Danner tells the truth about events and violations of basic human rights by the US. supported Salvadorean regime. Danner wins 10 out of five stars in my rankings.

What compelled the army to decapitate infants, hang children and wipe out an entire village of 800 civilians? Why did the U.S. support a government that massacred nuns, priests, social workers and catequists? Danner's book presents in clear and undeniable form the insanity of U.S. policy in El Salvador in the 1980's. I am a U.S. priest working in El Salvador not far from El Mozote. Every day we work with survivors of the war, and see the results of the trauma still evident. Danner's book gave me a great insight into the decisions that led to the Mozote massacre, as a keyhole to the broader conflict.

"Rebel Radio" is inspiring, moving, and impossible to put down, and not just for radio fans. It's the story of how a small band of young rebels put a guerrilla station (like a pirate station) on the air and kept it there for years against all odds, told in their own voices. We see them develop as journalists, as artists, and as revolutionaries. The Salvadorans are resourceful, creative, and audacious beyond belief. They tear down the station at a moment's notice and carry it off on their backs, staying just ahead of the government forces who want to destroy them, then taunting the generals on the air, like Wily Coyote and the Roadrunner. You'll fall in love with these people; they're fearsomely brave and committed, yet they have their funny and deeply human moments too. You'll want to run off to El Salvador immediately to see the museum that honors Radio Venceremos.

This book's story is a little example of how cruel power could be against a people. El salvador gave the world some decades ago one of the most gallards fights in order to preserve freedom, justice, wealth, independence, work. Power, land and money inside a fisk and in the other hand a defendless people, armed only with reason. The resulting damages of salvadoran pro- USA death squads are horrendous: massacres, sexual violations, catholic nuns, union leaders, peasants, teachers, children killed. And the School of the Americas is still open :)... And still current El Salvador government refuses to cooperate with justice.... ... A great homage for those killed.

I bought this book in El Salvador in one of the few visits that I have made to my natal land, the strugles that all the fighters have to go thru to keep the radio waves opened for all the listeners was horrendous. The book tell the story of the freedom fighters moving all the equipment from site to site and hiding it from the attacks of the salvadorean army. The heroism displayed or let's say described in the book is to be admired. I am not a former guerrilla member nor do I like comunism in any form, but being salvadorean myself I could not hold some tears after reading some of the chapters in the book.

Madariaga does know what he's talking about, unlike Gary Jennings in "Aztec". Madariaga is a renowned historian who takes advantage of his knowledge and his writing skills to give us an epic novel of the Mexican Conquest. It traces the parallel lives of Xuchitl, a princess from Texcoco, and Alonso de Manrique, a well-to-do young man from Spain. Madariaga portraits the social context in which their lives develop. The Ancient Mexican culture is fascinatingly depicted, as well as the Spain of the Inquisition and the war against the Moors. Religion, politics and social situations paint a broad canvass in which the love story evolves. Alonso goes to Mexico with Cortes, helping him conquer what is now Mexico. He and Xuchitl fall in love instantly and, of course, that love is difficult but passionate. Madariaga's images are powerful, the tone epic and the result, a great read for anybody. The characters are unforgettable and the book has a bright light and colors that make it a grand novel.

Oh...I found this book in the Spanish section of my library...and I don't want to give it back. I was immediately sucked into it. I couldn't put it down. The characters are very well developed, and I found myself following the story on the edge of my seat. I cried and hoped with Xuchitl and I determined and fought with Alonso. Having spent a summer in Spain, and having visited Mexico several times, the realistic descriptions brought me home to hundreds of my own memories while providing even more insight into these beautifully complex cultures. When I first finished the book, I thought the ending was a little anti-climactic...but since then I have found out that the book is the first of a 4 book series, so I would assume it was anti-climactic because the story wasn't really over yet. This gives me hope. I am now dying to find the titles of the sequels ... I highly recommend this one.

This is a marvelous first book of a proposed 5-book history of the conquest of the Americas by the Spanish. Each book was to cover the lives of a generation, but the author was only able to complete four prior to his death.

The book is comprehensive in its detail of both Aztec and Hispanic life in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. The main characters come from nobility in both cultures and both sides demonstrate a combination of nationalism and religious ferver that are the essence of the conflict. Within this panorama is a love story between an Aztec princess (Xuchitl) and a Spanish conquistador (Alonso). Alonso's strengths (deep integrity, religious conviction, mystical experiences, and nationalism) are countered effectively by an equally intense and admirable Aztec warrier/priest (Itzcauatzin). Through this triangle, the author explores the laudable and despicable characteristics of both cultures, as well as the religious / mystical foundations of each. The author grants credibility to each culture and religion, and thereby provides the reader a more rounded, in-depth, and very personal look at life during the conquest. If you read Spanish, and love history, philosophy, adventure, and intrigue, El Corazon de Piedra Verde will be on your list of favorites!

It is amazing to see what kind of atrocities go on in other parts of the world. What's even more of a shock are the institutions put in place to keep the masses oppressed for the benefit of a few. This book opened my eyes to the widespread repercussions of the cold war, and how the US supported tyranous regimes in the name of "defending democracy".

A must read for anyone who is the least bit concerned with human rights--A lesson in the truth vs. what the media provides us. Honestly written--a beautiful book

this is the best book i have ever read. it is very exicting and uplifting. Maria Tula is one of the most courageous individuals i have read about. being a woman i want to use maria as a model for myself and my future daughters. any one who has experiecned domestic violence should read this book because she expereinced and overcame it. please read and recommend this book to women and men.

The Deepest Wound: How A Journey To El Salvador Led To Healing From Mother-Daughter Incest by Linda Crockett, is a powerful and personal testimony of her own life journey that draws parallels between healing from sadistic parental abuse and recovering from political torture. An insightful journey to how the scars of terrible, repeated trauma can be accepted, and adapted, without sacrificing one's ability to pursue hopes and dreams. The Deepest Wound is profoundly candid, deeply moving and highly recommended reading.

This incredible journey of what happens when "Mother" is the abuser and father disconnects setting a tiny soul adrift is the most powerful I've ever read. This book is a must read for: Anyone who doubts the depth of destruction that can be caused by those entrusted with the gift of a child; survivors who need to recognize emerging symptoms and understand that they can confront their pain and follow Linda's new paradigm to healing; friends and family who contemplate approaching or accompanying a survivor on their journey to healing; therapists and doctors that seek to enter the dangerouis minefield surrounding survivors; and, watchers, for whom this book may instill the courage to intercede on behalf of a child.
It takes courage to read this book. Those that do will never take a shallow view of childhood abuse again.
At the close of this book, readers will recognize the author as a remarkably courageous woman who shattered myths and created new pathways as she fought her way from Hell to healing.

This book is one of the most beautiful, guiding and well written books out there! It's amazing how Salvador de Madariaga's pen can take your mind and imagination through time and through space. You're going to find yourself walking along 16th century Texcoco and Tenochtitlan. You are going to feel the fear of the soon-to-be-sacrificed slaves, you would smell the fresh blood of the priests, and you would cry along with Xuchitl, Texcoco's princess, with her tragic loses. But you will also find yourself riding through Torremala's (Spain) fields, having dinner with Cristopher Colombus, and see Alonso Manrique fainting when he sees a naked woman for the first time.

But what is the most fascinating thing about this book, is that you're going to learn all about Mexico's conquest in the hands of the spaniards, the late aztec culture and rites, and the extremely well-written evolution of 2 (and more) of the most fascinating and different characters of the modern literature, in a novel that blends religion, politics and love with a truly amazing story that will keep you attached to your seat from the first to the last page. And if, when you finish reading this masterpiece, you haven't had enough, there are three more books that continues Heart of Jade's exciting story. Prepare yourself for an amazing trip to the 16th century! A magical and truly beautiful world is waiting for you...

Salvador de Madariaga's "The Heart of Jade" is a beautifully crafted blockbuster novel chronicling the blood and thunder 16th century conquest of Mexico. But it is more than glorious and vainglorious history. The author endows his story with a depth of human interest from the parallell viewpoints of its two main characters, a young Spaniard and young royal Aztec who are destined to meet across the wide gulf of their cultures.
Readers of such books on this era as "La Chingada" and "Captain from Castile" will find those previously satisfying reads rather insusbstantial in comparison to this masterful work.

Ésta es una novela corta, cuya narración se mete en los detalles de las situaciones, pero no aburre al lector, por el contrario lo hace interesarse en la historia.

La historia es sobre un viejo pescador que está en un periodo de mala suerte y sale a pescar. Durante el tiempo que dura la pesca muestra las bellezas y peligros del mar, reflexiona sobre el hombre y su parecido y diferencias con criaturas marinas, enseña que cada persona es producto de su pasado y así sucesivamente.

Es una novela sin sobresaltos, para que chicos y grandes la disfruten.

un cuento hermoso, escrito con la parquedad de palabras que caracteriza a Hemingway, con sus oraciones cortas y concisas, con su estilo de periodista puesto al servicio de la novelistica. este cuento trata sobre la busqueda, esa interna busqueda del ser humano, esa agonia por poseer, conquistar, domar, por no ser vencido por el inexorable paso de los anos y la muerte. esto es lo que impulsa a santiago a la pesca todos los dias. no se porque, pero esta historia me recuerda mucho a moby dick, aunque aqui la busqueda sea diferente muy recomendado. LUIS MENDEZ

This book shows you how bad the government of El Salvador has been through the 80s and 90s. Also unmask the USA (Freedom figthers yeah right!) which supported this goverment even knowing the war crimes against inocent people.

If you like to read true stories that make you want cry, this book is for you. If you like to learn about history when the U.S. destroyed lives, this book is for you. If you like to read about good terrorists, this book is for you.

I found this book quite helpful. I'm a native from El Salvador who had been out of the country for 20 years. I found it a good supplement to other sources of information (e.g., local phone books in El Salvador, people and friends). Although some of the directory information may be dated, most of the facts and directions still hold. It's best to cross-reference the book with a local phone book for more accuracy. Yet, the book is a great trip planning tool. It allows you to pick and chose places and things to do at a pace that not even locals can keep up. It's clear that a lot of good work went into making the book. The level of detail is beyond what any local can know all by himself (e.g., bus routes, mores, festivals, local rituals, etc.). I found the hand-drawn maps most helpful and the history/background informaiton information least helpful. Advisories should apply to all locations outside the central city or popular foreign tourist attractions. Also, the book does not address which locations are most ideal to visit depending on the small universe weather conditions, e.g., heavy rains or dry, hot to extremely hot temperatures. I recommend this book. I've found no other books as helpful as this one but feel that the book and its contents could be much improved, e.g., day-trips, sports events, local festivity schedules, shopping information, entertainment options, ground and non-ground recreational activities, specific coverage and related-activities regarding aviation, boatin, sailing, surfing, fishing, golf, lakes, rivers and bodies of water, etc. (perhaps on future editions, beyond the 2nd). I currently own both of the first two editions. They're both pretty much worn out and it's because they go with me and take me places each time I visit there. I just wish the book were more expansive and provide material for all the other sites that one encounters while going from place to place, yet this would make it too thick and heavy. Also, if you ever go to El Teleferico, please say Hi to Mr. Moon (a local cartoonist) there for me!

For years I looked for a book that would cover travel to El Salvador. I have been married to a Salvadorena for 16 years and have made five trips to the country since 1991. I love El Salvador, its beauty and its wonderful people. You can't travel there without this book! Buy it today!

I'm Salvadoran and I'm married to a Jewish-American woman. She bought this book for us to take a tour in El Salvador. Let me tell you, this is the best guide book I've ever read. It's so easy to use and it has ALL the information about this little beautiful country that you need. I even used some of the information on my website, of course with the permission from the authors. Thank you Jeff, Julian and Veronica for making this possible.