Listen Companero

On a Thursday morning in 1981, four thousand campesinos (fieldworkers), fleeing a US-funded Salvadoran death squad, stumbled down the rocky, overgrown side of a hill to the Lempa River. Some were mown down by machine guns and the strafing of helicopters; others drowned as they were swept away by the river. The rest escaped to live the next eight years in UN refugee camps in Honduras. In 1989 many of these refugees returned to El Salvador as the repatriated community of Valle Nuevo. Companeros tells the stories of a twenty-five year relationship of accompaniment, healing, and forgiveness between Valle Nuevo and a small association of churches in the United States, Shalom Mission Communities. The two groups have come to embrace a transnational communion with one another despite the economic, political, and spiritual chasms that exist today. This work is a collective, collaborative effort of storytelling and theological reflection, interweaving oral and written accounts of suffering, thanksgiving, sharing, remembering, and proclaiming the death of Christ until he comes again.

The best-selling account of the life of Latin American peasant woman and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. Now a global bestseller, the remarkable life of Rigoberta Menchú, a Guatemalan peasant woman, reflects on the experiences common to many Indian communities in Latin America. Menchú suffered gross injustice and hardship in her early life: her brother, father and mother were murdered by the Guatemalan military. She learned Spanish and turned to catechistic work as an expression of political revolt as well as religious commitment. Menchú vividly conveys the traditional beliefs of her community and her personal response to feminist and socialist ideas. Above all, these pages are illuminated by the enduring courage and passionate sense of justice of an extraordinary woman.

DIVEssays drawn from a variety of disciplines both review and challenge current understandings of masculinity in Latin America./div

Central American pensadores have interpreted the theories of Marx and other scholars of revolution in diverse ways. In this book Sheldon Liss examines the political theory and ideology of some of Central America's most important radical thinkers, including non-Marxists, and demonstrates how they have challenged the tenets of imperialism and capitalism. Chapters on individual Central American countries begin with brief historical introductions that emphasize the rise of radical activities and organizations. Individual essays based on published writings, interviews, and scholarly analyses of their works then establish each writer's personal ideology, social and political goals, and theories of society, state, and institutions of power. Liss also examines their relationship to social and political movements and contributions to the national intellectual life of the past and present. In addition, Liss discusses the writers' understanding of the role of the United States in the Americas and beliefs about national struggles for independence. By focusing on political and social theory and on intellectual history, this book also provides the background critical for understanding recent developments and changes in Central America.

Toward Campoluna captures the romance and excitement of a unique generation in a unique place. In 1955, lifeguard and surf bum Corky McCork and his bighearted artist friend, Reebar Tornay, hit the road for some adventure. When they come to the aid of barefoot and bleeding Eliomara Vasquez, the three become interlinked in an international adventure that lasts a lifetime. The men help the feisty Eliomara to escape the border patrol authorities who want to send her back to Mexico, and then Corky, Reebar, and Eliomara continue on to individual journeys, facing countless dangers and challenges, before their lives again intersect, many years later, in a joint quest for meaning, purpose, and peace. The three come back together, this time joined by Lumina, the beautiful Bulgarian eccentric; Tireseo, the blind poet-revolutionary; Sylvia, the enigmatic spy; and Pulo, the breeder of fighting cocks; to form Campoluna, a rugged artists' colony in rural Mexico. Meant to be a haven in the face of a drastically changing world and the Vietnam War, Campoluna becomes a test of the precarious balance between the magnificent loneliness of individuality and the arduous pleasure of human bonds, as well as a testament to the power of collectively embracing life with vigor and hope. "Vivid characters, an overwhelming plot, strong passions, defeats and hopes and longing, compassion and loneliness this is literature " -Edvard Hoem, author of Ave Eva and The Ferry Crossing

Guatemala is one of the least studied and most volatile nations in Central America. Fauriol and Loser chronicle Guatemala's modern political development as a prelude to an analysis of the nation's current environment. This is not a conventional history, but a social, political, and economic cross-section based on the latest secondary information and research available, supplemented by a firsthand set of observations. The authors proceed from three major premises: (1) the armed forces, far from being the cause of instability, have provided the only real models of governance; (2) far from suffering from a banana republic inferiority complex, the culture has a rich nationalist heritage, bordering on outright chauvinism; and (3) the political experiences of the nation have been adjudicated in the main by the armed forces. The authors note that Guatemala's break with its authoritarian past started in 1985. How this transfer of power has occurred, who the new rulers are, and what new political civilian forces have been set in motion, become the fulcrum for this study. The political experience of Guatemala is taken seriously and reviewed in detail. The role of foreign power is neither ignored nor minimized, but essentially this is a study of national elites. The volume covers areas ranging from human rights abuses by past administrations to current problems forced on the regime by a never-ending battle against terrorism and insurgency. It concludes with a fine bibliographical essay and an excellent set of reference tools for the specialist. In short, whether a person seeks a quick overview, or the scholar aims for precise data and theory, this is the state of the art book on Guatemala for the late 1980s going into the electoral period of the early 1990s.

Knowing how to listen is essential to learning, growing, and getting along with others. This gentle, encouraging book introduces and explains what listening means, why it’s important, and how to listen well. Realistic examples and inviting full-color illustrations bring the concepts to life. The focus throughout is on the positive results of being a good listener. Made to be read aloud, this book also includes a special section for adults, with ways to reinforce the skills being taught, questions to invite lively discussion, and listening games to play. Now children and adults can enjoy our most popular Learning to Get Along books in English and Spanish. The series helps children learn, understand, and practice basic emotional and social skills. Real-life situations, lots of diversity, and concrete examples make these read-aloud books appropriate for all homes, childcare settings, and primary classrooms as well as special education, including settings with children on the autism spectrum. Presented in a social story format, each of the bilingual Learning to Get Along books includes a special bilingual section for adults, with discussion questions, games, activities, and tips that reinforce improving social skills.

Winner of 2005 Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition Winner of 2005 National Medal of Arts Since defecting from Cuba in 1980—and indeed long before that in his native land— Paquito D'Rivera has received glowing praise time and again. A best-selling artist with more than thirty solo albums to his credit, D'Rivera has performed at the White House and the Blue Note, and with orchestras, jazz ensembles, and chamber groups around the world. My Sax Life is the English-language edition of D'Rivera's memoirs, published to acclaim in 1998. Propelled by jazz-fueled high spirits, D'Rivera's story soars and spins from memory to memory in a collage of his remarkable life. D'Rivera recalls his early nightclub appearances as a child, performing with clowns and exotic dancers, as well as his search for artistic freedom in communist Cuba and his hungry explorations of world music after his defection. Opinionated but always good-humored, My Sax Life is a fascinating statement on art and the artist's life.