A History of Violence: Living and Dying in Central AmericaEl Salvador and Honduras have had the highest homicide rates in the world over the past ten years, with Guatemala close behind. Every day more than 1,000 people-men, women, and children-flee these three countries for North America. scar Martnez, author of The Beast, named one of the best books of the year by the Economist, Mother Jones, and the Financial Times, fleshes out these stark figures with true stories, producing a jarringly beautiful and immersive account of life in deadly locations. Martnez travels to Nicaraguan fishing towns, southern Mexican brothels where Central American women are trafficked, isolated Guatemalan jungle villages, and crime-ridden Salvadoran slums. With his precise and empathetic reporting, he explores the underbelly of these troubled places. He goes undercover to drink with narcos, accompanies police patrols, rides in trafficking boats and hides out with a gang informer. The result is an unforgettable portrait of a region of fear and a subtle analysis of the North American roots and reach of the crisis, helping to explain why this history of violence should matter to all of us. |
Contents
Foreword by Jon Lee Anderson | |
Preface | |
EMPTINESS | |
The State Against Chepe Furia | |
The Lords of the Border | |
Guatemala Is Spelled with a | |
A Nobody in the Land of Narcos | |
Made in Central America | |
The Most Miserable of Traitors | |
El Niño Hollywoods Death Foretold | |
The Massacre of Salcajá | |
Men Who Pull Out Nails | |
FLEEING | |
The Tamed Coyotes | |
Men Who Sell Women | |
The Prayers of El Salvadors AntiGang Police Unit | |
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