A History of Violence: Living and Dying in Central America“A necessary read.” —Los Angeles Review of Books “A chilling portrait of corruption, unimaginable brutality and impunity.” —Financial Times This revelatory and heartbreaking immersion into the lives of people enduring extreme violence in Central America is a powerful call for immigration policy reform in the United States. El 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. Óscar Martínez, 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. Martínez 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
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 | |
MADNESS | |
Our Bottomless Well | |
The Unfortunate History of an Undocumented Man Who Was Sold Extorted and Deported | |
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Common terms and phrases
Abeja Adán Ahuachapán Alta Verapaz Antonio Apanteos arrest Atiquizaya Barberena Barrio 18 bodies border campesinos Cartel cell Central America Chalatenango Chepe Furia Chicharra civilians clique Cobán cocaine Colombian Copán cops coyote criminal Democracia drug trafficking El Niño El Paraíso El Salvador El Tigre Érick families Fernando fuck gang members gangsters going Grecia Guatemala Guatemala City Guayo Cano happened Hollywood Locos Salvatrucha Honduras inmates José kidnapped kids killed knew land live locked looking Lorenzana Los Zetas Mara Salvatrucha massacre mayor Medio Millón Mexican Mexico migrants murder Narco from Rivas narcos narcotraffickers neighborhood Niño organized crime Óscar Ovidio Pantanal Paraíso Petén pickup pleabargain witness police officers policemen prison prosecutors pull Ruido Photo—elfaro.net Salcajá Salvadoran San Valentín says Señor Coyote someone started story talk tells there’s Ticas Tigre told truck Turín United victims Ward what’s women Zetas