Monkey's Paw

"Journalistic account, set in a careful historical setting, of the impact of the Sendero Luminoso- inspired civil war from 1983 to the mid-1990s. Focuses on the civil defense brigades, Sendero's women in their prison setting, and campesino refugees in Lima who have fled their highland villages as a result of the war. Based on extensive interviews by a journalist who is fully familiar with the topic. One of the best sources for testimonials about the war from those most effected by it. Should not be overlooked by specialists seeking clear insights into the attitudes of both senderistas and those the movement terrorized"--Handbook of Latin American Studies, v. 58.

Drawing on Peru's rich history, journalist Robin Kirk combines interviews and personal narrative to present a vivid portrait of this turbulent country. The book opens with her first trip to Peru in 1983, just as the Shining Path guerrillas plunged the nation into sudden, violent change. Amid the horror and loss of war, she finds moving and often marvelous human stories of people from all walks of life. She ends her narrative with the bittersweet return of peasant refugees to their war-ravaged Andean villages.

Booknews

A journalist's story of travels in modern Peru, looking at the human side of the guerilla insurgency and the Communist Party. She describes heroes and scoundrels in their struggle against poverty and oppression, and reflects on what it means to live a life of privilege when so many have so few choices. B&w photos depict Shining Path guerillas who look like middle-class housewives, rural teens with automatic weapons, and scenes of daily life in cities and the country. Includes a glossary. No index. Paper edition (unseen), $15.95. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.