Resources on Guatemala
Guatemalan Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)
Familias de Esperanza (Common Hope)
For more information about Guatemala on the internet:
Wikipedia
BBC Country Profile
Recommended Reading
Bitter Fruit: The Story of the American Coup in Guatemala by Stephen C. Schlesinger & Stephen Kinzer
Bitter Fruit tells the true story of the CIA-backed overthrow of Guatemala's democratically elected governor Jacobo Arbenz in 1954, an event that eventually triggered the Guatemalan Civil War. It focuses on the US role, utilizing primary documents from the government and interviews with CIA officials. A fascinating read.
I, Rigoberta Menchu: An Indian Woman in Guatemala by Rigoberta Menchu.
A Noble Peace Prize Winner, Rigoberta Menchu is a Guatemalan indigenous woman; this is the story of her struggles during Guatemala's 30-year internal armed conflict in which many indigenous Guatemalans were tortured and killed. This non-fiction tale provides some insight into the indigenous experience during the Civil War and the many tragedies that they faced.
Silence on the Mountain: Stories of Terror, Betrayal, and Forgetting in Guatemala by Daniel Wilkinson
The non-fiction story of a college graduate who goes to Guatemala to learn more about the 36 year civil war. Through interviews with indigenous groups and army officers alike, Wilkinson provides various accounts of the war and its causes, along with the pain and fear that accompanies talking about the 36 year Civil War. Partially due to the reactions of the individuals that he interviews even after the conflict is over and partially due to his recounting of occurrences during the war, one is able to better understand the internal armed conflict after reading this book.
Familias de Esperanza (Common Hope)
For more information about Guatemala on the internet:
Wikipedia
BBC Country Profile
Recommended Reading
Bitter Fruit: The Story of the American Coup in Guatemala by Stephen C. Schlesinger & Stephen Kinzer
Bitter Fruit tells the true story of the CIA-backed overthrow of Guatemala's democratically elected governor Jacobo Arbenz in 1954, an event that eventually triggered the Guatemalan Civil War. It focuses on the US role, utilizing primary documents from the government and interviews with CIA officials. A fascinating read.
I, Rigoberta Menchu: An Indian Woman in Guatemala by Rigoberta Menchu.
A Noble Peace Prize Winner, Rigoberta Menchu is a Guatemalan indigenous woman; this is the story of her struggles during Guatemala's 30-year internal armed conflict in which many indigenous Guatemalans were tortured and killed. This non-fiction tale provides some insight into the indigenous experience during the Civil War and the many tragedies that they faced.
Silence on the Mountain: Stories of Terror, Betrayal, and Forgetting in Guatemala by Daniel Wilkinson
The non-fiction story of a college graduate who goes to Guatemala to learn more about the 36 year civil war. Through interviews with indigenous groups and army officers alike, Wilkinson provides various accounts of the war and its causes, along with the pain and fear that accompanies talking about the 36 year Civil War. Partially due to the reactions of the individuals that he interviews even after the conflict is over and partially due to his recounting of occurrences during the war, one is able to better understand the internal armed conflict after reading this book.
