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raiuga's review
5.0
Martínez’s writing is epic and almost cinematic, but he never once betrays empathy for victims in pursuit of excitement. Must-read for those interested in Latin American gang-culture that isn’t written from the viewpoint of a white American dude
ashalucienne's review
another book i feel would be unfair to rate given it’s content, but the actual storytelling was super interesting!
read for global 10A
read for global 10A
sjbshannon's review against another edition
5.0
Should be required reading for anyone who is against asylum or immigration, or thinks that the situation in Guatemala/Honduras/El Salvador has nothing to do with the U.S.
My only complaint is I wish the book had gone more in detail about the governmental/political connections the U.S. has with the region.
A fair warning that this book is brutal at moments, though.
My only complaint is I wish the book had gone more in detail about the governmental/political connections the U.S. has with the region.
A fair warning that this book is brutal at moments, though.
bitofadisgrace's review
challenging
dark
informative
5.0
Explores the violence of modern day slavery, colonialism, and poverty. While difficult to read and very emotional, due to graphic descriptions of extremely violent events, the book managed to show the human side of this situation.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence and Violence
timhoiland's review
4.0
When people learn I was born and raised in Guatemala, I have come to expect one of two reactions. First, wide eyes and a “Wow, that must have been crazy.” Second, though far less frequently, maybe a story about visiting the colonial city of Antigua or of volunteering at an orphanage near Lake Lake Atitlán once. And that’s about it.
Even though Central America is very close to us geographically, and though our histories are bound up together, for various reasons most people in the United States know very little about the three countries in the so-called “Northern Triangle” of Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala.
I’ll be honest: it’s kind of understandable. To the extent that any of us follow international news, the headlines and stories coming out of Central America are for the most part bleak. There are places in the region people like us simply don’t go, and therefore, lots of stuff people like us simply don’t understand.
And that’s where Óscar Martínez comes in...
- See more at: http://timhoiland.com/2016/04/a-history-of-violence
Even though Central America is very close to us geographically, and though our histories are bound up together, for various reasons most people in the United States know very little about the three countries in the so-called “Northern Triangle” of Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala.
I’ll be honest: it’s kind of understandable. To the extent that any of us follow international news, the headlines and stories coming out of Central America are for the most part bleak. There are places in the region people like us simply don’t go, and therefore, lots of stuff people like us simply don’t understand.
And that’s where Óscar Martínez comes in...
- See more at: http://timhoiland.com/2016/04/a-history-of-violence
jnikolova's review
2.0
Read on the WondrousBooks blog.
This book is very informative and gives the reader a wide perspective of the lives people live in countries the existence of which gets forgotten on my side of the ocean. If you've ever wondered what life in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras is like, this is the book for you, but beware - it's bloodier and more nightmarish than you can even imagine. In fact, this is a life which can arguably be called worse than the one in war-torn countries like Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria. The proof for this statement is the fact that in Central America we can find the cities with the highest murder rate and also the deadliest gang in the world - Mara Salvatrucha.
Considering the careless and sheltered life some Europeans and Americans live, A History of Violence is an eye-opener for some facts we intentionally don't want to learn anything about and dismiss because they do not concern us. Therefore, I think that people should think about reading this book or another one on the same topic.
Aside from this, though, the rest is a downfall. I can openly say that I admire Oscar Martinez's will to stay in that part of the world and document these events while many others would flee screaming.
However, in all truth, Oscar Martinez is not a gifted writer. Very far from it, actually. At the very beginning he describes his audience and it's clear that this book is meant for American readers, which I think is downright stupid, because no author should ever limit in such a way the people he or she wants to reach and dismiss all others. Aside from that, it's obvious that A History of Violence was written in the course of a couple of years and it's painfully obvious that the author didn't read it. He continues to repeat himself, explains the same things over and over again, mentions the same people for the first time again and again. We are explained who Chepe Furia is and how many years in prison he got about 20 times, in 5 different chapters Los Zetas are introduced as an organization we don't know anything about, then as one we do know about, all of a sudden, as if we could forget them in a matter of 8 pages, Martinez explains who they are from the beginning. He does the same thing with his explanations about the sentences for human trafficking, repeating himself in a very unpleasant manner: "a robber would get, say, 10 years, but a human trafficker, a person who sells humans would get 4!!!" Two chapters later: "a pick-pocket would get 10 years, but someone who sells people, a human trafficker, would get 4!!!"
The entire book is written in such a sloppy manner, with the author constantly repeating himself and also failing to choose whether he wants his book to be written in the form of a realistic account of events, or that of a Latin cop drama. He starts chapters as one would start a soap opera, then goes to normal storytelling, then moves back to overly sentimentalist sentences the purpose of which is to get the reader's sympathy as a cheap tear-jerker. No.
This book is very informative and gives the reader a wide perspective of the lives people live in countries the existence of which gets forgotten on my side of the ocean. If you've ever wondered what life in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras is like, this is the book for you, but beware - it's bloodier and more nightmarish than you can even imagine. In fact, this is a life which can arguably be called worse than the one in war-torn countries like Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria. The proof for this statement is the fact that in Central America we can find the cities with the highest murder rate and also the deadliest gang in the world - Mara Salvatrucha.
Considering the careless and sheltered life some Europeans and Americans live, A History of Violence is an eye-opener for some facts we intentionally don't want to learn anything about and dismiss because they do not concern us. Therefore, I think that people should think about reading this book or another one on the same topic.
Aside from this, though, the rest is a downfall. I can openly say that I admire Oscar Martinez's will to stay in that part of the world and document these events while many others would flee screaming.
However, in all truth, Oscar Martinez is not a gifted writer. Very far from it, actually. At the very beginning he describes his audience and it's clear that this book is meant for American readers, which I think is downright stupid, because no author should ever limit in such a way the people he or she wants to reach and dismiss all others. Aside from that, it's obvious that A History of Violence was written in the course of a couple of years and it's painfully obvious that the author didn't read it. He continues to repeat himself, explains the same things over and over again, mentions the same people for the first time again and again. We are explained who Chepe Furia is and how many years in prison he got about 20 times, in 5 different chapters Los Zetas are introduced as an organization we don't know anything about, then as one we do know about, all of a sudden, as if we could forget them in a matter of 8 pages, Martinez explains who they are from the beginning. He does the same thing with his explanations about the sentences for human trafficking, repeating himself in a very unpleasant manner: "a robber would get, say, 10 years, but a human trafficker, a person who sells humans would get 4!!!" Two chapters later: "a pick-pocket would get 10 years, but someone who sells people, a human trafficker, would get 4!!!"
The entire book is written in such a sloppy manner, with the author constantly repeating himself and also failing to choose whether he wants his book to be written in the form of a realistic account of events, or that of a Latin cop drama. He starts chapters as one would start a soap opera, then goes to normal storytelling, then moves back to overly sentimentalist sentences the purpose of which is to get the reader's sympathy as a cheap tear-jerker. No.
lauren_endnotes's review
4.0
This book is a collection of articles composed by Martinez over several years of reporting on organized crime and their tentacles in narcotrafficking, corruption, immigration, the prison system, and human trafficking in Central America.
The book is loosely structured around the dealings of two allied gangs, MS and Los Zetas, and their dominance in the Central American culture, and everyday dealings. Martinez recounts the rise of the Mara Salvatrucha (MS) in California prisons in the 1980s, and the subsequent deportation of the members back to their home countries (primarily El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras). This deportation alongside the rise of narcotrafficking out of Colombia created a violent alchemy in this tenuous and key geographical bridge region.
Martinez strives to tell the stories of the people impacted, both "civilians" and victims, law enforcement and prison guards, and gang members. In a recent interview*, Martinez states:
The content is violent, yet important. Martinez asks Americans to read this book to better understand the history, as well as the context of immigration, gang violence, and narcotrafficking. The translation and structure of the book are a little clunky, and some more annotations from Martinez would have eased this.
*Óscar Martinez: the journalist investigating the world’s most ferocious gang war, October 2016.
--
Read for Book Riot's 2017 Read Harder Challenge: A book set in Central or South America, written by a Central or South American author.
The book is loosely structured around the dealings of two allied gangs, MS and Los Zetas, and their dominance in the Central American culture, and everyday dealings. Martinez recounts the rise of the Mara Salvatrucha (MS) in California prisons in the 1980s, and the subsequent deportation of the members back to their home countries (primarily El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras). This deportation alongside the rise of narcotrafficking out of Colombia created a violent alchemy in this tenuous and key geographical bridge region.
Martinez strives to tell the stories of the people impacted, both "civilians" and victims, law enforcement and prison guards, and gang members. In a recent interview*, Martinez states:
“One of my obsessions is to explain the root of the violence,” he says, which is a sorry tale that goes back decades – and strongly implicates the US."
The content is violent, yet important. Martinez asks Americans to read this book to better understand the history, as well as the context of immigration, gang violence, and narcotrafficking. The translation and structure of the book are a little clunky, and some more annotations from Martinez would have eased this.
*Óscar Martinez: the journalist investigating the world’s most ferocious gang war, October 2016.
--
Read for Book Riot's 2017 Read Harder Challenge: A book set in Central or South America, written by a Central or South American author.
awhipp17's review
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
at first i quit this book. there was too much focus on details i didn't know much about (of local geography, gangs and people's names). there wasn't much storycraft. it was too journalistic. but i settled in to his writing style and i gained a lot of respect for this man who researches these dangerous topics. he got into the inner circle of many crazy stories that someone would have to get that close to to report on to be believed. he shed light on lots of different perspectives in the trafficking world (both drug and human), desperate migrating, local corruption and ineptitude, prison culture among the gangs, and more. if anyone wants to better understand this region, the violence, and why things are so desperate...this would be the first place to look.