The book I chose to review is called Bridge of Courage by Jennifer Harbury. The book includes a collection of stories from the revolution that took place in Guatemala during the 1980’s. Guatemala faced mass destruction, unleashed by an army against the people who wanted social change. Thousands of people were killed over the course of time, many of which were Mayan. Many innocent lives were lost in order to fight for the freedom of their country. The guerrillas, the underground, were all part of the rebellion force to free the nation under the military dominant government. The book depicted several characters who have chose to share their stories to the world. However, I will discuss three primary characters that had the most powerful stories to share.
Anita, the first character who was introduced was a doctor who ended up becoming a part of the underground. Her strongest influence was her mother who influenced her to become the empowering women she later became. Anita had a friend named Mellisa who was also a part of the underground. Being the talented doctors they were, they smuggled medicine to treat the wounded outside of the city which was a very dangerous thing to do at the time. Unfortunately, Melissa was caught later on, beaten and killed in front of many. That led Anita into depression, until one day, she came across an old man who gave her “the ability to see ourselves and our experiences with a sense of humor” (43). From that moment on, she became a strong, independent women who followed in the footsteps of her older brother by joining the rebel group, also know as the underground. Her brother who was an important figure in the rebel group was burned to death along with other rebels who marched to the capital to protest. The moment she saw the death of her brother was when she decided to cut her hair short and pretend to be boy to fight with the companeros in the mountains.
To continue with the story of Anita, when she finally got to the mountains, she was positioned to help train the other members. One member from her platoon, decided to quit and return to his home. However, on his way home, the army caught and tortured him. It did not take too long for the army to find the compas and shoot them down. For the remaining compas, it took them ten days for them to escape the mountains and receive help. They finally found shelter in a Mayan village and began to slowly recover. However, their safe houses were raided and many of their members were caught and killed. Anita had one thought in mind “But outside of Guatemala? Does anyone know how much these people have given to their homelands?” (113). Many, along with Anita have watched their family and friends suffer. But just as she survived, many others live to tell their tale. And as of June 1, 1993, Anita was recorded to be alive and was found providing her medical services to the poor.
The second character named Manuel, was a priest who also joined the underground. At first, he lived a quiet, lowly life teaching distant villagers to read and write through a literacy program he created. He became so amazed with the villagers ability to read and write in just ten days. He continued to live with the villagers who have made this small land their home for countless generations. Until one day, wealthy families started to claim the land as their own. The wealthy families caused a dispute and brought in the army who came in and killed numerous people and burned the village down. Matters began to escalate as Manuel received a massage saying that the army plotted to kill him next. He would have been the first priest to die in all of Guatemala. However he decided to leave his good friends, the villagers, and flee to be with the guerrillas. In the end, he saw the villagers again, once they too, join the guerrillas.
Lastly, the final character named Elena, is from a wealthy, well-known family. She was born without any hearing in her right ear and lost her ability to hear in her left ear after receiving a beating from her father. Her family was very ashamed of her and never accepted her as their own. For this reason, she lived with her grandmother until she ran away to join the guerrilla movement. She pretended that her hearing still existed until one day, her comrade shouted her name and she did not respond. For her own sake, the compas sent her down the mountains where she could use her talents to assist the cause. Elena worked in a underground house where she helped the wounded recover. Although Elena had a physical disability, she found her place in the compas to make a change. As of June 1, 1993, Elena was working on obtaining a high school degree and was continuing her work taking care of the compas.
Unfortunately, the battle for Guatemala still exists today. The people are continuing to resist the upper powers like they have for many generations. The military trucks would take away young men without a formal registration. The men, and even young boys did not even have the time to say goodbye to their family and friends. In particular, the soldiers of Mayan descent had a tougher time. The soldiers from Mayan villages were forced to learn and speak Spanish even though it would cut a part of their culture from them. In spite of the inequality, Mayan themselves have begun to see their group as inferior. People were living in constant fear and were starting to lose their identities.
The book gave me an insight to the many horrifying stories about the past and current issues in Guatemala. The testimonies gave a powerful statement about the resistance and hardships that the people had to face because basic human rights were not given. Bridge of Courage included many vivid, well-composed autobiographies that revealed the horrors of the Guatemalan revolution. The only criticism for the book would be the minimal context of the stories themselves. I would have liked to learn more about each individual character to gain a better appreciation for each one.
The book is not only for people who are interested in Guatemalan history, but for those who want to read inspiring stories of people fighting for justice. The struggles in Guatemala are still occurring to this day. Therefore, it is important for us to take initiative in finding a way to help them. There are many ways we can help make an impact on pushing Guatemala towards justice. Examples include, economic sanctions, medical care for the wounded, assisting with the financial cost of the peace talks, breaking the silence about those held in prison camps and educating yourself and others. There is an importance to educating, recognizing and contributing to the problems in others parts of the world. In order to implement basic human rights in Guatemala, we must all take a step forward to justice.