Crossing Borders

by Rigoberta Menchú

In a stirring sequel to her 1984 autobiography, the Guatemalan Mayan human-rights activist and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize delivers more impassioned testimony in a book that is "part memoir, part political manifesto" ("Publisher's Weekly").

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir

Paperback

First published August 1, 1998

About the author

Rigoberta Menchú Tum (Spanish pronunciation: [riɣoˈβerta menˈtʃu], born 9 January 1959) is an indigenous Guatemalan woman, of the K'iche' ethnic group. Menchú has dedicated her life to publicizing the plight of Guatemala's indigenous peoples during and after the Guatemalan Civil War (1960–1996), and to promoting indigenous rights in the country. She received the 1992 Nobel Peace Prize and Prince of Asturias Award in 1998. She is the subject of the testimonial biography I, Rigoberta Menchú (1983) and the author of the autobiographical work, Crossing Borders.

Menchú is a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador. She has also become a figure in indigenous political parties and ran for President of Guatemala in 2007 and 2011.

(from Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Sarah Jane]

This is the follow up to Rigoberta Menchús autobiography, which I have yet to read...so, I sort of read it backwards. In any case, I've been reading a ton about the history of Guatemala during my time living here, and of course her work was some of the first on my list. I finished the book within a couple of days and am truly glad I read it...

Many parts in the book brought me to tears. She talks about winning the Nobel Peace Prize, loosing much of her family to the 36-year civil war in Guatemala, working with the UN, her outlook on religion and spirituality, anti-assimilation work, etc.

[Adrik · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a companion to Rigoberta Menchú's testimony but can also be read on its own. She tells us of her experiences going into exile in Mexico and her visits to the UN in Geneva. She includes reflections on Indigenous Peoples Rights, on the civil war in Guatemala and on Indigenous worldviews.
I also found her observations on the Rio de Janeiro summit in 1992 very interesting as she is critical of how the summit, which should have been focusing on climate change, seemed in some ways more like a huge publicity stunt.

[Hayden Pyke · Rating 2 out of 5]

An exceptional person writes a fairly average book. Sorry, but wouldn't recommend.