Rites: A Guatemalan Boyhood

by Victor Perera

Literary Nonfiction. Memoir. Latino/Latina Studies. Jewish Studies. RITES is Perera's powerful portrait of growing up as a Jewish boy in the exotic and violent world of Guatamala in the forties. "Victor Perera is one of those rare writers who need never suffer the uncertainties of translation, for besides his fluency in both English and Spanish, he has both a Latin American and a North American sensibility. RITES is another fine example of how affectingly he can cross from one to the other, bringing all his insights with him"--Alastair Reid.

Paperback

First published June 1, 1986

Reviews

[Daryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fairly interesting biography and, having just read The Spirit and the Flesh: Sexual Diversity in American Indians, left me feeling sad for the Guatemalan people, especially the indigenous groups that have suffered from the first day that Europeans "found" the New World. The author's recall of his childhood in the Central American country, to be honest, left me with a somewhat negative view of him as a person. At times, he seemed to be almost robotic in emotions and I felt little connection to him throughout the book. It was more often the people who surrounded the author in his account of boyhood, mestizo or otherwise, who held my interest and held my interest in reading further. The sad truth and legacy of poverty, war, dictatorship, loss of indigenous culture, homophobia---are all evident in the stories of those connected to the author. From Eduardo, a elementary school friend of the author, whose poor family sadly based all their hopes on him rather than his female siblings to Fito, a young gay man who is ostracized and forced into prostitution to survive, the reader is more likely to feel sympathy and a devoted interested in the Guatemalan people in this autobiography than in the author and his family. Their lives are a further example of the consistent problems that plague many of the Latin American countries and perpetuate discord among mestizo, indigenous and the classes that hold the money and the military in a never ending fight for supremacy.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had mixed feelings about this memoir, but I was glad I read it. Parts of it are wonderfully evocative, and draw connections and parallels by the different kinds of violence--domestic, political, interpersonal--that seem to pervade Central America, while also documenting the unique experiences of the Sephardic Jewish diaspora in Guatemala. However, I was unsettled by the lack of reflection or analysis, which resulted in incidents like the murder of his favorite nanny by a jealous boyfriend and the rumored gang rape of a teacher at the International School, for example, being treated like any other anecdote. An important but flawed document.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this as part of the only high-quality social studies class I had in middle school and really enjoyed it. It's a typical coming of age book set in Guatemala and despite my usual loathing for this genre of books I found myself gripped by the characters and found the book to be as colorful as its cover.

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

read this years ago, I new Victor in Guatemala.