Children of Cain: Violence and the Violent in Latin America

by Tina Rosenberg

An honest judge in Medellin, a Maoist guerilla of Peru's Shining Path, the fair-haired Angel of Death in Argentina's Dirty War, the pool-party rich of El Salvador, the disabused revolutionaries of Nicaragua, and the ordinary Chileans who became silent partners in Pinochet's dictatorship—these people live in Latin America, but their stories illuminate the human face of violence all over the world. Tina Rosenberg spent five years trying to understand their world and learning to live with these "children of Cain." Their stories are disturbing precisely because these people are not monsters; the faces in Children of Cain are not those of strangers.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Politics, Crime, 20th Century, Latin American, War

400 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

Tina Rosenberg, the winner of a MacArthur grant, is a contributing writer for the New York Times Magazine and a former member of the Times editorial board. Her book The Haunted Land won the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award.

Reviews

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The relentless tide of tragedy, violence, insane ideology, and death wears you down as you read this...a pleasant experience it is not. However, it is an informative, powerful, intimate look at the violence of Latin America, particularly during the 70s and the 80s. It would be fascinating to read a follow-up book, and examine many of the changes that have occurred in the 30 years since the publication of this book.

[Vivian Pasion · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rosenberg's exploration of political violence in Latin America can be described as great journalism that is consistently hamstrung by a framework of analysis that leaves much to be desired. She captures incredible interviews across most sectors of society in which subjects are met more or less where they're at, allowing them to express views as genuine as they are at times absurd. It goes a long way to shed light on what, to her american audience, is often abstracted headlines of body counts. Where her analysis lacks is the insistence on viewing political violence as a problem in and of itself as opposed to a highly visible symptom of larger systemic issues, at times going so far as to say that theres just some inescapable je ne sais quoi of violence in Latin America. The entire piece has an undercurrent belief that since the poor are too passive and the bougoise too egotistical, true change can only come from the enlightened yet down-to-earth petit bougoise, which is, for lack of a more eloquent term, stupid.

[Chris Lira · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book about the chaos and violence in six South and Central American countries(Peru, Colombia, Chile, Argentina, El Salvador, and Nicaragua), the perpetrators and their victims. Most of it takes places in the 70's and 80's, but just the right of historical background is given to set it in context. I was in middle and high school in those years, but many of the names- Allende, Pinochet, Shining Path, FMLN- ring vaguely in my mind, so it was very interesting to read about them. In general the book is very well-written(with the exception of the Peru part, which bogged down a bit).

[David Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

For many years I have pondered why Latin America has suffered so much violence. Finally a dear friend from Guatemala recommend this book. Although not exhaustive it does an outstanding job of describing the challenges in Columbia, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Peru, Argentina and Chile. Having lived in Chile for 3 years the author absolutely nails Chilean culture and the attitudes towards Pinochet and the golpe militar. Highly recommended.

[Giovanni García-Fenech · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's too bad that this great book is subtitled "Violence and the Violent in Latin America," as violence is just one of the many interrelated strands Rosenberg covers, including the legacy of colonialism, American imperialism, racism, corruption, etc. The sad part is that though this book is two decades old, the same issues are making a comeback throughout the Americas. Recommended if you like the essays of the great Alma Guillermoprieto.

[Veronica Rooney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an amazing account of six political revolutions in Latin America, and the everlasting struggle between capitalism and socialism. It’s also an amazingly told story… I would say an accessible way to learn more about the history and politics of South and Central America. Gave me a lot of insight into communism in practice, and my own ideas about good and evil government. LOVED this book.

[Brayden Raymond · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic and extremely interesting study on Latin American and personally I did not find one bit of this 'dry' as some of classmates might have. Not much more to say here however as I am putting a much larger amount of effort in an analysis for a class.

[Laura Kohler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have a whole new understanding of Latin America. A must read. Very gruesome, though.

[Adam Foster · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting study of south and central america, though a tad out of date now. Still very interesting.

[Ezra Baptist · Rating 4 out of 5]

Depressing as all hell.

[Ellie Willson · Rating 5 out of 5]

read for class, will update when finished (haven’t read first chapter)

tv set > human rights

[Gregory Schultz · Rating 4 out of 5]

When you read this book, you'll get a better understanding why many Latin America countries are called third-world countries. There was one point I thought I was reading a duplicate paragraph; it turns out it was a different country.

Tina Rosenberg is a great author who lived in the countries she wrote about and experiences the daily electrical outages, water shortage, daily gun battles, million percent inflation, governments overthrown, etc. The above were almost daily occurrences. This wasn't an author that interview people from think tanks; the people interviewed in the book were living in that country and describe what life is like in these countries.

And, be warmed, if your squeminish about torture, this book iss not for you.

[Martin Streetman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was really fascinating but depressing. It was broken into 6 parts each about a different country. What I took away from it was that regardless of how much the USG spent down there that it hasn’t changed much and when the US looses interest or the money stops flowing things go back to the way they have always been.

"plata o plomo" A choice in Columbia, silver or lead, a bribe or a bullet.

"Few Revolutions create the just and free societies they seek to create. But at least they produce a few fleeting hours of hope"

This is another in a pile of books that I am attempting to finish. The bookmark shows me picking it up in August of 2003.

[Aldean · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know I didn't get all the way through this book, but that was in no way a negative reflection upon the merits of this fine peice of extended journalism. (Only a negative reflection on my atention span as a reader.) What I did read was intense, well-researched and very well-written, a look into a world of violent inequities. Each chapter focuses on a different nation in Latin America with some representative narrative, examining events and characters, usually with the author tracking down and interviewing key players from past headlines. Almost definitely I book I will be picking up again someday to finish

[Alejandro Ramirez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sobre la violencia en Latinoamérica, se eriza el pelo de cómo en Colombia el narco es aceptado, el abogado que intenta perseguirlo es visto como un paria. Mas inquietante la dictadura militar argentina, la tortura incluso a los neonatos, las esposas de los torturados, acaban casandose y paseando por europa con los torturadores. La Chilena que niega los casos de tortura hasta que alguien le recuerda un caso, y ella recuerda que es su hermana, lo habia olvidado, bloqueado? De la memoria. La infame oligarquia en Salvador y Bicaragua, el apoyo norteamericano, la paradoja de políticas economicas capitalistas en un pais castigado por sus valores socialistas.

[Manish Sapkota · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this fascinating account of Latin America in the 70s and 80s. The author uses many real life characters to illustrate diversity in the mindset of people and how different segments of the society viewed political system back then. She does an incredible job to make sense of things happening from historical point of view. The present day Latin American societies tend to bear similar characteristics as illustrated in the book back in the 70s and 80s. This speaks volumes of how true the author has been to her work.

[Rafael Gonzalez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tina Rosenberg travels to Latin America when violence is the norm and as a pulitzer-winning journalist, her style alone is compelling. She throws herself into Colombia, Argentina, Chile, El Salvador and Peru when bureaucratic authoritarianism and violent military regimes are waging war on their own citizens and reports, with thick, flowing, gut-wrenching tales of what it was like to live as a repressed and violated citizen.

[Andre · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book shows just a fraction of the violence that takes place in South America, but it intentionally steers clear of making it just a show of who is more violent or how incredible the carnage of American backed regimes could be, but focuses on how they came to such a state and the process to getting there.

[Cat Browne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of this book was very hard to read as it describes the methods of torture employed by different regimes in south and central america. As a portrait of modern day warfare, and the inhumanities that the human race subject each other to it was fascinating

[Suzie Q · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perhaps one of the most disturbing parts of a disturbing book is that reading about Chile in the early 80s didn't sound far enough from what it's like over here more recently. Too much of it was just too similar.

[Remi · Rating 5 out of 5]

What you read in newspapers or history books mean shit unless you read this. Amazing, violent, hopeful and worrisome all rolled into one.

[D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great look at violence in south america

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the first books I read to better understand Latin America, and still one of the best.

[Fatima Jinnah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book describes a lot of violence so you really have to know that before you begin. I had to mentally prepare to read the book.

[Joan · Rating 1 out of 5]

don't know how to delete this. i never read this. maybe i will

[Russ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tina Rosenberg gives good insight into how politics have played out in South America, and perhaps gives a warning to those in the United States how apathy can lead to dictatorship.

[Jake Berlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

a compelling look at latin america in the 1980s. rosenberg makes incredibly complex situations understandable through clear prose and accessible through personal stories.

[Mauricio · Rating 3 out of 5]

a bit one-sided, but insightful nonetheless.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a more balanced view of what's really happening in Latin America as Rosenberg is willing to ask questions that have no good answer. This book is excellent at exposing the individual, country-by-country reasons for why much of Latin America has ended up with the same issues of violence, inhumanity, and poverty. That is an unusual approach.

It is too far left in outlook, but Rosenberg winks at pure left not being the answer. People need to be more critical of Salvador Allende and Juan Peron and Alan Garcia. The US (anti)intelligentsia will never come to their senses no matter how many books like this are written.