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Blood of Brothers: Life and War in Nicaragua
In 1976, at age twenty-five, Stephen Kinzer arrived in Nicaragua as a freelance journalist―and became a witness to history. He returned many times during the years that followed, becoming Latin America correspondent for the Boston Globe in 1981 and joining the foreign staff of the New York Times in 1983. That year he opened the New York Times Managua bureau, making that newspaper the first daily in America to maintain a full-time office in Nicaragua.
Widely considered the best-connected journalist in Central America, Kinzer personally met and interviewed people at every level of the Somoza, Sandinistas and contra hierarchies, as well as dissidents, heads of state, and countless ordinary citizens throughout the region.
Blood of Brothers is Kinzer’s dramatic story of the centuries-old power struggle that burst into the headlines in 1979 with the overthrow of the Somoza dictatorship. It is a vibrant portrait of the Nicaraguan people and their volcanic land, a cultural history rich in poetry and bloodshed, baseball and insurrection.
Widely considered the best-connected journalist in Central America, Kinzer personally met and interviewed people at every level of the Somoza, Sandinistas and contra hierarchies, as well as dissidents, heads of state, and countless ordinary citizens throughout the region.
Blood of Brothers is Kinzer’s dramatic story of the centuries-old power struggle that burst into the headlines in 1979 with the overthrow of the Somoza dictatorship. It is a vibrant portrait of the Nicaraguan people and their volcanic land, a cultural history rich in poetry and bloodshed, baseball and insurrection.
450 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1991
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1948 people want to read
About the author
Stephen Kinzer
29 books770 followersStephen Kinzer is an award-winning foreign correspondent who has covered more than 50 countries on five continents. His articles and books have led the Washington Post to place him "among the best in popular foreign policy storytelling." (source)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 87 reviews
April 8, 2022
Page 221 (my book)
I often imagined that the classic Nicaraguan would be a baseball player with a dog-eared book of Dario poetry protruding from his back pocket. Though I looked for that person, I never found him. But at the baseball stadiums, in the remote countryside, and in the poetry of Dario, I found clues to the spirit of a nation often victimized and repressed, several times on the brink of greatness, and ever searching for its destiny.
The author was a journalist in Nicaragua during the 1970s and 1980s working for the Boston Globe and then the New York Times. He travelled extensively in Nicaragua – and also Honduras and Costa Rica during this crucial time period of Nicaraguan history.
In 1979 the Sandinista revolutionaries overthrew the corrupt dictatorship of Anastasio Somoza who was supported by the U.S. The author provides a first-hand view of regime change and of its’ sad and violent aftermath. We are given an overview of the many personalities involved who tried to make Nicaragua a more democratic and just society – but often failed to understand how peasants and farmers strived to make ends meet. We come to know Sandinistas like Daniel Ortega and Tomas Borge – and those who opposed the Sandinista version of communism with a state-controlled marketplace. We also get to see the role of the Catholic Church, some of whom were initially sympathetic to the Sandinistas, plus ex-Sandinistas who became disenchanted with authoritarian rule. In some ways the Sandinistas followed very much the pattern laid out in George Orwell’s “Animal Farm”.
The Contras were anti-communist and included many members of the deposed Somoza dictatorship. The Contras fought against the Sandinista government. They were supported by President Reagan via the CIA – in another blatant example of U.S. sponsored illegal regime change. Reagan, for reasons beyond my comprehension, saw Nicaragua’s Sandinistas as a dire threat to liberty and democracy throughout the world. The Contras were “freedom fighters” and the U.S. provided them with millions of dollars in military aid. The Contras were fighting from bases made at U.S. expense in Honduras; a dictatorship supported by the U.S. and in many ways more repressive of liberty and human rights than the Sandinistas. The Sandinistas at least provided more education and medical services than existed under Somoza. The Sandinistas had to re-direct funds to fight the civil war on their northern border, where armed Contra troops would attack from their bases in Honduras. The Sandinistas used the war as an excuse to introduce more and more repressive measures against their own people.
This Reagan-sponsored war of Contra versus Sandinista cost the lives of thousands of Nicaraguans (men, women and children) – and many more grievously maimed by land-mines and firefights that occurred in remote and rural villages. When the war finally ended in 1988-89 with a peace accord brought about by Costa Rican President Oscar Arias, it ended the long years of devastation.
Page 308 in the Nicaraguan countryside
I thought of how horrific it was to be surrounded by such random violence [land mines, artillery barrages, helicopter attacks], and how fortunate I was to be able to escape it simply by driving away. Many peasants had no such escape, and lived each day knowing that it might be their last. It was with their blood that Nicaragua was paying the price of war.
This is the second book I have read by Stephen Kinzer (the first being “The True Flag”) and he is an excellent journalist, historian and writer. In this book he presents multiple points of view. He in no way glorifies the years of Sandinista rule and Daniel Ortega. It is indeed ironic that the U.S. administration - while tolerating dissent within the U.S. - supports regimes worldwide that incarcerate and brutalize people for any type of protest. And in the case of Nicaragua violently supports regime change, supplying financial and military aid to those carrying it out. This pattern is constantly being repeated.
I often imagined that the classic Nicaraguan would be a baseball player with a dog-eared book of Dario poetry protruding from his back pocket. Though I looked for that person, I never found him. But at the baseball stadiums, in the remote countryside, and in the poetry of Dario, I found clues to the spirit of a nation often victimized and repressed, several times on the brink of greatness, and ever searching for its destiny.
The author was a journalist in Nicaragua during the 1970s and 1980s working for the Boston Globe and then the New York Times. He travelled extensively in Nicaragua – and also Honduras and Costa Rica during this crucial time period of Nicaraguan history.
In 1979 the Sandinista revolutionaries overthrew the corrupt dictatorship of Anastasio Somoza who was supported by the U.S. The author provides a first-hand view of regime change and of its’ sad and violent aftermath. We are given an overview of the many personalities involved who tried to make Nicaragua a more democratic and just society – but often failed to understand how peasants and farmers strived to make ends meet. We come to know Sandinistas like Daniel Ortega and Tomas Borge – and those who opposed the Sandinista version of communism with a state-controlled marketplace. We also get to see the role of the Catholic Church, some of whom were initially sympathetic to the Sandinistas, plus ex-Sandinistas who became disenchanted with authoritarian rule. In some ways the Sandinistas followed very much the pattern laid out in George Orwell’s “Animal Farm”.
The Contras were anti-communist and included many members of the deposed Somoza dictatorship. The Contras fought against the Sandinista government. They were supported by President Reagan via the CIA – in another blatant example of U.S. sponsored illegal regime change. Reagan, for reasons beyond my comprehension, saw Nicaragua’s Sandinistas as a dire threat to liberty and democracy throughout the world. The Contras were “freedom fighters” and the U.S. provided them with millions of dollars in military aid. The Contras were fighting from bases made at U.S. expense in Honduras; a dictatorship supported by the U.S. and in many ways more repressive of liberty and human rights than the Sandinistas. The Sandinistas at least provided more education and medical services than existed under Somoza. The Sandinistas had to re-direct funds to fight the civil war on their northern border, where armed Contra troops would attack from their bases in Honduras. The Sandinistas used the war as an excuse to introduce more and more repressive measures against their own people.
This Reagan-sponsored war of Contra versus Sandinista cost the lives of thousands of Nicaraguans (men, women and children) – and many more grievously maimed by land-mines and firefights that occurred in remote and rural villages. When the war finally ended in 1988-89 with a peace accord brought about by Costa Rican President Oscar Arias, it ended the long years of devastation.
Page 308 in the Nicaraguan countryside
I thought of how horrific it was to be surrounded by such random violence [land mines, artillery barrages, helicopter attacks], and how fortunate I was to be able to escape it simply by driving away. Many peasants had no such escape, and lived each day knowing that it might be their last. It was with their blood that Nicaragua was paying the price of war.
This is the second book I have read by Stephen Kinzer (the first being “The True Flag”) and he is an excellent journalist, historian and writer. In this book he presents multiple points of view. He in no way glorifies the years of Sandinista rule and Daniel Ortega. It is indeed ironic that the U.S. administration - while tolerating dissent within the U.S. - supports regimes worldwide that incarcerate and brutalize people for any type of protest. And in the case of Nicaragua violently supports regime change, supplying financial and military aid to those carrying it out. This pattern is constantly being repeated.
July 13, 2009
I've spent three and a half months in Nicaragua over the past two winters studying Spanish, volunteering and travelling. The country is beautiful, the people warm and welcoming. This is a must read for anyone interested in Nicaragua. It tells the story of the overthrow of the Somosa regime realized in the summer of 1978 and of the contra war in the eighties during which the Regan regime funded the contra rebels and did everything short of mounting a full invasion of the country to dislodge the communist Sandinistas headed by Daniel Ortega.
Kinzer presents a balanced picture of the contra war. The Sandinastas did a lot of stupid things, the contras has some legitimate grievances.
There were atrocities on both sides. He saves his more savage critisism for the Regan administration, the CIA and the state department. In their myopic vision of fighting the evil empire of world communism they misled the American people as to what was going on in Nicaragua and caused the unnessary deaths of thousands of young Nicaraguans on both sides of the civil war.
Kinzer presents a balanced picture of the contra war. The Sandinastas did a lot of stupid things, the contras has some legitimate grievances.
There were atrocities on both sides. He saves his more savage critisism for the Regan administration, the CIA and the state department. In their myopic vision of fighting the evil empire of world communism they misled the American people as to what was going on in Nicaragua and caused the unnessary deaths of thousands of young Nicaraguans on both sides of the civil war.
February 1, 2010
When I was in Nicaragua this book was like Girl Scout cookies in January - everybody wanted it but nobody could find it. It was out of print. You heard rumors about this amazing book. Everybody knew somebody that had read it and raved about it, but nobody knew where to get a copy. When I finally got a copy Fedex'd in from America the book exceeded my wildest expectations.
Shortly after the PriceSmart opened in Managua, some friends and I ran into a reporter for the Wall Street Journal. We didn't get the guy's name, but we were convinced that it was Stephen Kinzer. We were super excited because this was the man himself, the guy that had guided our cultural literacy to the ways of Nicaragua. The guy that had written the greatest book ever written about Nicaragua.
Years later I actually met Stephen Kinzer at a speaking engagement at Politics and Prose after he did a reading of his book Overthrow. Not the same guy. But our excitement sums up my feelings on Blood of Brothers.
Shortly after the PriceSmart opened in Managua, some friends and I ran into a reporter for the Wall Street Journal. We didn't get the guy's name, but we were convinced that it was Stephen Kinzer. We were super excited because this was the man himself, the guy that had guided our cultural literacy to the ways of Nicaragua. The guy that had written the greatest book ever written about Nicaragua.
Years later I actually met Stephen Kinzer at a speaking engagement at Politics and Prose after he did a reading of his book Overthrow. Not the same guy. But our excitement sums up my feelings on Blood of Brothers.
February 6, 2019
This book hit close to home for me. I grew up listening to my parents’ stories about the civil war in Nicaragua. Stephen Kinzer’s firsthand accounts and research breathed even more life into the stories I grew up and learned about. To recognize the names and places I used to visit was astonishing. To read the vivid and detailed stories of triumph and tragedy that Nicaraguans know all too well was an experience I’ll never forget. I learned so much about what happened in Nicaragua and couldn’t help be read the book wondering what my parents were doing as the specific events described unfolded. Five stars for the immense detail and storytelling skill on Kinzer’s part.
July 14, 2015
For most of the 1980s bloody wars were being fought in three Central American countries, all of them involving the United States. In El Salvador and Guatemala, guerrilla armies were attempting to overthrow right-wing dictatorships - the dictatorships, supported by the US, had ruled those countries for decades. In Nicaragua, the reverse was happening: the US was supporting rebel armies that were trying to overthrow the revolutionary Sandinista government, that in 1984 actually became an elected government. In the three wars, some 200,000 died and many more were maimed or forced to leave their homes.
Stephen Kinzer first visited Nicaragua a few years before the ‘triumph’ of the revolution in July 1979. He was well-informed about pre-revolutionary conditions, and the excesses and barbarity of the Somoza dictatorship. He was also well-placed to become the local correspondent for the New York Times, which is what he was from 1983 onwards. He was particularly well-suited to understanding and reporting on the ‘Contras’, who began their US-funded battles to attempt to reverse the Sandinista revolution in the same year.
On the surface, the three Central American wars had as neutral bystanders both Honduras and Costa Rica (the other nations of the original five that made up the region). In practice, as US allies, they were inextricably drawn in. Both were used as the sites of military bases for the Contra forces, and both were used to channel arms and money coming from the United States. Kinzer became the first journalist to expose this connection, when in March 1983 he and a photographer tracked down a Contra camp near the Nicaraguan border of Honduras and were even able to see US-supplied weaponry. Back in Nicaragua, he documented the Contras’ atrocities in remote border settlements (for example visiting Jalapa in early 1984, a few months before I went to the town and heard similar stories myself). When the CIA (blaming the Contras) began to mine Nicaragua’s ports in 1984, damaging ships and badly injuring numbers of seamen, he sought out the evidence in the port towns themselves and his publicity caused significant problems for President Reagan even within his own party.
Kinzer also recorded the mistakes being made by the inexperienced Sandinista government, though to my mind he gives insufficient emphasis to the extreme difficulties they faced in fighting both a war and an economic blockade, in a country that had been pillaged by Somoza and then deserted by a good proportion of its businessmen and skilled professionals, who fled to Miami and points north. He partly blames them for the fact that in the 1984 election Daniel Ortega faced very low-grade opposition, although the vote against him was by no means negligible despite the fact that US manipulation had ensured that most opposition leaders didn’t take part. Rather than being assuaged by Ortega’s formal election, Reagan (who won his own re-election days later) intensified the hostility, putting around a false story about Nicaragua buying Russian MiG jets. His ambassador made it clear to the Sandinistas that they would now face the full might of the Contras.
Kinzer chronicles the disastrous war which inevitably failed to defeat the Sandinistas militarily but was a major factor in their eventual electoral defeat, in 1990, by which time a majority of the population were simply fed up with conscription, young people dying in the mountains, and the hardships of a barely functioning economy.
He describes two particular incidents very well. One is the capture of Eugene Hasenfus, a pilot from the US contracted to fly supplies to the Contra. Hasenfus instantly talked about how his missions were organised, revealing how the CIA were circumventing Congressional bans on providing the Contra with weapons and supplies. The other is the death of a young US engineer working in Nicaragua, Ben Linder, who was caught by the contra when inspecting a hydro-electric project he’d built to bring electricity to a small community near San Jose de Bocay in 1987. Both events exposed the reality of the Contra war and its destructive aims, and helped the push towards the eventual peace process (which Kinzer also describes).
Stephen Kinzer makes many observations which chime with my own experiences of living in Nicaragua for 12 years. One which particularly caught my attention is his comment about how quickly, once peace was agreed, the former combatants were talking to each other and behaving almost as if the war had never happened. There have been problems, of course, including small groups who for years never gave up their weapons. But, in contrast to many other war-torn countries, it is remarkable how quickly Nicaragua became a peaceful place to live and how soon people who had been mortal enemies were reconciled and even became friends.
Stephen Kinzer first visited Nicaragua a few years before the ‘triumph’ of the revolution in July 1979. He was well-informed about pre-revolutionary conditions, and the excesses and barbarity of the Somoza dictatorship. He was also well-placed to become the local correspondent for the New York Times, which is what he was from 1983 onwards. He was particularly well-suited to understanding and reporting on the ‘Contras’, who began their US-funded battles to attempt to reverse the Sandinista revolution in the same year.
On the surface, the three Central American wars had as neutral bystanders both Honduras and Costa Rica (the other nations of the original five that made up the region). In practice, as US allies, they were inextricably drawn in. Both were used as the sites of military bases for the Contra forces, and both were used to channel arms and money coming from the United States. Kinzer became the first journalist to expose this connection, when in March 1983 he and a photographer tracked down a Contra camp near the Nicaraguan border of Honduras and were even able to see US-supplied weaponry. Back in Nicaragua, he documented the Contras’ atrocities in remote border settlements (for example visiting Jalapa in early 1984, a few months before I went to the town and heard similar stories myself). When the CIA (blaming the Contras) began to mine Nicaragua’s ports in 1984, damaging ships and badly injuring numbers of seamen, he sought out the evidence in the port towns themselves and his publicity caused significant problems for President Reagan even within his own party.
Kinzer also recorded the mistakes being made by the inexperienced Sandinista government, though to my mind he gives insufficient emphasis to the extreme difficulties they faced in fighting both a war and an economic blockade, in a country that had been pillaged by Somoza and then deserted by a good proportion of its businessmen and skilled professionals, who fled to Miami and points north. He partly blames them for the fact that in the 1984 election Daniel Ortega faced very low-grade opposition, although the vote against him was by no means negligible despite the fact that US manipulation had ensured that most opposition leaders didn’t take part. Rather than being assuaged by Ortega’s formal election, Reagan (who won his own re-election days later) intensified the hostility, putting around a false story about Nicaragua buying Russian MiG jets. His ambassador made it clear to the Sandinistas that they would now face the full might of the Contras.
Kinzer chronicles the disastrous war which inevitably failed to defeat the Sandinistas militarily but was a major factor in their eventual electoral defeat, in 1990, by which time a majority of the population were simply fed up with conscription, young people dying in the mountains, and the hardships of a barely functioning economy.
He describes two particular incidents very well. One is the capture of Eugene Hasenfus, a pilot from the US contracted to fly supplies to the Contra. Hasenfus instantly talked about how his missions were organised, revealing how the CIA were circumventing Congressional bans on providing the Contra with weapons and supplies. The other is the death of a young US engineer working in Nicaragua, Ben Linder, who was caught by the contra when inspecting a hydro-electric project he’d built to bring electricity to a small community near San Jose de Bocay in 1987. Both events exposed the reality of the Contra war and its destructive aims, and helped the push towards the eventual peace process (which Kinzer also describes).
Stephen Kinzer makes many observations which chime with my own experiences of living in Nicaragua for 12 years. One which particularly caught my attention is his comment about how quickly, once peace was agreed, the former combatants were talking to each other and behaving almost as if the war had never happened. There have been problems, of course, including small groups who for years never gave up their weapons. But, in contrast to many other war-torn countries, it is remarkable how quickly Nicaragua became a peaceful place to live and how soon people who had been mortal enemies were reconciled and even became friends.
January 25, 2013
This is a must read for anyone interested in the gorgeous country of Nicaragua. I lived in Nicaragua for nine months, am dating a "Nica", and have been back for visits three times. It is a beautiful, poor country (it's the poorest country in Latin America) with a laid back atmosphere and warm people. I set out to read about its turbulent history that led it to its present state and this was the perfect find.
Kinzer was the The New York Times bureau chief, reporting on the fall of the Somoza dynasty in 1979 which led to a decade of Sandinista rule and civil war. It's a sad, sad history full of corruption and violence as the Sandinistas, the contras, and the Reagan-led U.S. government battled over power and ideals. As always, the poor country folk and young people were the ones who ultimately paid the price. I thoroughly enjoyed how Kinzer interwove Nicaragua's history with his personal experiences with the beauty of the country, its culture, and its people. Although it tops 400 pages, there were very few lulls as I often gawked at some of the unbelievable things that happened in Nicaragua. It's definitely stranger than fiction.
Kinzer was the The New York Times bureau chief, reporting on the fall of the Somoza dynasty in 1979 which led to a decade of Sandinista rule and civil war. It's a sad, sad history full of corruption and violence as the Sandinistas, the contras, and the Reagan-led U.S. government battled over power and ideals. As always, the poor country folk and young people were the ones who ultimately paid the price. I thoroughly enjoyed how Kinzer interwove Nicaragua's history with his personal experiences with the beauty of the country, its culture, and its people. Although it tops 400 pages, there were very few lulls as I often gawked at some of the unbelievable things that happened in Nicaragua. It's definitely stranger than fiction.
August 8, 2024
I wouldn't have thought that a 33 year-old book about Nicaragua would be my first full 5 star nonfiction book of the year. But alas, here we are.
Stephen Kinzer is a former NY Times writer and arch anti-imperialist, focusing his books largely on the United States imperialistic misadventures around the globe. This is my third Stephen Kinzer book, having read All The Shahs Men and True Flag previously. Both were terrific reads with All The Shahs Men probably being his most famous book.
In Blood of Brothers, Kinzer, a former NY Times Bureau Chief for Nicaragua, writes a varied and objective narrative about Nicaragua, teaching the reader about its history, its way of life (especially in the 1980s), and of course the Sandinista revolution and subsequent US-backed contra insurgency. Kinzer lived in Managua for five years in the 80s learning the country and culture backwards and forwards. And it shows. He doesn't only write a story about the war. He writes about the people of Nicaragua, the way of life, and what makes the people and the country tick. I entered the book knowing next-to-nothing about the country except that Daniel Ortega was its current president, and Jonathan Loaisaga is from there. I walked away having a pretty broad-based knowledge of the country as Kinzer made sure no stone was left unturned in his relatively objective and insightful look at Nicaragua. I could tell that he had a real fondness for the country and its people, and it shines through in the pages.
His fondness, however, ends when discussing the insane militaristic policies of Reagan and his administration. He also goes in on the violence and repression exhibited by both the Sandinistas and contras, showing the reader that the only true loser in the conflict were the people of Nicaragua. As a neutral observer, I found it fascinating how Reagan's misadventures in Central America and his thought process so closely mirrored W's misadventures in the Middle East. It seems like some things never change.
This book seems like a dry academic study of the Sandinista-contra conflict at first glance. But it is anything but. 400 pages about Nicaragua blew by, and I strongly recommend the book. 5 stars.
His interview here provides good insight into his desires in writing this book. I'll post for the Spanish speakers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmRob...
Stephen Kinzer is a former NY Times writer and arch anti-imperialist, focusing his books largely on the United States imperialistic misadventures around the globe. This is my third Stephen Kinzer book, having read All The Shahs Men and True Flag previously. Both were terrific reads with All The Shahs Men probably being his most famous book.
In Blood of Brothers, Kinzer, a former NY Times Bureau Chief for Nicaragua, writes a varied and objective narrative about Nicaragua, teaching the reader about its history, its way of life (especially in the 1980s), and of course the Sandinista revolution and subsequent US-backed contra insurgency. Kinzer lived in Managua for five years in the 80s learning the country and culture backwards and forwards. And it shows. He doesn't only write a story about the war. He writes about the people of Nicaragua, the way of life, and what makes the people and the country tick. I entered the book knowing next-to-nothing about the country except that Daniel Ortega was its current president, and Jonathan Loaisaga is from there. I walked away having a pretty broad-based knowledge of the country as Kinzer made sure no stone was left unturned in his relatively objective and insightful look at Nicaragua. I could tell that he had a real fondness for the country and its people, and it shines through in the pages.
His fondness, however, ends when discussing the insane militaristic policies of Reagan and his administration. He also goes in on the violence and repression exhibited by both the Sandinistas and contras, showing the reader that the only true loser in the conflict were the people of Nicaragua. As a neutral observer, I found it fascinating how Reagan's misadventures in Central America and his thought process so closely mirrored W's misadventures in the Middle East. It seems like some things never change.
This book seems like a dry academic study of the Sandinista-contra conflict at first glance. But it is anything but. 400 pages about Nicaragua blew by, and I strongly recommend the book. 5 stars.
His interview here provides good insight into his desires in writing this book. I'll post for the Spanish speakers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmRob...
January 21, 2019
An amazing account of the history of Nicaragua, especially the 1970s and 1980s.
February 19, 2022
Truly the best and most engaging history of Nicaragua that I have read. Unbiased, thrilling, and informative, this 460 page book will fly by unlike some other dry history accounts. I would like to read more of Stephen Kinzer's stories about the other countries he has visited.
December 4, 2024
“… I found clues to the spirit of a nation often victimized and repressed, several times on the brink of greatness, and ever searching for its destiny.”
December 7, 2019
This was an excellently written recent history of Nicaragua. It read as a discussion of Nicaragua, it's politics and people, in a frank and interesting format that made it both factual and interesting.
November 26, 2025
Great coverage of recent Nicaraguan history loaded with personal anecdotes.
February 8, 2017
This is the chilling tale of the atrocities that took place in Nicaragua over a span of a century - and the survival of its people throughout it all. Told passionately by a man who lived through parts of the devastating contra war while on assignment for the New York Times, this book will grab your attention and hold it closely until the end. Kinzer is an amazing writer, and he brings the culture and the people of Nicaragua to life unlike any other author that I've read on the subject of this beautiful country, a country with so much potential and so much bad luck.
I love Nicaragua - I married into a Nica family and I've visited their home country many times. The beauty of the landscape, the relaxed and laid back lifestyle, and the kindness of the people is amazing. As a very patriotic American, though, I've always struggled to understand the politics, the state of their economy, and the differences in their beliefs and lifestyles, as it is so different from any I've ever known. This book, finally, pulls it all into perspective - I ordered it at the end of my last trip and I'm so glad that I did. It takes the bits and pieces of information I've collected along the way and binds them together with details the author gained through research, interviews, and personal experience. It is the most comprehensive telling of the Nicaraguan history that I've found, a history which is so permeated by politics that to attempt to learn about it without the story of their politicians and their wars is simply to miss the entire point of it.
My husband and I have discussed the chapters as I've read them, finding answers to so many questions that we both had, big and small alike, (such as the advent of the plastic bags!) and discovering new questions that we'll pursue independently. This book is an absolute gem to anyone who wants to learn more about Nicaragua. I could only wish for something as good to cover the last 20 years, as this book ends its coverage in the mid-90's, with a nice afterward that briefly sums up the 10 years after that point specifically written for this re-release version that I purchased. I commend Kinzer for a generally neutral tone as he shares his love of Nicaragua, and his understanding of it, with us.
I love Nicaragua - I married into a Nica family and I've visited their home country many times. The beauty of the landscape, the relaxed and laid back lifestyle, and the kindness of the people is amazing. As a very patriotic American, though, I've always struggled to understand the politics, the state of their economy, and the differences in their beliefs and lifestyles, as it is so different from any I've ever known. This book, finally, pulls it all into perspective - I ordered it at the end of my last trip and I'm so glad that I did. It takes the bits and pieces of information I've collected along the way and binds them together with details the author gained through research, interviews, and personal experience. It is the most comprehensive telling of the Nicaraguan history that I've found, a history which is so permeated by politics that to attempt to learn about it without the story of their politicians and their wars is simply to miss the entire point of it.
My husband and I have discussed the chapters as I've read them, finding answers to so many questions that we both had, big and small alike, (such as the advent of the plastic bags!) and discovering new questions that we'll pursue independently. This book is an absolute gem to anyone who wants to learn more about Nicaragua. I could only wish for something as good to cover the last 20 years, as this book ends its coverage in the mid-90's, with a nice afterward that briefly sums up the 10 years after that point specifically written for this re-release version that I purchased. I commend Kinzer for a generally neutral tone as he shares his love of Nicaragua, and his understanding of it, with us.
December 28, 2018
I was supposed to visit Nicaragua this past summer, but right before my trip, massive and violent civil unrest broke out, and it continues today. My tour company canceled, but he recommended this book as the most balanced perspective on their history.
It sat on my shelf for a couple months, mostly because I was so sad about not making the trip that I couldn’t confront it. But also because I approach these kinds of books with a side eye: is it REALLY balanced? Will it go too easy on Reagan? Will it worship the Sandinistas as saints? Will it address the true nuance in the motivations of both Sandinistas and contras?
This book is indeed very balanced: Kinzer is a true journalist, an open minded, open hearted, inquisitive listener and questioner. He dives to the heart of motivations to make you feel situated in understanding a conflict that previously felt too complex and daunting, too riddled with propaganda on both sides to make sense of. This book makes me feel like I have a strong foundation of knowledge now.
It’s not hard to read either. Following his life and his journalist adventures make it part history book, part memoir.
I admit that I had previously seen the Sandinista’s revolution as so stunning that I wanted to root for it and believe in it. But this book made me see that a lot of mistakes were made, a lot of freedoms repressed, but it also was clear eyed about the awful Reagan policies that cost many lives.
Essential reading for anyone interested in this history or the Cold War.
It sat on my shelf for a couple months, mostly because I was so sad about not making the trip that I couldn’t confront it. But also because I approach these kinds of books with a side eye: is it REALLY balanced? Will it go too easy on Reagan? Will it worship the Sandinistas as saints? Will it address the true nuance in the motivations of both Sandinistas and contras?
This book is indeed very balanced: Kinzer is a true journalist, an open minded, open hearted, inquisitive listener and questioner. He dives to the heart of motivations to make you feel situated in understanding a conflict that previously felt too complex and daunting, too riddled with propaganda on both sides to make sense of. This book makes me feel like I have a strong foundation of knowledge now.
It’s not hard to read either. Following his life and his journalist adventures make it part history book, part memoir.
I admit that I had previously seen the Sandinista’s revolution as so stunning that I wanted to root for it and believe in it. But this book made me see that a lot of mistakes were made, a lot of freedoms repressed, but it also was clear eyed about the awful Reagan policies that cost many lives.
Essential reading for anyone interested in this history or the Cold War.
July 30, 2013
Stephen Kinzer writes an engaging although sad and depressing narrative about Nicaragua during the U.S. backed Somoza dictatorship and the eleven year period of Sandinista rule (1979-1990. Drawing on interviews with government officials and local residents Kinzer paints a picture of a country in an unsettled state of war. Nicaraguans buried a whole generation of their young fighting to first remove the Somoza dictatorship from power and then a second civil war between the Sandinistas and the Contras. Kinzer also discusses the impact of the Sandinista and Samoza policies on the people of Nicaragua and why Nicaragua continues to be a place of intrigue.
December 12, 2016
Riveting yet terribly sad 400-page history of Nicaragua's struggle for peace from Somoza to the Sandinistas. Kinzer's first-person reporting places you in the unrest of Managua and fighting in the foothills. Reagan's gambit to outspend the communists worked in the end, but created conflict far beyond Russia and Eastern Europe, with 30,000 lives lost in Nicaragua.
August 12, 2016
I've spent about six weeks in Nicaragua over the past 18 months, and I wish I'd read this book before I went for the first time. Or, maybe it wouldn't have been as meaningful then. But, definitely a great read for someone interested in contemporary Nicaraguan history.
December 31, 2016
Excellent book about the Contra War in Nicaragua, good detail really brings to life the conflict and all its actors providing great insights.
March 12, 2025
DNF at page 308. As a narrative of what transpired in Nicaragua during the 1970s and 1980s, the book is highly informative, even if the book is as much a memoir of Kinzer's time in the country as it is anything else. But Kinzer's analysis often does not qualify even as reasoned thought. Take, for example, pages 292-93 (2007 edition). Kinzer had just discussed severe economic and fuel problems in Nicaragua, that could only be exacerbated by Reagan issuing an executive order banning all trade with the country. In response, President Ortega went on a diplomatic tour of Europe, including time in Moscow to try to receive aid of both military and humanitarian nature. In response, the U.S. Congress voted on relatively modest humanitarian aid to the contras.
Kinzer's concluding paragraph for this section is frighteningly daft. He writes that "Sandinista leaders, by insisting on upholding their 'sovereign' rights, once again showed their determination not to adjust their policies to suit the political climate in Washington." This in turn "gave Congress an excuse to vote for new contra aid," which meant that the Sandinistas "passed up a chance to cripple the contras." This limited conclusion is valid only if we ignore the situation the country found itself in at the time. The necessary implication is that President Ortega should have just let the lights go off to avoid giving Washington a reason to provide the contras with peanuts. Never mind that the raison d'etre of the Sandinista movement was a break from the Washington-imposed world imperialist order. And never mind that even pragmatic considerations of cowing to the Washington-imposed world imperialist order wouldn't meet the immediate needs of the Nicaraguan people under the circumstances.
This is the problem with the book. While Kinzer does a good job when he shows what is going on, his analysis -- while far from Yankee/White House propaganda -- remains tied to his American perspective, even as he continuously tells the reader how Nicaraguan he'd become. And while I was able to stand it for most of the book, after the chapter discussed above, I just could not justify finishing the book. Which is a shame, because the book is nearly decent. Just not nearly enough.
Kinzer's concluding paragraph for this section is frighteningly daft. He writes that "Sandinista leaders, by insisting on upholding their 'sovereign' rights, once again showed their determination not to adjust their policies to suit the political climate in Washington." This in turn "gave Congress an excuse to vote for new contra aid," which meant that the Sandinistas "passed up a chance to cripple the contras." This limited conclusion is valid only if we ignore the situation the country found itself in at the time. The necessary implication is that President Ortega should have just let the lights go off to avoid giving Washington a reason to provide the contras with peanuts. Never mind that the raison d'etre of the Sandinista movement was a break from the Washington-imposed world imperialist order. And never mind that even pragmatic considerations of cowing to the Washington-imposed world imperialist order wouldn't meet the immediate needs of the Nicaraguan people under the circumstances.
This is the problem with the book. While Kinzer does a good job when he shows what is going on, his analysis -- while far from Yankee/White House propaganda -- remains tied to his American perspective, even as he continuously tells the reader how Nicaraguan he'd become. And while I was able to stand it for most of the book, after the chapter discussed above, I just could not justify finishing the book. Which is a shame, because the book is nearly decent. Just not nearly enough.
October 18, 2021
the more I learn about its history the more I think everyone- particularly Americans- would find it fascinating and should be learning about it. Blood of Brothers is history filtered through memoir, narrated by being Stephen Kinzer, formerly an NYT bureau chief stationed in Nicaragua. Kinzer lived in Nicaragua during its tumultuous and horrific civil war, book ended with the Sandinistas ousting the brutal Somoza dictators in 1979 and the peace treaty brokered by Costa Rica in 1987.
Kinzer’s book is widely regarded as one of the best histories of Nicaragua generally and of the Sandinista-Contra civil war specifically. I do not disagree. Like Kinzer, I am heartbroken for the majority of ordinary Nicaraguans, whose lives were (and continue to be in) constantly in upheaval, whipsawed between ambitious reformers, American interests and corrupt homegrown autocrats/politicians. Kinzer is measured and factual in explaining the interests and power dynamics behind the civil war, but once you know the facts it is hard to come out without a worse opinion of Ronald Reagan specifically and American foreign politics generally. America funded a civil war in which Nicaragua bore an incredible human and financial burden, and America has hardly been held to account.
Aside from inspiring some rage, Kinzer’s book is wonderful in its encompassing scope, including his trips to Nicaragua’s eastern coasts and jungles. It was a really interesting look at how Nicaragua is not a homogenous country, and that the Caribbean coast has its own history, filled with indigenous tribes and English-speaking Afro-Carribbean settlers.
I cannot recommend this book enough.
Kinzer’s book is widely regarded as one of the best histories of Nicaragua generally and of the Sandinista-Contra civil war specifically. I do not disagree. Like Kinzer, I am heartbroken for the majority of ordinary Nicaraguans, whose lives were (and continue to be in) constantly in upheaval, whipsawed between ambitious reformers, American interests and corrupt homegrown autocrats/politicians. Kinzer is measured and factual in explaining the interests and power dynamics behind the civil war, but once you know the facts it is hard to come out without a worse opinion of Ronald Reagan specifically and American foreign politics generally. America funded a civil war in which Nicaragua bore an incredible human and financial burden, and America has hardly been held to account.
Aside from inspiring some rage, Kinzer’s book is wonderful in its encompassing scope, including his trips to Nicaragua’s eastern coasts and jungles. It was a really interesting look at how Nicaragua is not a homogenous country, and that the Caribbean coast has its own history, filled with indigenous tribes and English-speaking Afro-Carribbean settlers.
I cannot recommend this book enough.
March 16, 2023
This is a fabulous history of Nicaragua in the 1970s and 1980s. Though the book leaves off with the 1990 election of Violeta Chamorro, Kinzer has added an afterword from 2007. Still, a lot has changed since then, and I'd love to see a follow-up book discussing the last 16 years in Nicaragua and especially the current government under the authoritarian Daniel Ortega.
In this well-written book, Kinzer discusses everything from the Sandinista overthrow of the Somoza regime to the new government's utter inability to govern once they took power to the United States' / Ronald Reagan's determination to get rid of the Marxist Sadinista government by funding the contras in what turned out to be a long and bloody civil war where thousands of Nicaraguans lost their lives. The book reads like a thriller in some ways; anyway it's a tale that isn't easily set aside. I wish I'd paid more attention to the situation in Nicaragua when it was happening in the 1980s, but like many Americans, I had my head buried in the sand when it came to foreign affairs. Shame on me. This book is a fabulous rendering of a time of tragic upheaval for a small country that was never a serious threat to the United States. It never should have been treated as one. Blood of Brothers only solidifies my view of the United States as a big bully, and I'm an American.
In this well-written book, Kinzer discusses everything from the Sandinista overthrow of the Somoza regime to the new government's utter inability to govern once they took power to the United States' / Ronald Reagan's determination to get rid of the Marxist Sadinista government by funding the contras in what turned out to be a long and bloody civil war where thousands of Nicaraguans lost their lives. The book reads like a thriller in some ways; anyway it's a tale that isn't easily set aside. I wish I'd paid more attention to the situation in Nicaragua when it was happening in the 1980s, but like many Americans, I had my head buried in the sand when it came to foreign affairs. Shame on me. This book is a fabulous rendering of a time of tragic upheaval for a small country that was never a serious threat to the United States. It never should have been treated as one. Blood of Brothers only solidifies my view of the United States as a big bully, and I'm an American.
August 7, 2017
Politics are written with the blood of a nation, and nowhere is that more evident than in a country of great upheaval like Nicaragua during the 80s and the revolution-era, where starvation, poverty and regular burials at the cemetery were a way of life. It was exhilarating to read about a country, where many of the things spoken about, I had seen with my own two eyes, yet I walked right past some of these historic sites because I had no background knowledge to appreciate the history fully.
This book is history as it ought to be written—the intrigue keeps calling you to turn the page. Throughout the book, Kinzer does a masterful job of elaborating on Nicaraguan history since the colonial days up to the Contra years and the conflict with the Reagan Administration. I could not recommend this book highly enough for those seeking to understand a little more about Nicaraguan history. It covers so many aspects from a myriad of angles. I paid four dollars, but I came out $1,500 ahead in knowledge and feelings of nostalgia when I saw landmarks that I recognized or learned a little more on a story I had heard while there.
This book is history as it ought to be written—the intrigue keeps calling you to turn the page. Throughout the book, Kinzer does a masterful job of elaborating on Nicaraguan history since the colonial days up to the Contra years and the conflict with the Reagan Administration. I could not recommend this book highly enough for those seeking to understand a little more about Nicaraguan history. It covers so many aspects from a myriad of angles. I paid four dollars, but I came out $1,500 ahead in knowledge and feelings of nostalgia when I saw landmarks that I recognized or learned a little more on a story I had heard while there.
March 7, 2024
Kinzer details the Sandinista Revolution in Nicaragua in a way that few others have ever been able to articulate. An incredible memoir and recounting of his time spent in Nicaragua, but did leave some major blindspots due to his journalistic bias.
If I was looking for something to read purely to get a generalized account of the revolution, this would be my pick — yet due to the nature of me reading this academically, I felt like he missed a lot of major aspects of the revolution (notably the role of women throughout the revolution and the fact that his writing seemed to gloss over the day to day realities of the war).
Overall, this is a very compelling account of Kinzer’s time in Nicaragua and a great snapshot of what was happening in both the U.S. and Nicaragua at the time — but it is important to note that this is biased journalistic perspective of the realities of the revolution.
If I was looking for something to read purely to get a generalized account of the revolution, this would be my pick — yet due to the nature of me reading this academically, I felt like he missed a lot of major aspects of the revolution (notably the role of women throughout the revolution and the fact that his writing seemed to gloss over the day to day realities of the war).
Overall, this is a very compelling account of Kinzer’s time in Nicaragua and a great snapshot of what was happening in both the U.S. and Nicaragua at the time — but it is important to note that this is biased journalistic perspective of the realities of the revolution.
Read
January 25, 2020A good on the ground account of the Sandinista years and the contra wars from a New York Times correspondent who was based there at the time and met many important actors. Includes a nice potted history of Nicaragua that provides context and is peppered throughout with insightful social and political commentary. The criticisms of US policy probably won’t surprise, although the details retain the ability to shock. The assessment of Sandinista policy may be more novel for those, such as myself, who don’t have much background on their record. The book ends with the peace accord with the contras but looks ahead to the rather sad political record since then.
June 10, 2023
"Hail to thee, Nicaragua! On thy land roars the voice of the cannon no more, no does the blood of brothers now stain thy glorious bicolor banner." So begins the Nicaraguan national anthem. Stephen Kinzer writes a detailed and comprehensive book on the events surrounding the war in Nicaragua during the 1980's. Careful attention is given to Nicaragua's historical heroes, relations with the United States, and political leaders of their history. Each side of the war is carefully studied and presented with an unbiased yet truthful perspective. For anyone interested in studying this beautiful country and its history, this is the place to begin.
June 24, 2019
I’m reading as part of research for a novel. So good! It is so relevant to today. It is written fairly. It is memoir, history, drama. I’m so grateful I found this. It is a primer on the evils of US empire building and the pitfalls of dogmatic fundamentalism. The story of US’s early intervention in Nicaragua (it’s almost to bizarre to believe!) alone is enough to make this 400 pager (small print) worth the time. He’s a solid prose/writer. Thank you! Thank you for living in Nicaragua, telling it as you saw it.
June 26, 2017
A very interesting look into the recent history of a country that most American's don't know the first thing about - and if they do, what they know has been skewed by our government's spin. I'm stunned by the extent of the chaos that the United States caused in Nicaragua and I'm super angry at Ronald Regan.
May 28, 2017
Such an essential read for anyone trying to understand Nicaragua. Kinzer writes insightfully, eloquently, and compassionately about Nicaragua, and readers are taken on a journey through the history of the country's trials and tribulations.
November 21, 2017
After spending ten weeks in Nicaragua, I loved that this book gave me so much historical context about the cities I visited. It is very well written and gives a raw, candid look at life during the Nicaraguan civil war and how much negative influence the United States had on the war.
November 23, 2017
Wonderful , well written and very readable history. And for me, very personal, since I did two deployments to Honduras at Palmerola and JTF-Bravo (A Joint Task Force that still exists today in Honduras) with hospirals, when there was a lot of turmoil in both Nicaragua and El Salvador,
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