This has been yet the best and only book that tells the truth. Every Nicaraguan and basically everyone, needs to read this book. It is necessary to know the truth!

I first read this book in 1985 and laughed my head off while reading it. Mr. Somoza does a brilliant job making all his opponents look like idiots & fools. The co author of this book Jack Cox who lost his life on the now infamous KAL plane that was shot down over Siberia in 1983 did a nice job editing. Sadly one thing that this book does confirm is that in the late 70's the old hippies Jimmy Carter had given high posts to in his administration drew up an anti Nixon list. Mr. Somoza was the first to mention it in this book and since then many people who were in Washington and in a position to know have confirmed it's existence. Many Iranian's believe the late Shah was targeted for the same reason. In both Nicaragua & Iran , these nations had poor human rights records but no more so than most other so called third world countries. But both these men were viewed as " AMERICAN STOOGES" by the liberal left in America and around the world and were thus singeled out and targeted for elimination. Moral to this story is The U.S. should never try to engineer the overthrow of a goverment be it a friendly or unfriendly one. Often as was the case in Vietnam in 1963 the cure is often worse than the disease.

Finally a book that tells the truth of how Nicaragua fell to socialism; and how the United States (Carter Administration) just stood and watched and even encouraged the fall of Somoza.
I recommend this book to any student of Political Science and/or International Relations. Just like in the fall of the Shah of Iran, this book shows how the United States' interest politics backfire by opening the door to the establishments of socialist and fundamentalist states.

Recuerdo estos tiempos cuando la gente tenia miedo o no les convenia decir lo que realmente ocurria en Nicaragua bajo la dictadura del FSLN.Este libro fue uno d elos primeros que abrio los ojos a todos ,tambien a estos...que no querian ver .

I remember the times when the people did not want to see what was inreality going on in Nicaragua under the dicatorship of saninista regime(FSLN).This book open up the eyes of all.
Great book.

Un libro muy interesante e educativo Interesting and educative book

Great book about C.America

Sandino's insurgency in Nicaragua during the 1930's had debate teams in American high schools asking the question why the US Marine Corps was indeed involved in Central America. Decades later, debate teams would be asking why US Marines and other elements of the Armed Forces were about to intervene in a war in Iraq...
MacAulay has obviously done his homework in this suburb book. He details Sandino's rise and history, from his travels to Mexico and meetings with various Bolsheviks, to his ultimate betrayal by Somoza. MacAulay also shows how Sandino and his men peservered in a jungle enviornment, cut off without roads or running water, and how the first aerial attack was executed in the Americas.
MacAulay does not demonize the Marines, as lesser writers and ideologues would love to. Indeed, he even pays tribute to that greatest of all Marines, Lewis "Chesty" Puller, and his company of Marines and Nicaraguans who fought the Sandinistas on their own terms...and won.
It is a pity that this book is out of print. Generations of historians and military history buffs will not be disappointed in this breathtaking history of the Nicaraguas.

Outstanding book. Excellent historical account of General Sandino and the genesis of the nationalist struggle in Nicaragua. A little vague on the extent of American commercial interest the US Marines were sent to protect. This book should be read by anyone looking to understand guerrilla warfare. Espcially useful in paralleling combat tactics used by the viet-cong or any nationalist insurgency. Should be required reading for all troopers headed to advise against the FARC and ELN.

I understand this book was Maculay's doctoral thesis, and I think exceeds the purpose. Written with such a fine style the reader is situated in the jungles of Nicaragua experiencing guerilla warfare at its best. It is a well documented work. In addition to reviewing previous titles on the subject, Macaulay did extensive research on Marine Corps archives to produce an unbiased and scientific study of the struggle. Also, the portrait of the character is highly accurate of this little man ( only 5'-4") born as illegitimate son in a nicaraguan village, yet his nationalism and valor had monumental influence throughout generations of latin-americans. As of today his presence is still vivid and controversial.

Carol Schimke's Incredible Inns Of Central America: Lodging In The Bed & Breakfast Tradition is a superbly researched and presented guide for anyone seeking a unique and memorable travel experience while touring or doing business in Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, or Nicaragua. Based upon her own personal visits, Schimke provides detailed and honest descriptions of each lodging (including interior and exterior photos); a wide-range of style choices and price levels; lists all amenities, services, rates, payment methods, and contact information; includes helpful tips on making reservations and specific inquiries; as well as website and on-line registration addresses (where applicable). If you are anticipating traveling in these Central American states and looking for the adventure of a life time, begin your travel plans with a careful reading of Schimke's Incredible Inns Of Central America.

From Planeta Journal - This is the first comprehensive collection to the region's small inns which offer lodging in the "Bed and Breakfast" tradition. Brilliantly executed, the book showcases accommodations in Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua which offer something distinctly different from traditional hotels. While Central America may not be home to a thriving "B&B Culture," it does have quite a few unique inns. Author Shimke describes the best, providing information on amenities, services, location and the time it took to receive a response via email! Black and white photos compliment the text. Highly recommended!

Beautiful book full of poignant and wonderful photographs of Nicaragua. Unforgettable, shows the country from everyday like to after ravages of war and weather.

William F. Gentile has created a masterpiece with his collection of photographs from Nicaragua. Gentile shows the viewer tender and emotionally driven pictures of a people in an impoverished country trying to survive through the Sandanista and Contra war the United States helped to create. Amid shattered dreams and pain brought on, we also see aspirations of hope and happiness. Examples include wounded and dead soldiers being brought home, a housewife cooking dinner while the jungle behind her burns, and a young boy witnessing a dead soldier. There is also a baseball team carrying guns instead of bats, the affects of a town destroyed by a hurricane, and a Sandanista policeman kissing his family goodbye before he heads to work. As a hopeful photojournalist, I believe this book should not only be used as a reference to all photographers and journalists but shown for historical purposes.

I really liked this book. It's good for sixth graders who have Nicaragua as a project. It was this book that got my grade up. I would give this book ***** and the author ***** stars.

I really liked this book. It's good for sixth graders who have Nicaragua as a project. It was this book that got my grade up. I would give this book ***** and the author ***** stars.

This book was the most useful one I found for researching U.S.-Nicaragua relations in the 1980s. Instead of wasting pages with the authors' political opinions, like so many other books about this subject, this book simply tells us what happened in the words of contemporary sources. And, contrary to the opinion of the booklist reviewer above, who must have been an ardent and rather close-minded Sandinista apologist, the book's sources include people of every political persuasion: the Sandinistas, the Contras, the Sandinista-controlled media, the U.S. media, the official news service of Cuba, Nicaragua's independent media, La Prensa, religious, labor and peasant groups in Nicaragua and officials of the Sandinista government, Cuban government and Reagan and Bush Administrations.

Excellent research source for students, scholars and journalists, this chronology lets the Contra vs. Sandinista conflict, and the U.S. response to it, unfold as it really happened. Much of the story is told through quotes from contemporary sources, allowing the reader to watch the conflict (and its resolution) unfold as the events occurred. Thorough footnoting also permits readers to access the original sources, making the book especially useful for researchers, writers and students.

This is the first book I read about Carlos Fonseca that has more accurate information about him, than any other book I have read.
I know this because I am the son of Raul Fonseca, but grew up with Carlos example and support. Carlos was the only father figure I ever had.

Quite a task Ms. Zimmermann. Congratulations.

I just read a few pages, but when I finish I will write a more complete review.

God bless you!

This book pulls off a difficult feat, providing a balanced, neutral account of a subject about which supporters and opponents usually speak in strident, propagandistic terms.

Because of the absence of any preachy rhetoric, and the reliance on first-hand interviews and actual source documents, the author delivers a compelling portrait of a leader whose faithfulness to pure idealism in a struggle against a seemingly unstoppable evil system can be compared to that of Churchill, Gandhi, and King.

The Sandinistas were not the only group that took to the hills to arouse the populace in Latin America after the successful Cuban revolution, but they were the only group which actually came to power. Dr. Zimmermann's book is the story of the man who was the driving force behind the ideas, organization, strategy and success of their revolution.

She does not flinch from criticizing the Sandinistas for their initial ill-informed and patronizing attitudes toward the indigineous peoples of their country, nor for their slow acceptance of their female compatriots, nor for their many tactical errors and blunders.

Instead, this telling of the story of Fonseca and the Sanidnistas allows the reader to sense the very human feelings which became the basis of their appeal and allowed their success, even after Fonseca's death.

This is an accessible biography of the Nicaraguan revolutionary guerrilla leader, Augusto Sandino, from whom the Sandinistas took their name. Sandino was a profoundly religious man. To be sure, some have called Sandino's religion to our attention before, but this book places Sandino under the light of his peculiar millenarian beliefs, and challenges the polarity of viewing Sandino as a patriotic national liberator or as a crazed murdering bandit. Mainly guided by the evidence, Navarro-Genie, who is himself born in Nicaragua but teaches in Canada, ably walks through the minefields of a few controversies, tracing the unfolding of Sandino's changing religious disposition with significant care and empathy. I thought the chapter on Sandino's trip to Mexico could have been tighter. In all, it is a long-overdue and novel interpretation of a very influential Latin American life. It will be interesting to see how Sandino's admirers and detractors will react to this revealing book.

This is an important historical record. Don't expect any lavish prose or entertaining reading. This is "just the facts", documenting case after case of attacks against civilians by lavishly US funded and orchestrated Contra forces in the 1980's.

In the book, you get an introductory explanation of the methods and sources for the information, followed by background information of the political climate. Then you get a number of selected individual cases of attacks on civilians that are thoroughly detailed with names, dates and descriptions. Each of these stories is told over a couple pages each. Lastly are a cronology of Contra attacks on civilians between 1981 and 1984 which seems to list a couple hundred instances with a short description of each, and the source notes.

Many cases are compiled from the reports of groups like America's Watch, Center for Constitutional Rights, Washington Office on Latin America...etc. Many are compiled from eye-witness and victim's affidavits, and from the extensive report of Reed Brody's fact finding team from between 1984-85 in Nicaragua.

What you will see here are the tactics used by the people that the US government was hailing as "freedom fighters", and whom Reagan called "the moral equals of our founding fathers". The overriding point, and what this book shows, is that the attacks against civilians were not random errors, or the acts of a few renegade contras. They were conscious, pervasive and intentional policy of the leadership.

I'm writing this review over 15 years after the publication of this book, but it's very important to know what our government was really doing. And, in the year 2002, When "terrorism" is on everyone's mind, and you hear our leaders repeatedly saying things like: "there's no justification for attacking civilians" or how we must go after any evil "states that sponsor terrorism", it's important to remember the not too distant history, and consider how well our own government would measure up to these principles.