
Central America's Forgotten History
Revolution, Violence, and the Roots of Migration
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Narrated by:
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Aida Reluzco
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By:
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Aviva Chomsky
About this listen
Restores the region’s fraught history of repression and resistance to popular consciousness and connects the United States’ interventions and influence to the influx of refugees seeking asylum today.
At the center of the current immigration debate are migrants from Central America fleeing poverty, corruption, and violence in search of refuge in the United States. In Central America’s Forgotten History, Aviva Chomsky answers the urgent question “How did we get here?” Centering the centuries-long intertwined histories of US expansion and indigenous and Central American struggles against inequality and oppression, Chomsky highlights the pernicious cycle of colonial and neocolonial development policies that promote cultures of violence and forgetting without any accountability or restorative reparations.
Focusing on the valiant struggles for social and economic justice in Guatemala, Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Honduras, Chomsky restores these vivid and gripping events to popular consciousness. Tracing the roots of displacement and migration in Central America to the Spanish conquest and bringing us to the present day, she concludes that the more immediate roots of migration from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras lie in the wars and in the US interventions of the 1980s and the peace accords of the 1990s that set the stage for neoliberalism in Central America.
Chomsky also examines how and why histories and memories are suppressed and the impact of losing historical memory. Only by erasing history can we claim that Central American countries created their own poverty and violence, while the United States’ enjoyment and profit from their bananas, coffee, mining, clothing, and export of arms are simply unrelated curiosities.
©2021 Aviva Chomsky (P)2021 Random House AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
"A fiery, revelatory survey of Central America under U.S. domination...Chomsky challenges readers to acknowledge that Donald Trump’s policies were 'only the most recent iteration of over a century of U.S. domination and exploitation of Central Americans.' A compelling historical synthesis, told with style and moral clarity.”—Library Journal, starred review
“A convincing case that much of Central America’s violent unrest can be laid at the feet of US leaders.” (Kirkus Reviews)
“A searing examination of how colonial oppression, Indigenous resistance, and political and economic turmoil have fueled migration from Central America to the U.S.”—Publishers Weekly
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- By: Victoria Law
- Narrated by: Melissa Moran
- Length: 5 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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The United States incarcerates more of its residents than any other nation. Though home to five percent of the global population, the United States has nearly 25 percent of the world’s prisoners - a total of over two million people. This number continues to steadily rise. Over the past 40 years, the number of people behind bars in the United States has increased by 500 percent.
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Leftist propaganda
- By Claude Bacchia on 04-21-21
By: Victoria Law
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Empire's Crossroads
- A History of the Caribbean from Columbus to the Present Day
- By: Carrie Gibson
- Narrated by: Romy Nordlinger
- Length: 17 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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Ever since Christopher Columbus stepped off the Santa Maria onto what is today San Salvador, in the Bahamas, and announced that he had arrived in the Orient, the Caribbean has been a stage for projected fantasies and competition between world powers. In Empire’s Crossroads, British American historian Carrie Gibson traces the story of this coveted area from the northern rim of South America up to Cuba, and from discovery through colonialism to today, offering a vivid, panoramic view of this complex region and its rich, important history.
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Careless production mars storytelling
- By Brenda Thomas on 03-31-16
By: Carrie Gibson
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The Roots of El Salvador: Tracing the History of a Nation
- Roots of Central America
- By: Sean Rust
- Narrated by: Rick Nolting
- Length: 2 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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"The Roots of El Salvador: Tracing the History of a Nation" is a comprehensive historical account of El Salvador's past, beginning with the indigenous peoples and spanning to modern times. The book delves into the country's rich pre-colonial history, including the Mayan civilization and its impact on El Salvador's cultural heritage. It also explores the tumultuous period of Spanish colonial rule and the subsequent struggles for independence.
By: Sean Rust
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The Sandinistas
- The Controversial History and Legacy of the Socialist Party’s Revolution, Civil War, and Politics in Nicaragua
- By: Charles River Editors
- Narrated by: Daniel Houle
- Length: 2 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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Whichever belief system was in play for the major industrial nations of Central and South America, a constant bombardment of foreign influence pushed the people of states such as Nicaragua, Chile, Brazil, Argentina, and others toward overthrow. Few examples remain as memorable as the conflict in Nicaragua, where the Frente Sandinista de Liberation Nacional (FSLN), a left-wing revolutionary party, seized power in the small Central American nation of Nicaragua in July 1979, toppling four decades of dictatorial rule perpetrated by the Somoza dynasty.
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Surprisingly Informative and Comprehensive
- By Theo Horesh on 11-20-21
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What You Have Heard Is True
- A Memoir of Witness and Resistance
- By: Carolyn Forché
- Narrated by: Carolyn Forché
- Length: 12 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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What You Have Heard is True is a devastating, lyrical, and visionary memoir about a young woman’s brave choice to engage with horror in order to help others. Written by one of the most gifted poets of her generation, this is the story of a woman’s radical act of empathy, and her fateful encounter with an intriguing man who changes the course of her life.
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Beautiful story
- By Norhilda on 05-09-19
By: Carolyn Forché
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Fire and Blood
- A History of Mexico
- By: T. R. Fehrenbach
- Narrated by: Timothy Andrés Pabon
- Length: 35 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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T. R. Fehrenbach brilliantly delineates the contrasts and conflicts between the many Mexicos, unraveling the history while weaving a fascinating tapestry of beauty and brutality: the Amerindians, who wrought from the vulnerable land a great indigenous Meso-American civilization by the first millennium BC; the successive reigns of Olmec, Maya, Toltec, and Mexic masters, who ruled through an admirably efficient bureaucracy and the power of the priests, propitiating the capricious gods with human sacrifices; the Spanish conquistadors, and much more.
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Good book bad narration
- By M. A. Chris Raine on 03-23-19
By: T. R. Fehrenbach
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The Banana Wars
- A Captivating Guide to the Interventions of the United States in Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean (US Military History)
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Jason Saffir
- Length: 3 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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This audiobook is about the Banana Wars that lasted from the end of the Spanish-American War in 1898 until Franklin Roosevelt’s Good Neighbor Policy of 1934. When you listen to this story, you’ll learn how and why the US marines invaded Panama, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, Cuba, Haiti, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic. You’ll also learn how the US Marines occupied and ruled Cuba, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic for years.
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Solid Highlights Reel Through the Region
- By Allie on 02-03-25
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The Fish That Ate the Whale
- The Life and Times of America's Banana King
- By: Rich Cohen
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean
- Length: 9 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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When Samuel Zemurray arrived in America in 1891, he was tall, gangly, and penniless. When he died in the grandest house in New Orleans sixty-nine years later, he was among the richest, most powerful men in the world. Working his way up from a roadside fruit peddler to conquering the United Fruit Company, Zemurray became a symbol of the best and worst of the United States: proof that America is the land of opportunity, but also a classic example of the corporate pirate who treats foreign nations as the backdrop for his adventures.
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The story telling, the writing, Sam's early amd midlife in the banana industry.
- By Carla Pittman on 04-02-25
By: Rich Cohen
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Mexican History: A Captivating Guide to the History of Mexico and the Mexican Revolution
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Jason Zenobia
- Length: 6 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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If you want to discover the captivating history of Mexico, then pay attention...Two captivating manuscripts in one audiobook: History of Mexico and The Mexican Revolution. So if you want to learn more about the history of Mexico and the Mexican Revolution, buy this audiobook now!
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insulting mispronunciation
- By Laura Libman on 10-10-23
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Solito
- A Memoir
- By: Javier Zamora
- Narrated by: Javier Zamora
- Length: 17 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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Javier Zamora’s adventure is a three-thousand-mile journey from his small town in El Salvador, through Guatemala and Mexico, and across the U.S. border. He will leave behind his beloved aunt and grandparents to reunite with a mother who left four years ago and a father he barely remembers. Traveling alone amid a group of strangers and a “coyote” hired to lead them to safety, Javier expects his trip to last two short weeks.
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MASTERPIECE of Poetic Prose, Outstanding Narration
- By Mary Burnight on 01-12-23
By: Javier Zamora
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Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here
- The United States, Central America, and the Making of a Crisis
- By: Jonathan Blitzer
- Narrated by: Jonathan Blitzer, André Santana
- Length: 18 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Everyone who makes the journey faces an impossible choice. Hundreds of thousands of people who arrive every year at the US-Mexico border travel far from their homes. For years, the majority came from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, but many more have begun their journey much farther away. Some flee persecution, others crime or hunger. They may have already been deported, but the United States remains their only hope for safety and prosperity. They will take their chances.
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How America Created its Own Border Problem
- By Amazon Customer on 04-19-24
By: Jonathan Blitzer
What listeners say about Central America's Forgotten History
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- Myriam Duenas
- 01-02-24
Well intended
The historical information was well done but the narrator really held it back. At times the narrator did the book a disservice by their over or under emphasis of words, bordering on sarcasm. Unfortunate.
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- Mike A. Cruz
- 06-24-21
Enlightening
Excellent accounting of the history and systemic issues that have plagued this region. Must read for anyone working or interested in helping these migrant children coming from Central America.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Guido Ivan Martinez
- 05-07-22
Amazingly Insightful
Love this book and its investigative approach to the history of Central America. I thoroughly enjoy the breakdown of every country's unique history with the Spanish conquistadors and much later United States government involvement. Must read for any Central American that grew up in America and have limited knowledge of their own history (being of Central American deset myself I can attest).
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- Danica
- 01-15-23
Informative but dry at times
Informative but dry at times. It is well done, but I found it difficult to get through at times.
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- Buretto
- 02-07-22
Outline of a rigged game
The book gives a thorough account of the history of the region, with particular focus on the wars of the 80s and 90s. As a college student of the 80s, I vividly remember the protests, and the government obfuscation and lies. A particular bell was rung as the name Hasenfus was spoken, like a Madeleine moment, bringing back floods of memories of protesting against American involvement in Nicaragua, and the moment the whole Iran-Contra debacle came tumbling down.
By all rights, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, as well Mexico, should take center stage in this story, and in fact, for this review. But it is abundantly clear that the primary player, almost entirely for the worse, is the United States of America. In it's fervent, uncritical self-importance and jingoism, it has created poverty and desperation. A misery which then creates migration to escape for a better life in the USA. Only for that country to dismiss them as criminals and undesirables. Fleeing from a situation American exploitative capitalism helped to create. It should be shameful for a population that gives lip service to the ideas of welcoming immigrants and valuing freedom and democracy. But we always knew, and the documents show, that really was only for white European christians, wasn't it?
The core understanding needs to be for America and Americans, the government of the USA has never supported the idea of freedom and democracy around the world that is independent of Uncle Sam, or more aptly Daddy America, at the helm. It helps to maintain an undereducated population, scared by terminology like socialism, lacking the critical skills to realize nearly all revolutionary movements started with a fundamental admiration of the American ideal, and almost never sought (nor were often offered) Soviet assistance, until needed to combat American capitalist aggression. The policy is simply that you're okay only if your democracy is American-approved democracy, which is the definition of fascism.
My only real concern is that the term neoliberal, while well established and defined, is not well understood by the less inquisitive amongst us. Whether my counterparts are merely ignorant, or being willfully deceptive, it's frustrating to explain that neoliberalism is not the same as liberal, less so progressive, leftist or socialist, and thoroughly not communist! Similarly, that Clinton, Obama and Biden are merely pale versions of Reagan, nothing remotely leftist. And it never ceases to amaze that people frightened to the core by the international specter of "socialism", would so blithely accept "global capitalism". I think "exploitative capitalism" (a bit redundant, I know, but no point going halfway now) is a term better suited than neoliberalism.
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6 people found this helpful
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- William
- 10-09-22
No solutions without understanding
When you have a headache, it’s okay to take some pain medicine. If it doesn’t go away, maybe you can take another dose. But when it keeps coming back, it’s time to try to find out what’s causing the headache. That’s the basic premise for this book in a manner of speaking.
We can argue over building walls, fences, better surveillance systems or any number of other solutions to the southern border and I don’t know of any mainstream person who would truly say that we should have an open border (depsite all the accusations of such) just like, when you go to a doctor, they won’t take you off pain medications until they have not only found the problem but solved it. However, a doctor’s primary goal is to find out why. Aviva Chomsky is just dealing with the “why” in this book because when they find that, the pain killers may at least be able to be reduced. Why are there so many people who are willing to risk their lives and their children’s lives to get to the US? And, it’s no longer mostly from Mexico.
This book shows how much of the foundation for the inequalities and instability in Central America goes far back into its history, but makes a convincing argument that much of the blame comes from more recent history including interference by the US.
The first part of the book shows how the Spanish destroyed the native cultures and placed them under permanent subjugation that was race-based. Europe worked with the ruling class to build economies centered on agricultural exports from sugar to coffee to fruit,
The second part focuses on the late 1800s to the 1990s and looks at the results in each of the 4 countries that were the most unstable and where most of today’s refugees are coming from–Guatemala, Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Honduras. In the 1800s the influence of American companies increased with the help of economic pressure and military intervention by the US government. The US repeatedly interevened in Central America when anything happened that might affect US business interests, toppling governments and installing more friendly leaders (the origin of the term “banana republic”). The most decorated Marine in history at the time of his death in 1940, Major General Smedley Butler, had become increasingly disenchanted with his own service over the years leading to his retirement. He spoke out repeatedly against America’s military adventurism until his death. Of his service, he said, “In short, I was a racketeer; a gangster for capitalism. I helped make Mexico and especially Tampico safe for American oil interests in 1914. I helped make Haiti and Cuba a decent place for the National City Bank boys to collect revenues in. I helped in the raping of half a dozen Central American republics for the benefit of Wall Street. I helped purify Nicaragua for the International Banking House of Brown Brothers in 1902–1912. I brought light to the Dominican Republic for the American sugar interests in 1916. I helped make Honduras right for the American fruit companies in 1903.”
This history led to corrupt governments and an increasingly dissatisfied populace more and more disillusioned with capitalism as they knew it which resulted in escalating uprisings and finally to the civil wars of the 1970s and 1980s in Nicaragua, Guatemala, and El Salvador with the US continuing to prop up increasingly corrupt regimes, though now less for economic reasons but out of fear that any change might result in a communist government.
The last part summarizes the last 40 years from Reagan to Trump and we see that the blame fell equally on Republican and Democratic administrations. Chomsky notes that the 1970 census counted 114,000 Central American immigrants. Immigrants from there reached a peak during the Trump administration and as of 2017, there were nearly 3.5 million. And, those are just the official numbers since illegal immigrants are always undercounted and the Trump administration particularly tried to undercount illegal immigrants.
With all the talk about immigration, we tend to forget that much of this concern is very recent. Congress did not set quotas on Mexican and Latin American entry until 1965. It didn’t regulate immigrant status until 1986. The current focus and political hysteria concerning Hispanic and Latino migrants didn’t arise until the 1990s.
This book is an attempt to remind America about its own history and how it has impacted emigration from Central America. At times it comes of a bit strident and may seem to focused on proving its point. Nonetheless, the point is still well-made. The problem is not completely external. Some of the blame is on our own policies and blind spots and a wall will not really solve the problem. Only a concerted effort to face the issues head on, and an effort to build strong democratic governments that respect their people, treat them equitably regardless of race, and that have strong economies with ready markets for their products. And, it means that we need to truly come together to develop a real immigration policy, that doesn’t just lock the door but sets a policy for who can enter as well as how and when. That doesn’t mean that there is no need for better border controls. It just means that that is not nearly enough.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Christian mejia
- 10-19-22
A truth of Central American migration and US fault
This is great book to start seeking for the origins of Central American migration and the cause of poverty.
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- Randal Stevens
- 11-02-24
Biased, narrow minded
Not an objective view of history. Author let’s her personal bias get in the way of history
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- Colo MTN Biker
- 09-29-24
A lecture on how bad the USA is and always has been.
History is can be ugly I get it. Just tell the story, Don't lecture me on how bad The USA is.
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- Maureen Deisinger
- 04-23-21
Confusing, disorganized, and esoteric.
Mrs Chomsky did an excellent job of outlining the many failures of socialist governments. Not one country that was discussed had any successes, but grew more corrupt and oppressive over time. Mrs Chomsky argues the USA owes a moral and material debt to central America but she herself outlines that everytime the USA does get involved, we make it worse. We need to withdraw all aid and inovlement in Central America. Overall, a grossly liberal slanted propaganda piece.
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5 people found this helpful