Children of the Maya [Hardcover]

Brent Ashabranner (Author)

Book Description

Examines the plight of Mayans who have fled the violent political situation in Guatemala and settled in a community in southern Florida.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Children of the Maya is a somewhat misleading title for this book, since it covers the plight of Guatemalan refugees of Mayan descent, who escaped the death squads of the Guatemalan army. The hardships and horrors they endured are vividly recounted through first-person narratives. Their recollections are often gruesome: Luis Garcia tells of finding his father's decapitated body in a ditch; Antonio Guerra remembers the sights and sounds of the army's massacre of his neighbors and the burning of his village. Accompanying black-and-white photos illustrate the stark contrast between the primitive camps in Mexico where the refugees took temporary shelter and the modest but clean apartments of Indiantown, Fla., where they now live. The author also discusses the problems of adjusting to life in America and the lasting impressions of terror left on the children's psyches. A preface gives a helpful overview of Mayan culture and history. These stories are important, and should acquaint children with the crisis facing the Guatemalan people, whose plight is underpublicized.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 5 Up Unable to live in peace with their country's army and opposing guerrillas in their native villages or in the crowded refugee camps in nearby Mexico, many Mayan Indians of Guatemala have become refugees in rural Indiantown, Florida, having made their way there through Mexico and Texas as migrant workers. Often speaking only their native tongue, Kanjobal, they come with nothing, wanting only to live and work in peace. Illustrated with stark black-and-white photographs of their former homes, refugee camps and current situation, this book presents graphic personal recollections of violence, death and loss. Not for every child, but the book will fill a need in helping to explain the influx of impoverished refugees into communities. It will help foster an understanding of people from another culture with their own traditions and language, trying to survive in the United States. Frances E. Millhouser, Arlington County Libraries, Va.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Putnam Juvenile (April 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 039921707X
• ISBN-13: 978-0399217074
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,996,563 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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