The Little School: Tales of Disappearance and Survival [Paperback]

Alicia Partnoy (Author), Julia Alvarez (Preface)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 3, 1998

One of Argentina's 30,000 "disappeared", Alicia Partnoy was abducted from her home by secret police and taken to a concentration camp where she was tortured, and where most of the other prisoners were killed. Smuggled out and published anonymously, THE LITTLE SCHOOL is Partnoy's memoir of her disappearance and imprisonment.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Military regimes are not at all unusual in Argentina, but those that ruled from 1976 to 1979 were unique in the number of civilians, mostly young people, who were kidnapped, jailed, tortured, and/or murdered because of their political beliefs. Late in 1977 the author was taken into custody by the army and sent to "the little school," one of many camps where dissidents were "taught" their "lessons." Imprisoned without charges, she spent almost a year blindfolded and bound, cut off from friends and family, including her child, until being inexplicably released. Partnoy's glimpses of her life in prison are understandably disjointed and meandering, but they stand as a record of character and fortitude. Louise Leonard, Univ . of Florida Lib., Gainesville
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Language Notes

Text: English, Spanish (translation) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 136 pages
• Publisher: Cleis Press; 2nd edition (September 3, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1573440299
• ISBN-13: 978-1573440295
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #26,362 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #2 in Books > History > Americas > South America > Argentina
  • #27 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Crime & Criminals  > Penology
  • #30 in Books > History > Americas > Central America

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Survivor's Account of being "Disappeared", March 31, 2000

By 

Angie Williams (Kansas City) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Little School: Tales of Disappearance and Survival (Paperback)

During the military junta from 1976 to 1982, the Argentine military unleashed a reign of terror onto the Argentine community. In these years over 30,000 people, mostly between the ages of 18 and 35, just disappeared off of the streets. Most of them were never heard from again. A few were released. Yet with their "freedom" from the secret detention camps, came the reality of dealing with the atrocities of their imprisonment. The torture, isolation, beating, rape, electrocution they suffered in these secret prisons, where they were often kept blindfolded and bound for months, lives with them forever. The author of The Little School: Tales of Disappearance and Survival, Alicia Partnoy, is one of the few disappeared during this time to have been released. This book documents the more than three months she spent in a secret detention camp known as "the little school." It tells of her and other prisoners' lives inside this nightmare. It describes the torture and humiliation they endured. It is a heartbreaking but inspiring story of hope and faith can triumph even under the most horrific conditions. It is impossible not to be moved to tears at some point during this book.

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Difficult but necessary, February 25, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Little School: Tales of Disappearance and Survival (Paperback)

This is one of those books that takes guts to have on your shelf. But it is so very worth reading, and probably re-reading throughout your life. I had the pleasure of listening to Alicia Partnoy speak about this book and her voice is so soft and delicate compared to the strength of her words. After reading the book, I characterized her as a woman of such power (she had to have so much courage to withstand the torture); and in person she reminded me that she is simply human, having endured a terrible time of history both personally and for Argentina in general, and she carries that history with her throughout her life. While there are various good books about "disappearance" and exile with relation to Latin America, this one tops the lists.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Little School, April 22, 2004

By 

Geronimo Miguel (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Little School: Tales of Disappearance and Survival (Paperback)

Imagine being kidnapped and being taken to a concentration camp, blindfolded, tied up and not knowing when you will ever see your family and friends again. What would you do if someone put a gun in your mouth? Alicia Partnoy proved to be a brave woman among others.

What you must know is that this is a true story. It is like if you are reading something made up, but it is sadly true. It is greatly detailed and it even has a sense of humor at points. It is really amazing to see how Alicia talks about her experience and the other "disappeared" s' experiences.

She was kidnapped. Did not know the whereabouts of her daughter. Her husband was kidnapped also, but they were not able to see each other. Even though she was away from them, she managed to think of them as little as possible, because she thought it would weaken her in trying to survive for them.

She was always helping others in one way or another. Since they did not know when they were going to die, Alicia showed her compassion in their last hours. She was very generous when everything else was so ruthless.

She shares part of her hideous life lived in the Little School, because even though she tells you what happened to her and her friends, she keeps the darkest moments to herself. It is personal, a very personal story. You should be thankful that she even wrote this book because she is informing you about what really happened at those times and how the guards treated them inside the Little School.

This book demonstrates the true value of life. Some people overlook small things in life, but these small things grow to be very significant to Alicia when she was a prisoner. It shows the importance of your five senses, the ability to smell, to touch, to hear, to taste and to talk. She was able to see through her nose given that she was blindfolded and was able to create small balls out of bread. Talk about using your imagination at miserable times. This is just one of the things she learned to do when held captive. Read this book to find out how she did this and what else she discovered inside the concentration camp.