Nicaragua Divided: La Prensa and the Chamorro Legacy [Hardcover]

Patricia Taylor Edmisten (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Pedro Joaquin Chamorro, publisher-editor of the widely read Third World newspaper La Prensa , was assassinated in Managua in 1978, an event that triggered the Sandinista revolution that brought an end to the Somoza dictatorship. Quoting liberally from Chamorro's combative articles, essays and books, Edmisten chronicles his relentless opposition to the Somozas, his imprisonment, torture, exile and courageous return. Also examined is the ideological split within Chamorro's family, reflecting the complex nature of what the author calls "this wrenching transitional period" in Nicaragua. Two of Chamorro's children are Sandinistas; his widow, Violeta, is the United Nicaraguan Opposition presidential candidate. Edmisten, who teaches education at the University of West Florida, maintains a neutral political position--but lauds the Sandinistas for accomplishing a significant reduction in the infant mortality rate. Those who closely follow events in Nicaragua will find the book crucial reading. Photos.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

This timely, informative, and highly readable book begins with the January 1978 assassination of Pedro Joaquin Chamorro Cardenal, ends just before the February 1990 elections won by Chamorro's widow, Violeta, and in between chronicles the sometimes divided life of this prominent political family and the newspaper with which it is associated, La Prensa . The author, a former Peace Corps volunteer who first traveled to Nicaragua with Oxfam-America, is obviously sympathetic to the family but does not impose her views on the reader. Her interviews with Chamorro family members inform those unfamiliar with Nicaragua and offer new insights to those knowledgeable about its history. Recommended for educated laypersons and scholars.
- Andrea Bonnicksen, Eastern Illinois Univ., Charleston
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 142 pages
• Publisher: University Press of Florida; First edition (March 20, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0813009723
• ISBN-13: 978-0813009728
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,771,403 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Patricia served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Peru. She has written extensively about the relationship between social conditions and democracy and has worked as a UN consultant in Peru and Brazil. Her book "Wild Women with Tender Hearts" won the Peace Corps Writers Award for poetry.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars An Unbiased View of The Nicaraguan Political Situation, November 13, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Nicaragua Divided: La Prensa and the Chamorro Legacy (Hardcover)

I find the authors view of the Nicarauan situation to be honest and unbiased in that it let the reader decide which political side was best for the people of Nicaragua. I think Patricia Taylor Edmisten's research of the politcal history was thorough and to the point. Most people make judgement of a country or culture on what they hear or read about today without much knowledge of the history that sheds more light as to how the present situation came about.