Nicaragua: Revolution in the Family [Hardcover]

Shirley Christian (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Journalist Christian's masterful, evenhanded account of Nicaragua's Sandinistas derives from years of interviews and on-the-scene observations. Beginning with the last days of the Somoza regime, she details the morass of political intrigue through November 1984. The problem is, she argues, that the success of ``sandinismo'' turned the people from instigators of change into objects of change, both in the eyes of the church and of the state. As the center of the struggle flew out of control onto the battlefields of Havana, Washington, Rome, and Panama, democratic principles were subordinated to other peoples' needs, a no-win situation for the peasants. To draw conclusions about Nicaragua, Christian emphasizes, is a lot more difficult than superficial U.S. policy would imply. A timely and unpretentious book, very highly recommended for most libraries. Louise Leonard, Univ. of Florida Lib., Gainesville
Copyright 1985 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 337 pages
• Publisher: Random House Inc (T); 1st edition (July 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0394535758
• ISBN-13: 978-0394535753
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,377,444 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Most Objective, Well-Rounded Account of the Nicaraguan Revolution of 1979, November 26, 2008

By 

Giselle Poveda "Giselle Joseph" (Granada, Nicaragua) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This is, without a doubt, the most objective and well-rounded book on the Nicaraguan Revolution of 1979. It is also an extraordinary example of investigative journalism!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Revolution in a small country., November 12, 2007

By 

Kevin M Quigg (Gettysburg, Pennsylvania United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Nicaragua: Revolution in the Family (Paperback)

Another good book about the Nicaragua revolution. This is dated by a few years since it was written in 1985. Christian does a nice job of detailing the why and hows of the conflict from the Somoza era to the first Sandanista election. She also does a nice summary history of Sandino. Sandino was not a Communist, and at first did not oppose U.S. intervention. Later he did and also led a Robin Hood type of existence. This book did not have any pictures, and I feel most good history and current affairs books should. This was the only short coming of the book.

This is nice readable book about the conflict. Kinzer's book about the conflict covers the entire affair. Both reporters work for the New York Times. I felt Christian's book was more critical of the Sandanistas (FSLN).

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Extremely Informative, Fact-based Account, January 15, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Nicaragua: Revolution in the Family (Hardcover)

This book gave history that I always wondered about, but never understood. She tries to cover origins of actions in this text, confusing or not. She is fairly good about making her subjective views fairly obvious, so that if you don't agree with her, you can disagree without sacrificing too many of the facts.