Customer Reviews

Walking to La Milpa: Living in Guatemala with Armies, Demons, Abrazos, and Death

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book is a trans-genre entry into the pulse and rhythm, pain and joy of the people of La Milpa. The archetypes are lived here, in flesh and blood, and the courage to live is palpable. But like all tales of truth, this journey is not without raw and honest humor. There is no ego here, covering up the mud on the author's face. Naivete is exposed on these pages, and so the account is all the more readable and real. I recommend this book to all who would choose to experience the totality of life by opening their eyes to the story of a village living out its moment in time with honesty and undeniable passion.

Wonderful, heart-warming and full of humor! Marcos brings in the reader to share his daily life, full of new discoveries as he gets to know his neighbors. I enjoyed sharing private moments of his personal life, his joys and felt the sadness of his losses. Marcos doesn't pretend to be one of them, and he's not afraid to make fun of himself as a gringo learning to fit in. The images of the town and the people who live there are so real that they remind of me of my own childhood in El Salvador. Marcos made me feel like I was there with him, walking to la milpa with Don Chico and stopping by Dona Oli's to get some hot tortillas.

This book is a trans-genre entry into the pulse and rhythm, pain and joy of the people of La Milpa. The archetypes are lived here, in flesh and blood, and the courage to live is palpable. But like all tales of truth, this journey is not without raw and honest humor. There is no ego here, covering up the mud on the author's face. Naivete is exposed on these pages, and so the account is all the more readable and real. I recommend this book to all who would choose to experience the totality of life by opening their eyes to the story of a village living out its moment in time with honesty and undeniable passion.

This story was wonderful in its telling. I found myself inraptured with the locals and eager to find out more about their lives. The distance Marcos keeps is more of a psychological, rather than a physical distance and is necessary to the story's telling. There are subtleties that I would never have been aware of had the author not disclosed them to me in person, but this actually aided in its charm. This is a wonderful book for anyone who has limited knowledge of Latino culture.

Mr. Villatoro is my Literature professor, and he is just as honest and real in class every day as he is in the pages of this book. His other books are worth reading as well, I especially like my signed copy of "The Holy Spirit of my Uncle's Cojones." He is a talented, interesting writer, professor, and friend. I enjoy his delicate mix of humor, sadness, and truth, which draw the reader into each and every one of his stories on a personal level.

It shows that the book was written by a missionary, although the author tries to hide it. While he talks to many people, he does not really seem to understand them. He lives with fear, because it is new to him. He is upset when refrigerator and TV do not run around the clock. He never really immerses himself into local living, just visits it. He does not really bring anything new to our knowledge

This book was not, in my opinion, very well written, more like a diary in its rough form than a finished work of literature. The potential for drama was certainly there but unrealized. In short, it promised more than it delivered.