Customer Reviews

Witness to War: An American Doctor in El Salvador

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I read this book 3 years ago while travelling in Central America and was consumed by it. This is a war story that is so very human that it will shock you out of your comfort zone. It's one man's account of the suffering he witnessed in El Salvador, but it's also a story about the motives behind this peasant uprising and the deadly manner in which it was crushed in the name of democracy.

I read this book while attending college, it was part of a Latin American Government class. It was the kind of book that Reagan and his cronies did not want anybody to read. A book that showed the humanity and compassion of the so-called "communist guerillas" that were attempting to overthrow the "freedom-loving" dictatorship that ruled El Salvador. The story is told in such a descriptive and wonderful way by Dr. Charles Clements. If anything, this book demonstrates that truth comes from actual observers and not from politicians with crooked agendas. Dr. Clements tried to open Americans' eyes to the reality that existed in El Salvador at this time, while Reagan and the media attempted to distort that reality.

there are books that you will read in your lifetime,that you think are really good and there are books you will read that you think are one of the best books you will ever read and know you will read again and again.
this book is the latter.charles clements has probably lived the life of several people within a short space of time,from being a pilot in the vietnam war to being a quaker doctor in the middle of the war zone in el salvador.this book explains the life of the people of el salvador and how foreign governments can dictate the annihilation of a country,just because they are afraid of the threat of communism.this book will stir you to become more aware of how governments manipulate and gives you one of the best actual accounts of life in el salvador and how the people lived,loved and fought to protect their families and way of life.

this is an authentic depiction of the conditions and american policy in central america....i was there after him