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134 of 162 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A "biomythography" that deserves attention, January 4, 2001
"I, Rigoberta Menchu" is one of those books which seems to be overshadowed by controversy. A Quiche Mayan woman of Guatemala, Rigoberta Menchu told her story orally to anthropologist Elisabeth Burgos-Debray in Paris in 1982. Burgos-Debray transcribed the story and published in Spanish in 1983; Ann Wright's English translation appeared in 1984. The book, which both gave a voice to the Native American culture of Guatemala and exposed the brutality of Guatemala's civil war, became an international sensation. Menchu received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1992.Anthropologist David Stoll later uncovered evidence of inconsistencies within Menchu's story. Conservative cultural activists interpreted Stoll's research as discrediting Menchu's story. For example, David Horowitz blasted Menchu as a "liar" and further condemned "I, Rigoberta Menchu" as "one of the greatest hoaxes of the 20th century." Many derided such attacks on Rigoberta as politically motivated and intellectually dishonest. I think that "I, Rigoberta Menchu" has, perhaps, been misunderstood and misused by people on both sides of the left/right political divide. And so, for that matter, has the work of David Stoll. While he is sharply critical of the book in his own work, "Rigoberta Menchu and the Story of All Poor Guatemalans," Stoll also corroborates parts of her story. In fact, at the end of his own book Stoll praises "I, Rigoberta Menchu" as a Guatemalan "national epic" (p. 283). Because of all of the accusations and counter-accusations being thrown around by people with conflicting political and intellectual agendas, it is daunting to even approach "I, Rigoberta Menchu." Nevertheless, I agree with David Stoll that this book is an authentic national epic of Guatemala; I also believe that it is a book which deserves to be read. I look at "I, Rigoberta Menchu" as a "biomythography." African-American author Audre Lorde used this term to describe her own autobiographical narrative, "Zami: A New Spelling of My Name." Think of a biomythography as a life story that combines fact with fictionalized, borrowed, or adapted materials in an attempt to arrive at greater truths. I don't mean to suggest that Menchu, or anyone, for that matter, should be excused for misrepresenting facts. But it seems to me that "I, Rigoberta Menchu" gives the reader clues that it is a "biomythography" from the first page of the first chapter: Rigoberta says of her story "I didn't learn it alone," and further stresses that "it's not only my life, it's also the testimony of my people." And if you approach the book carefully, you will discover a powerful and fascinating text. It is impossible in the space of a short review to cover all of the highlights of "I, Rigoberta Menchu." But a few include her description of the interactions among the diverse ethnic groups of Guatemala, her account of Quiche Mayan religious beliefs and practices, and her descriptions of such everyday activities as making tortillas. Particularly fascinating is her account of how Guatemalan revolutionaries interpreted parts of the Bible in order to aid their struggle; at the end of Chapter XVII she describes the Bible as the "main weapon" of her comrades. Yes, Rigoberta has a political agenda. But so did Frederick Douglass and Malcolm X; this does not diminish the value of their autobiographies as both literary texts and historical documents. My advice is to read both "I, Rigoberta Menchu" and David Stoll's biography of Menchu. Read commentaries on the controversy from all parts of the political spectrum. And read other texts about the violence in Guatemala and in other countries rocked by political strife and ethnic tension. And finally, draw your own conclusions about the book.
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