This book is a extraordinary sephardic narrative, which touch all the sephardic family, notably those from portuguese origins. It's about the permanent jewish war against assimilation and remarks the existence of deep feelings which move, generations after generations, jews to meet your own traditions. My wife, a Pereira, was deeply touched by this book. There are a enigmatic dimension in a jewish indentity, and "The cross and the pear tree"" is a emotive reflection about it.

I read this book just after it was published. Victor Perera's life and background are of interest to all who have an interest in family, history and the journeys of generations. Whether the reader is of Jewsh, Spanish or Portoguese background, he will find things in this book which will astound him. Read this book!

The poems in Montejo's SCULPTED STONES give lyric expression to the feelings of exile and to the (sometimes comic) difficulties of living in a foreign culture. Throughout this book, Montejo extols the values of the Maya culture and denounces the Guatemalan government's attempts to destroy the Indian society. At times with tenderness, at times with humor, at times with scathing irony, Montejo examines nature, politics, and recorded history to get at the truths of the present and the past.
"...beautifully expressed, thought provoking literature." --World Literature Today

"Passing his perceptions-of Mayan myths, his personal history, a village dog-through the twin prism of his identity as both personal and political being, Montejo pens an often moving vision." --Publishers Weekly

"Montejo's use of imagery is masterful..." --Native Americas

Victor Perera is a native guatemalan who took the better part of 6 years to write this book. This book is chock full of great information gathered from hundreds of interviews. Perera doesn't waste time trying to interpret the events he writes about, instead he let's the participants and witnesses speak for themselves. He interviews everybody for this book from wealthy landowners, government officials, military personel, catholic and evangelical clergy and mostly the mayan people who have suffered from 30 years of civil war. He then fills in the cracks with historical background. His writing is very precise and specific, his descriptions paint a very vivid picture of the oppression and genocide that continues to take place.

The book begins with his visits to the garbage dump slums of guatemala city and proceeds to other hot spots of violence. The core of the book is those chapters about the ixil triangle area where as many as one third of the local mayan population was killed, disappeared or forced to flee the country.

..............socks

Although it is a fast, exciting read, Montejo's Testimony is an extremely powerful, raw book. It realistically depicts the genocide occurring in Guatemala between 1980-82. He is brutally graphic, but touches one in such a manner that one is compelled to pursue the subject. This personal, heart-wrenching story is a moving experience for anyone, especially those interested in Guatemala and Central America.

TESTIMONY: DEATH OF A GUATEMALAN VILLAGE is an eyewitness account by a Guatemalan primary school teacher detailing one instance of violent conflict between the indigenous Maya people and the army. An accidental clash between the village's "civil patrol" and a Guatemalan army troop leads to the execution or imprisonment of many villagers. Written in clear, direct prose, this account reads like an adventure story while conveying an historical reality.

"Victor Montejo writes vividly, with a translator of distinction, about another Latin American reality." --The Guardian

"Montejo has first-hand involvement with the violence that Didion both mystifies and, in a morbid way, romanticizes. He conveys a rare sense of the lived reality in Central America, in a clear storytelling voice that makes it chillingly human."
--San Francisco Sun

A poignant message to those who will see. Using his own words (translated from his Mayan dialect), Victor Montejo paints a picture of endurance, pain, and hopelessness for the Mayans of his homeland--Guatemala. His ability to endure and survive the abuses of the Kaibiles (Mayan soldiers hell bent on destruction and murder) allows a ray of hope to pierce the seeming hopelessness. Separated from his family, friends, and students, Victor maintains a Christian ethic--he does not believe in murder. In fact, he faces his oppressors with dignity and responds with kindness even when it seems all is lost. To discover the outcome of Victor's painful trials--you must read this suspense-filled, non-fiction book.