Blood of Brothers: Life and War in Nicaragua

From Library Journal
Kinzer served in Central America first in the 1970s as a freelance journalist and later as a New York Times bureau chief in Managua (1983-89). An eyewitness to events, he interviewed members of the Somoza, Sandinista, and contra hierarchies. As a result, he provides a highly objective and balanced assessment of events that led to the fall of the Somoza government in 1979. Kinzer avoids ideological bias, but he does note that the Sandinistas came to power because “those most likely to shed blood are the most likely to triumph.” Yet despite their many shortcomings, he concludes “the Sandinistas at least provided a basis upon which a genuine democracy could be built.” An example of public affairs journalism at its best, his book will stand as the definitive study of Nicaragua in the turbulent 1980s. It belongs in every public and school library.

J.A. Rhodes, Luther Coll., Decorah, Ia. Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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An essential work…Kinzer has established a standard against which other writers on the subject will have to measure themselves.–Newsday 

In the best tradition of reporters’ books, Blood of Brothers takes us inside the lives of Nicaraguans humble and powerful A graphic account of a country torn in half.
–New York Times Book Review 

Brings to life a country rich in diversity and complexity [a] serious and sensitive analysis of the country’s life and war.
–Miami Herald 

Public affairs journalism at its best.
–Library Journal 

Impressive in the refinement of its writing and also the breadth of its subject matter.
–The New Yorker 

Among the journalistic surveys that have been written so far, Kinzer’s book, because of its expertise, thoroughness and goodheartedness, is the best.
–The New Leader