The Book: Bitter Fruit: The Story of the American Coup in Guatemala by Stephen Schlesinger and Stephen Kinzer
My Rating: 3.5/5
Blurb from Amazon.com:
Bitter Fruit is a comprehensive and insightful account of the CIA operation to overthrow the democratically elected government of Jacobo Arbenz of Guatemala in 1954. First published in 1982, this book has become a classic, a textbook case of the relationship between the United States and the Third World. The authors make extensive use of U.S. government documents and interviews with former CIA and other officials. It is a warning of what happens when the United States abuses its power.
My Review:
This is the stranger-than-fiction story of how a banana company played off Cold War fears to get their way in a foreign country.
By the very nature of its topic, the book presents an American-centric view of Guatemalan history. It's dense and detailed and, while the text can get a bit dry at times, the overall story is dark and fascinating.
You will follow along with every blunder and manipulation made by the key players on both sides of the fence. It gets pretty crazy, and not the good kind of crazy.
Let's just say I have a much better understanding of the term "banana republic" now.
If you are an American in Guatemala and want to learn more about the inner workings and history of both countries, this is the book for you.
The Place: San Marcos La Laguna, Guatemala
My Rating: 4/5
San Marcos is one of fifteen Mayan villages scattered around the shores of Lake Atitlan in the Guatemalan highlands. It's known as the "hippie village", with fenced-off enclaves offering meditation/yoga retreats.
But something felt a bit off while we were there (it may have just been us). The quiet, green footpaths by the shore seemed too isolated from the upper part of San Marcos where all the locals live. The tourist area was eerie and deserted, and when we tried to order a tea we found none of the restaurants had so much as a quetzal of change.
Nash and I were a bit oversocialized anyway, so we holed ourselves up outside of town in one of the best airbnbs I've ever stayed at. At $34 a night, it was a splurge by Guatemalan standards, but I can't imagine a better place to hide away from the world.
Words won't suffice, so I'll resort to pictures:
Meet Casa Corazon, perched above Lake Atitlan with a view of not one but two volcanoes.
Steaming hot open-air showers? Yes please!
The lofted bedroom was delightfully cozy.
This giant guy was clinging to my pants after I got out the shower. He was so cool!
One of our homemade breakfasts cooked in our own private kitchen.
Watching the sunset through the window. Can you imagine living here?!
Book + Place Pairing
My Rating: 4/5
On this particular morning, we walked down to our private floating dock (seriously, I can't believe how luxurious this place was) and jumped in for a swim.
The lake water was chilly so I didn't last long before hauling myself back on the dock. I pulled out my Kindle while the sun dried me.
Bitter Fruit is not the easiest book to read when you're a well-to-do American in Guatemala. It doesn't help with the guilty feeling that you're an overprivileged invader, and hiding away in this little oasis had only highlighted just how good we have things.
But it also made me grateful for all the individuals here whose homes and business we'd shared over the previous month, who treated us with nothing but respect and kindness.
The American coup was a huge setback in Guatemala's progress, but all around me, I see a country that is moving forward the best it can. And that's a more beautiful view than any lake.
Wait, what is adventure reading?
My favorite hobby! I am a bookworm who loves to travel, so I usually just shove a book in my pack and go. I try to find the most scenic reading spots and spend some time taking it all in, letting the story and the place mingle.
A couple years ago, I started photographing the page I was on. (It’s not a pretty process, since I have to hold the phone with one hand and poking at the screen with my nose to focus.)
All of these posts will have the tag #adventurereading, and I would love to see you add to it - even if the place is your living room or favorite coffee shop!
More reading: This retreat was a break after three weeks of Spanish lessons in San Pedro. Click to read about our language immersion experience!
Question to my readers:
How do you like the format of these adventure reading posts? Any suggestions to make them more cohesive/interesting? Thanks!