Crossing Borders

by Rigoberta Menchú

The second part of the life of the Nobel prize-winning activist, telling of her flight from Guatamala in 1981 to escape persecution and her eventual return in 1988 as a representative of the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1859848931
• ISBN13: 9781859848937
• Release Date: August 1998
• Publisher: Verso
• Length: 242 Pages
• Weight: 1.32 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.5" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

An important book

I'm sorry to hear the allegation that some people didn't receive the credit they deserved for the book; however, it's important to keep in mind that we're only hearing one side of the story from Arturo Arias' review. Moreover, even if one accepts the worst regarding what Arias is saying, it seems to me that if he was concerned about Menchu's message getting circulated, he would've noted the importance of "Crossing Borders" and not sabotage the book by focusing exclusively on this scandal. He could've recognized the importance of getting Menchu's words translated, and that "Crossing Borders" is a vital contribution to our knowledge of communities under assault from military forces, corporatists, and various extractive industries. Mayan Indians and oppressed indigenous people around the world can hardly afford to have their concerns ignored due to battles between academics. Hopefully, people will not let the tag of "intellectual theft" dissuade them from purchasing this book, which covers more pressing issues such as the on-going theft indigenous people experience on a massive and lethal scale. If others deserve credit for the book, they should take it up with Verso and it can be remedied in future editions; but let's not commit another crime by ignoring "Crossing Borders" due to Arias' "review." With all the suffering of indigenous people, the efforts of David Stoll to dismiss "I, Rigoberta" and Arias' review to dismiss "Crossing Borders" seem a bit misplaced. They're the sorts of smears one would expect from the Pentagon's psy-ops personnel, PR firms like the Rendon Group, or the Guatemalan military. Regarding the "Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous People" that Menchu discusses in the book, "Cultural Survival" magazine is an excellent resource for keeping current on the development and effects of that document. www.cs.org Another important resource regarding Rigoberta Menchu and the struggles of indigenous people is the DVD, "When the Mountains Tremble." There may exist some circumstance that would enable Stoll or Arias to dismiss this award-winning film, but hopefully they'll find better things to do.