Saturday, September 26, 2020

The Little Breadwinner: life during the Salvadoran Civil War

 The Little Breadwinner is the newest book by activist Lucia Mann. It is a story of those who suffered during the Salvadoran Civil War which ravaged the Central American country from 1980 to 1992 and took the lives of approximately 75,000 Salvadorans. It is the story of Estrella Godwin Lozano, a little person, who suffers at the hands of her countrymen as well as the soldiers. As she struggles to survive, she meets various characters who fight for peace, justice, and a normal life including the Sandinistas. At its core, The Little Breadwinner is about finding hope and fight for survival amid uncertain times. Will Estrella survive the war? Will she be able to live a peaceful life?


I have read Ms. Mann’s books for years and they are powerful, emotional, and eye-opening to atrocities which occur around the world. The Little Breadwinner is not on par with her previous books. I appreciate her desire to bring the horrors of the Salvadoran Civil War to a wider audience; however, I did not feel the same emotional impact as I had with her previous books. There is just too much going on, too much back and forth in time, and a lot of exposition and commentary that the narrator interjects into the flow of the story that it feels choppy. Overall, The Little Breadwinner is a book that has introduced me to the Salvadoran Civil War, unfortunately, it does not have the emotional impact that I expect from a Lucia Mann book.

 

The Little Breadwinner is available in paperback and eBook.

No comments:

Post a Comment