In Review

Risking a Somersault in the Air: Conversations with Nicaraguan
Writers by Margaret Randall. Sol- idarity Publications, 215 pp. $8
(paper). In this collection, Margaret Randall
delves into the Nicaraguans’ affinity
for the arts and the Sandinistas’ dedi-
cation to artistic freedoms. Several of
Nicaragua’s best-known writers are
interviewed here-many of them San-
dinista leaders.
A Pohticat Opening in Nicaragua: Report on the Nicaraguan Elec- tions, November 4, 1984 by the In-
ternational Human Rights Law Group
and the Washington Office on Latin
America. 60 pp. $5 (paper). Available
from: IHRLG, Suite 502, 1346 Con-
necticut Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. 20036 or WOLA, 110 Maryland Avenue NE, Washington, D.C.
20002.
These two Washington-based rights groups collaborated on a project to as-
sess the openness and validity of the
Nicaraguan elections. They sponsored two delegations to Nicaragua in the autumn of 1984, composed of aca-
demics, a congressional representa- tive and several former U.S. and Latin
American government officials. Their
detailed report is guardedly support- ive.
Nicaragua The Sandinista People’s
Revolution, Speeches by Sandinista Leaders edited by Bruce Marcus. Pathfinder Press, 400 pp. $7.95
(paper). This book includes more than 40
speeches and documents by Daniel
Ortega, Sergio RamIrez, Tomas Borge, Jaime Wheelock, Victor
Tirado, Magda EnrIquez and others from early 1982 to late 1984. A brief
chronology of the major events of this
period is included.
Solidarity with the People of
Nicaragua by James McGinnis. Orbis
Books, 162 pp. $7.95 (paper). James McGinnis suggests ways of “linking lives” with Nicaraguans, in
pursuit of peace. He discusses pairing cities, Witness for Peace, economic
solidarity and religious commitment, with a guide to background materials.
Health and the War Against
Nicaragua, 1981-1984 by Richard
Garfield RN, DrPI-1 and David Siegel, MD. The Central America Health
Rights Network, 20 pp. $2 (paper). Available from: LINKS, P0 Box 407, Audubon Station, New York, NY
10032.
These two U.S. health profession- als assert that while health care has
greatly improved since the Sandinista
revolution, the contra war is severely
taxing the entire health system. The authors provide useful and
dramatic statistics, and a section titled
“Epidemiologic Effects of War” is
particularly interesting for its expose of the long-term infrastructural debili-
tations wrought on health care sys- tems in time of war, especially in a
developing country.
Are Nicaragua’s Trade Unions Free? A Response to the American Lnstdute for Free Labor Develop-
ment (AFL-CIO) Report, “Nicara- gua, A Revolution Betrayed: Free Labor Persecuted.” 62 pp. $5
(paper). Available from: NLG, 853
Broadway, Suite 1705, New York, NY 10003.
The National Lawyers Guild spon-
sored a trip to Nicaragua in December
1984 by nine U.S. labor lawyers, all
of whom represent unions or are em-
ployed by the National Labor Rea-
tions Board. The group investigated
anti-union charges levelled at the San-
dinistas in a 1983 study by the Ameri-
can Institute for Free Labor Develop-
ment (AIFLD). Providing a brief history of the
Nicaraguan labor movement, this re-
sponse alleges that the AIFLD report grossly misrepresented the status of
trade unions in Nicaragua, and recom-
mends that its allegations be retracted.
Central America and the Western
Alliance edited by Joseph Cirincione. Holmes and Meier, 233 pp. $26.50
(cloth). The Central American crisis has been referred to by The Economist of London as “the Second Spanish
Civil War.” This collection of papers,
first delivered last summer at a confer-
ence sponsored by the Carnegie En- dowment for International Peace and
the International Institute for Strategic
Studies (London), looks at the issue’s
importance among Western European
nations, particularly NATO members, and at how the crisis is affecting those
countries’ relations with the United
States.
Report on Nicaragua, February 15- 24, 1985. Plowshares Institute, 44 pp. (paper). Available from: Plowshares Institute, P0 Box 243, 799 Hope-
meadow Street, Simsbury, CT 06070.
In February 1985, the Plowshares
Institute organized a nine-day, fact- finding tour to Nicaragua for 25
people representing the church, academia, Congress, law, business and foundations. The group met with
Daniel Ortega, Archbishop Obando y Bravo, the U.S. Ambassador and sup-
porters and detractors of the revolu-
tion from all levels of society. In an
interesting arrangement, the group pooled its findings in an effort to an-
swer eight general questions around
Nicaraguan democracy.
Voices of Experience in Central
America: Former Peace Corps Vol- unteers’ Insights Into a Troubled
Region by The National Council of
Returned Peace Corps Volunteers,
128 pp. $10 (paper). Available from:
NCRPCV, P0 Box 1404, Omaha, NE
68101.
This report surveys 170 people who lived in Central America as Peace Corps volunteers in an effort to
evaluate how successful the organiza-
tion has been in achieving its founding
goals, and its appropriateness in the
region today.
Central America and United States Policies, 1820s-1980s. A Guide to
Issues and References by Thomas
M. Leonard. Regina Guides to Con- temporary Issues, 127 pp. $10.95
(paper). Thomas M. Leonard, chairman of the history department at North Florida University, has prepared an extensive bibliography on Central American issues. The introductory
text is divided into two sections. The
first provides an historical perspec-
tive; the second, an overview of U.S.-
Central American relations.
12 REPORT ON THE AMERICAS
(4. RkCw44
Risking a Somersault in the Air:
Conversations with Nicaraguan
Writers by Margaret Randall. Sol-
idarity Publications, 215 pp. $8
(paper) .
In this collection, Margaret Randall
delves into the Nicaraguans’ affinity
for the arts and the Sandinistas’ dedi-
cation to artistic freedoms. Several of
Nicaragua’s best-known writers are
interviewed here-many of them San-
dinista leaders.
A Political Opening in Nicaragua:
Report on the Nicaraguan Elec-
tions, November 4, 1984 by the In-
ternational Human Rights Law Group
and the Washington Office on Latin
America. 60 pp. $5 (paper). Available
from: IHRLG, Suite 502, 1346 Con-
necticut Avenue, NW, Washington,
D.C. 20036 or WOLA, 110 Maryland
Avenue NE, Washington, D.C.
20002.
These two Washington-based rights
groups collaborated on a project to as-
sess the openness and validity of the
Nicaraguan elections. They sponsored
two delegations to Nicaragua in the
autumn of 1984, composed of aca-
demics, a congressional representa-
tive and several former U.S. and Latin
American government officials. Their
detailed report is guardedly support-
ive.
Nicaragua: The Sandinista People’s
Revolution, Speeches by Sandinista
Leaders edited by Bruce Marcus.
Pathfinder Press, 400 pp. $7.95
(paper).
This book includes more than 40
speeches and documents by Daniel
Ortega, Sergio Ramirez, Tomds
Borge, Jaime Wheelock, Victor
Tirado, Magda Enriquez and others
from early 1982 to late 1984. A brief
chronology of the major events of this
period is included.
Solidarity with the People of
Nicaragua by James McGinnis. Orbis
Books, 162 pp. $7.95 (paper).
James McGinnis suggests ways of
“linking lives” with Nicaraguans, in
pursuit of peace. He discusses pairing
cities, Witness for Peace, economic
solidarity and religious commitment,
with a guide to background materials.
Health and the War Against
Nicaragua, 1981-1984 by Richard
Garfield RN, DrPH and David Siegel,
MD. The Central America Health
Rights Network, 20 pp. $2 (paper).
Available from: LINKS, PO Box 407,
Audubon Station, New York, NY
10032.
These two U.S. health profession-
als assert that while health care has
greatly improved since the Sandinista
revolution, the contra war is severely
taxing the entire health system.
The authors provide useful and
dramatic statistics, and a section titled
“Epidemiologic Effects of War” is
particularly interesting for its expos
of the long-term infrastructural debili-
tations wrought on health care sys-
tems in time of war, especially in a
developing country.
Are Nicaragua’s Trade Unions
Free? A Response to the American
Institute for Free Labor Develop-
ment (AFL-CIO) Report, “Nicara-
gua, A Revolution Betrayed: Free
Labor Persecuted.” 62 pp. $5
(paper). Available from: NLG, 853
Broadway, Suite 1705, New York,
NY 10003.
The National Lawyers Guild spon-
sored a trip to Nicaragua in December
1984 by nine U.S. labor lawyers, all
of whom represent unions or are em-
ployed by the National Labor Rela-
tions Board. The group investigated
anti-union charges levelled at the San-
dinistas in a 1983 study by the Ameri-
can Institute for Free Labor Develop-
ment (AIFLD).
Providing a brief history of the
Nicaraguan labor movement, this re-
sponse alleges that the AIFLD report
grossly misrepresented the status of
trade unions in Nicaragua, and recom-
mends that its allegations be retracted.
Central America and the Western
Alliance edited by Joseph Cirincione.
Holmes and Meier, 233 pp. $26.50
(cloth).
The Central American crisis has
been referred to by The Economist
of London as “the Second Spanish
Civil War.” This collection of papers,
first delivered last summer at a confer-
ence sponsored by the Carnegie En-
dowment for International Peace and
the International Institute for Strategic
Studies (London), looks at the issue’s
importance among Western European
nations, particularly NATO members,
and at how the crisis is affecting those
countries’ relations with the United
States.
Report on Nicaragua, February 15-
24, 1985. Plowshares Institute, 44 pp.
(paper). Available from: Plowshares
Institute, PO Box 243, 799 Hope-
meadow Street, Simsbury, CT 06070.
In February 1985, the Plowshares
Institute organized a nine-day, fact-
finding tour to Nicaragua for 25
people representing the church,
academia, Congress, law, business
and foundations. The group met with
Daniel Ortega, Archbishop Obando y
Bravo, the U.S. Ambassador and sup-
porters and detractors of the revolu-
tion from all levels of society. In an
interesting arrangement, the group
pooled its findings in an effort to an-
swer eight general questions around
Nicaraguan democracy.
Voices of Experience in Central
America: Former Peace Corps Vol-
unteers’ Insights Into a Troubled
Region by The National Council of
Returned Peace Corps Volunteers,
128 pp. $10 (paper). Available from:
NCRPCV, PO Box 1404, Omaha, NE
68101.
This report surveys 170 people who
lived in Central America as Peace
Corps volunteers in an effort to
evaluate how successful the organiza-
tion has been in achieving its founding
goals, and its appropriateness in the
region today.
Central America and United States
Policies, 1820s-1980s. A Guide to
Issues and References by Thomas
M. Leonard. Regina Guides to Con-
temporary Issues, 127 pp. $10.95
(paper).
Thomas M. Leonard, chairman of
the history department at North
Florida University, has prepared an
extensive bibliography on Central
American issues. The introductory
text is divided into two sections. The
first provides an historical perspec-
tive; the second, an overview of U.S.-
Central American relations.