Nicaragua Books and Resources

Sandinista: Carlos Fonseca and the Nicaraguan Revolution, Matilde Zimmermann, 2001

Carlos Fonseca Amador, killed in battle in 1976,  was the legendary leader of the FSLN and the most important and influential figure of the post–1959 revolutionary generation in Latin America. In a groundbreaking and fast-paced narrative that draws on a rich archive of previously unpublished Fonseca writings, Matilde Zimmermann sheds new light on central themes in his ideology as well as on internal disputes, ideological shifts, and personalities of the FSLN. Read More...

The Death of Ben Linder: The Story of a North American in Sandinista Nicaragua, Joan Kruckewitt, 2001

One member of Congress called him “a national hero.” Another, “a legitimate target.” In 1987, the death of the first American killed by the U.S.–backed Nicaraguan Contras ignited a firestorm of protests and debate. In this landmark biography, investigative journalist Joan Kruckewitt tells Ben Linder’s story. The book incorporates formerly classified CIA documents that reveal who killed Ben Linder and why.  Read More...

The Country Under My Skin: A Memoir of Love and War, Gioconda Belli, 2003

Gioconda Belli's memoir is both a revelatory insider’s account of the Revolution and a vivid, intensely felt story about coming of age under extraordinary circumstances. Belli writes with both striking lyricism and candor about her personal and political lives; about her poetry; about the dichotomies between her birth-right and the life she chose for herself; about the failures and triumphs of the Revolution; about her current life, divided between California (with her American husband and their children) and Nicaragua; and about her sustained and sustaining passion for her country and its people. Read More...

Blood of Brothers: Life and War in Nicaragua, Stephen Kinzer, 1991

Widely considered the best-connected journalist in Central America, Kinzer personally met and interviewed people at every level of the Somoza, Sandinistas and contra hierarchies, as well as dissidents, heads of state, and countless ordinary citizens throughout the region. Blood of Brothers is Kinzer's dramatic story of the centuries-old power struggle that burst into the headlines in 1979 with the overthrow of the Somoza dictatorship. It is a vibrant portrait of the Nicaraguan people and their volcanic land, a cultural history rich in poetry and bloodshed, baseball and insurrection. Read More...

Nicaragua: Living in the shadow of the eagle, 5th edition, Thomas W. Walker, 2011

This newly revised volume details Nicaragua’s unique history, culture, economics, politics, and foreign relations. Its historical coverage considers the country’s early and recent history, from pre-Columbian and colonial times through the nationalist liberal era, the U.S. marine occupation, the Somoza dictatorship, the Sandinista regime, the conservative restoration, and the Sandinista comeback. The fifth edition includes a new chapter detailing the reelection of Daniel Ortega and the irony of his current role in undercutting the rule of law and democracy that he helped institute in his earlier administration. This edition also documents what may be the more enduring reality of this Central American country: the historical and ongoing interventions by which the United States—the “eagle” to the north—continues to shape Nicaraguan political, economic, and cultural life. Read More...

The Jaguar Smile, A Nicaraguan Journey, Salman Rushdie, 1987

"The Jaguar Smile," Salman Rushdie's record of his 1986 visit to Nicaragua, is a fascinating work with great value as an intellectual and historical document. The book is divided up into chapters, each of which stands alone as a unified and satisfying essay. The book as a whole paints an ironic portrait of Nicaraguan life during the Sandinista revolution. Read More...