A much-needed look at the contras, seen from within by Dillon, anchor of the Miami Herald's Pulitzer-winning Iran-contra team. Dillon covers the years 1983-91, centering his report on the experience of Luis Fley, a young Nicaraguan combat officer of distinction (``as close to the freedom fighter of American government rhetoric as you could find'') who took ``a U.S. financed rearguard post that put him in charge of investigating crimes committed by contra fighters.'' Following up on a torture-death, Fley learns of an ambiguous figure named Isaac Blake, meets with contra leader Enrique Bermudez, discovers the extent of the abuse, foils a cover-up, and puts the ``CIA-backed contra intelligence chief [Blake] before a tribunal of young commanders on charges of torture and murder.'' Working from a variety of sources including ex-CIA men, Dillon lays out the scale of American operations in Nicaragua (and Honduras and El Salvador) as they ``utterly transformed every aspect of the rebel force, creating an army that rivalled the armed forces of Honduras in size...with sophisticated weaponry no...armies in South America possessed.'' Supplies are ferried in first by jeep, then by rented Hueys and other airlifts; roads for 18-wheelers are built and truck-fleets are rented, an airport is acquired. But it is no longer an indigenous revolt; Bermudez and all the rebel leaders, dependent on the CIA, lose credibility because ``behind every contra there's an American...'' At the end, Fley returns home to a life of near-poverty, only to see old contra commanders cutting deals and moving into the new Chamorro regime. A fascinating tale—laced with corruption and brutality and full of sharp, revealing facts—that's heavy on the dialogue but very readable.
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1991
ISBN: 0-8050-1475-6
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1991
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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