A Massacre in Mexico, Anabel Hernandez
A Massacre in Mexico, Anabel Hernandez
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A Massacre in Mexico
The True Story Behind the Missing 43 Students

Author: Anabel Hernandez

Narrator: Rebecca Gibel

Unabridged: 12 hr 15 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 10/16/2018


Synopsis

The definitive account of the mass disappearance of forty-three Mexican students and the government that tried to cover it up

On September 26, 2014, forty-three male students from the Ayotzinapa Rural Teachers' College went missing in Iguala, Guerrero, Mexico. According to official reports, the students commandeered several buses to travel to Mexico City to commemorate the anniversary of the 1968 Tlatelolco Massacre. During the journey, local police intercepted the students and a confrontation ensued. By the morning, they had disappeared without a trace.

Hernández reconstructs almost minute-by-minute the events of those nights in late September 2014, giving us what is surely the most complete picture available: her sources are unparalleled, since she has secured access to internal government documents that have not been made public, and to video surveillance footage the government has tried to hide and destroy. Hernández demolishes the Mexican state's official version, which the Peña Nieto government cynically dubbed the "historic truth." State officials at all levels, from police and prosecutors to the upper echelons of the PRI administration, conspired to put together a fake case, concealing or manipulating evidence, and arresting and torturing dozens of "suspects" who then obliged with full "confessions" that matched the official lie.

In the wake of the students' disappearances, protestors in Mexico took up the slogan "Fue el estado"—"It was the state." Hernández's book is the one that gives most precision and credibility to the claim: by following the role of the various Mexican state agencies through the events in such remarkable detail, she allows us to see exactly which parts of the state are responsible for which component of this monumental crime.

About Anabel Hernandez

Anabel Hernandez is one of Mexico's leading investigative journalists. She has worked on national dailies, including Reforma, Milenio, and El Universal and its investigative supplement La Revista. Her previous books include the award-winning Narcoland, La familia presidencial, Fin de fiesta en los pinos, and Los complices del presidente.

In awarding Hernandez the 2012 Golden Pen of Freedom, the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers noted, "Mexico has become one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists, with violence and impunity remaining major challenges in terms of press freedom. In making this award, we recognize the strong stance Ms. Hernandez has taken, at great personal risk, against drug cartels."


Reviews

Goodreads review by Mya Matteo on July 01, 2018

A factual, thorough exploration of a situation I didn't even know existed. Engaging, passionate, though sometimes reads like a police report. Hopefully with a changing government, Mexico can move to a better political climate, one free of government-sanctioned violence and corruption.......more

Goodreads review by Norma on December 20, 2018

Un libro que todos los mexicanos deberíamos leer. Es una historia de terror, de impunidad, una historia que a cualquier mexicano nos puede pasar. Cada página aumenta la impotencia y la desesperación por saber la verdad. Crece mi admiración por los periodistas que arriesgan todo por contar la verdad.......more

Goodreads review by Paola on June 28, 2017

Si tuviera que definir a México de acuerdo a su sistema de justicia y gobierno, su nivel de honestidad y respeto a los derechos humanos, simplemente diría que es la podredumbre de la podredumbre. Sí es triste, y sí, también duele, pero es la realidad. Un caso que sigue sin resolverse, y que parece im......more

Goodreads review by TheBookWarren on February 28, 2020

How this is not a 50x higher circulated piece of literature I simply do NOT understand! For anyone that’s read American Dirt, this is the real life equivalent for what type Of journalism in Mexico can lead to such tragic and dramatic story-telling. Bravo......more

Goodreads review by Rose on October 07, 2020

I will preface this review by saying that I do not think this book is for everyone. In truth, I don’t know if it’s for most readers. This book while incredibly well researched and descriptive is also very, very, dry. If you are the sort of person who has a penchant for books featuring long lists of......more