Description
Book SynopsisOn March 24, 1980, the assassination of El Salvador's Archbishop Oscar Romero rocked that nation and the world. This is the story of an international team of lawyers, and experts who fought to bring justice for the slain hero.
Trade Review"Our Favorite Books of 2016: Part detective story, part historical reminiscence, it shows the reader how hard it is to prosecute such cases, and why so many human rights violators go unpunished." The Progressive "Fast paced, informative and dramatic... Imagine a report from Amnesty International written by Graham Greene and John LeCarre in tandem and you will have a sense of Eisenbrandt's exciting and well-written achievement." Vancouver Sun "An intriguing story filled with tragic 'if-only's' and powerful -examples of courage." Library Journal "A tale told well that provides valuable insights into the motives and modus operandi of the death squads in El Salvador, and of the financiers who commissioned and facilitated such crimes. It also highlights the difficulties that face those who pursue such cases many years after the crimes have taken place." New York Review of Books "Assassination begins like a crime thriller, complete with a criminal manhunt, before transitioning into a courtroom drama. Ultimately, however, the book's lasting value is as a work of history." America "Eisenbrandt's book is rich in depth and form ... This book is specially relevant today." FactUm "For persons familiar with El Salvador's painful modern-day history, Matt Eisenbrandt's Assassination of a Saint: The Plot to Murder Oscar Romero and the Quest to Bring His Killers to Justice connects dots, fills in holes and provides a frontline account of the battle to bring accountability to those who plotted and carried out Blessed Archbishop Oscar Romero's murder. For those who know the martyr mostly by name and reputation, the 250 pages are a primer on the man and his ministry, as well as a remarkable synthesis of the passions, politics and players at work in El Salvador's brutal last half century." National Catholic Reporter "It has taken Matt Eisenbrandt a decade to write this beautifully crafted volume, but it was well worth waiting for." The Catholic Herald "Eisenbrandt is the first to craft a detailed narrative of the plan to murder Romero and ensuing efforts to bring the perpetrators to justice." TeleSur
Table of ContentsPreface
Introduction
Photos
Key Figures
Maps
1 • “Informational Goulash”: Prior Investigations of the Romero Assassination
2 • “In Violation of the Law of Nations”: The Romero Assassination Comes to the United States
3 • “The Enemy Comes from Our People”: Coffee, Anti-Communism, and the Death Squads
4 • “The Door of History”: Archbishop Romero and the Catholic Church in El Salvador
5 • “A Bed to Drop Dead In”: The Search for Álvaro Saravia and the Death Squad Financiers
6 • “ARENA’s Achilles’ Heel”: Our First Trip to El Salvador
7 • Baby Robbers, Mad Bombers, and Other Assorted Criminals: Saravia’s Escape to Miami Brings U.S. Foreign Policy Full Circle
8 • “You’re Making a Lot of Noise”: Looking for Evidence on the Death Squad Financiers
9 • “You Know Better Than to Ask That”: The Search for the Getaway Driver
10 • “A Rabid Anti-Communist”: Meeting Witnesses from the ARENA Party
11 • “We Don’t Have a Clue What the Hell Is Going On”: The Continuing Hunt for Saravia and Insider Witnesses
12 • “God Forgive Me for What I’m Going to Do”: An Insider Goes on the Record
13 • “There Must Have Been a Thousand Romeros”: Final Interviews and Trial Preparation
14 • “Of a Magnitude That Is Hardly Describable”: The Romero Assassination Case Goes to Trial
15 • “The Fleas Always Stick to the Skinniest Dog”: The Verdict’s Impact on Saravia
Epilogue
Afterword, by Benjamín Cuéllar
Acknowledgments
Notes
Selected Bibliography
Index
