Dirk Kruijt has crafted this beautiful book out of two decades of concern and deep engagements with Central Americans. With his clear head and unflinching gaze he brings alive both the vicious encounters between governments and revolutionaries that so profoundly affected the lives of Nicaraguans, Guatemalans, and Salvadorans, and the years of aftermath. If I were to choose a first book for some deep learning about the revolutionary guerrilla wars of Central America, this book would be it.

Timothy P. Wickham-Crowley, Georgetown University

Uniquely illuminates a 'guerilla generation....radicalized to the point where armed struggle becomes an inescapable duty. Lucid, well-informed and admirably presented.. this is an excellent book

CHOICE

A remarkable portrait of a bloody era...exceptionally valuable

Gavin O'Toole, Latin American Review of Books

Lucidly written, exceptionally well-informed and admirably honest, this study provides a remarkable portrait of a generation radicalized to the point at which armed struggle was an inevitable duty. Through his interviews with comandantes and regular fighters, Dirk Kruijt has built a vividly illustrated work of contemporary history.'

James Dunkerley, University of London

This book helps bring the reader inside the movements and their inspiration in a way that gives a rich insight into the mentalities and motivations that lay behind the resort to arms. As such, it is a major contribution to assessing the legacies of the period and reminds us of the unfinished business that is still pending twenty years later

Peadar Kirby, University of Limerick

Impeccably researched.

Tribune