A History of Violence

Martínez dives into the underworld of his subjects, navigating barrios that police won't enter, spending days and nights with gang members. His methods resemble war reporting and his prose is cinematic ... The collection's strength lies in his ability to write the hell out of his material. Like Katherine Boo's Behind the Beautiful Forevers and Adrian Nicole LeBlanc's Random Family , it skimps on statistics and analysis, instead relying on description alone to create a world that captures the reader and doesn't let her go. One of the stories, 'El Niño Hollywood's Death Foretold,' evokes Gabriel García Márquez's Chronicle of a Death Foretold . Like the beloved Colombian writer, Martínez pens scenes that are suspenseful, moving, and vivid. - New Republic Martínez is a gifted storyteller with an astute, observant eye and a voice that beckons to be followed ... A History of Violence is a necessary read, especially for US government officials crafting immigration policy against migrants and refugees from the region. It sheds light on why so many are braving the treacherous trek through Mexico to reach the United States. - Los Angeles Review of Books Martínez's credentials for writing about this ignored human tide are impeccable: his first book, The Beast , drew on eight trips clinging to the roof of the infamous migrants' train through Mexico, chronicling their desperation in grippingly graphic detail. His new book, A History of Violence , takes a step back to explore what the migrants heading to the US are running away from ... the unflinching cameos it paints offer a chilling portrait of corruption, unimaginable brutality and impunity. - Financial Times If you take just one book to Central America on holiday, don't pick this one. Oscar Martinez has written a punishing account of the lives of the poor in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. Melding acuity and anger, he unveils the scary realities of organised crime ... Mr Martinez deserves credit for bringing it so effectively to life. - Economist As the current wave of US Immigration and Customs raids authorised by President Obama deports Latino migrants, and Donald Trump boosts his election campaign with promises to build a wall along the US-Mexican border, Martínez endeavours to explain why, for many Central Americans of the northern triangle, returning home is a death sentence. - Independent Ripped from the headlines, these are powerful stories of Central America's chaotic and bloody present, sure to raise awareness among a broad audience of North Americans, whom Martínez refuses to let off the hook. 'The solution?' he asks. 'It's up to you.' - Library Journal In Spanish, the tradition of the crónica is in-depth testimonial reportage blended with personal essay, and Martínez is a worthy inheritor. Martínez's work conveys an intimate knowledge of the social and criminal ecosystem-both macro-level context and telling minutiae. But because he isn't afraid to follow dangerous paths, the result are jewels with moments of intense emotion presented against a historical background that contemplates military, social, economic, religious, psychosclogical and all sorts of other factors ... I am in awe of Martínez's commanding style. -Ilan Stavans, In These Times El Salvador's best chronicler of this profound crisis is Óscar Martínez, a journalist based in San Salvador. Martínez has dedicated his career to documenting how the matrix of poverty, instability, and narcotrafficking has transformed the lives and prospects of Central Americans. As a writer, he's a committed, old-school social realist, and traveled with migrants on their deadly northward route for his previous book about Central American migration, The Beast . His methods in A History of Violence are equally painstaking. -Caille Millner, New Inquiry Agonizing stories ... [Martínez] urges readers to understand what Central Americans are going through and