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The Country Under My Skin
An electrifying memoir from the acclaimed Nicaraguan writer (“A wonderfully free and original talent”—Harold Pinter) and central figure in the Sandinista Revolution.
Until her early twenties, Gioconda Belli inhabited an upper-class cocoon: sheltered from the poverty in Managua in a world of country clubs and debutante balls; educated abroad; early marriage and motherhood. ...more
Until her early twenties, Gioconda Belli inhabited an upper-class cocoon: sheltered from the poverty in Managua in a world of country clubs and debutante balls; educated abroad; early marriage and motherhood. ...more
Published
(first published 2000)
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This book empowered me to forward thinking. This is great feminist, political and historical literature. Gioconda Belli writes in such a way that the reader feels that their traveling down memory road alongside the author. A great book and difficult to put down, The Country Under My skin is a very worthwhile book to read. Viva la Revolucion!!! Hasta la Muerte!
An amazing memoir by a totally fearless Nicaraguan woman who was/is a revolutionary, guerrilla fighter, poet, novelist, lover, and mother of four...An extraordinary human being. Beautifully told, I read it in the original Spanish, it's available in English as "The Country Under My Skin: A Memoir of Love and War" by Gioconda Belli and Kristina Cordero. I'd be curious to see how the translation into English turned out.
I had read her novel Mujer habitada/Inhabited Woman many ...more
I had read her novel Mujer habitada/Inhabited Woman many ...more
An easy to read account of life in Nicaragua just before, during and after the Sandanista revolution in 1979.
Gioconda relates her story as only someone both on the inside of a political upheaval and an artist can. That makes it an interesting story revealing both her romance with the revolution and her disillusionment. It is not a historical text and is limited to the perspective of just one person, but at the same time, much more entertaining and personal because of the real life co...more
Gioconda relates her story as only someone both on the inside of a political upheaval and an artist can. That makes it an interesting story revealing both her romance with the revolution and her disillusionment. It is not a historical text and is limited to the perspective of just one person, but at the same time, much more entertaining and personal because of the real life co...more
Harry Rutherford
rated it
The Country Under My Skin is a memoir of the Nicaraguan revolution. Belli grew up in a wealthy family but joined the Sandinistas, working secretly for the resistance until she had to flee the country and live in exile until the Sandinistas took power and she could return to Nicaragua. It’s not just a political memoir, though; it is also the story of her marriages and love affairs.
She is clearly a remarkable woman — an award-winning poet, incidentally, as well as everything else — and...more
She is clearly a remarkable woman — an award-winning poet, incidentally, as well as everything else — and...more
I read Belli's book of fiction The Inhabited Woman in Spanish a few years ago and loved it. Reading this autobiography made me realize the many parallels between her real life and the fiction she wrote. An upperclass Nicaraguan woman who was part of the Sandinista struggle and ended up in exile, Belli is also a much lauded poet. I have read quite a bit about the different revolutionary movements in Latin America in the 70's and 80's and this book had the same effect on me as the others I've read...more
Gioconda is a writer of great talents and a compelling story -- she was intimately connected with the Sandinista revolution from the beginning of the 1970s. However....
I get the feeling this wasn't the best way for me to discover her. What started out as a surprised "she knew EVERYBODY!" became, after so many chapters, a near parody of a revolutionary memoir. Gioconda Belli knew everybody, apparently every male she encountered (including presidents and generals) found her i...more
I get the feeling this wasn't the best way for me to discover her. What started out as a surprised "she knew EVERYBODY!" became, after so many chapters, a near parody of a revolutionary memoir. Gioconda Belli knew everybody, apparently every male she encountered (including presidents and generals) found her i...more
This is Gioconda Belli's autobiography- so I guess she gets to tell the story she wants. Belli was born to the Nicaraguan elite. In her early 20s, she defies her families expectations and secretly joins the nascent Sandinista movement to oust the US-backed Somosa regime. Over time, as the Sandinista movement grows, she rises to the top of its ranks all the while becoming one of Latin America's most celebrate poets. Her rise to the top, and her fight to stay there, is impressive and fascinati...more
I really enjoyed this book. I initially picked it up to learn more about the Sandinista revolution but was really drawn in with the author's ability to politicize aspects of her personal experience within that struggle. She details experiences of struggling to have her voice heard amongst a male dominated movement. One of the limitations of this book, as a memoir of a revolutionary period, is an analysis of what the Sandinista movement was about. We never really get a sense of the politics behin...more
I wanted to read this book prior to moving to Central America just to learn more about the new place that was to be my home. It provided me with a deep understanding of how a woman may relate to the people there. Aside from that though, Giaconda's story took me on a journey of the emotions, heart and spirit that I did not expect. I felt I was in a moving poem the entire time I read it; a surreal veiled world and now I was one of the one's chosen to see the subtle veils lifted. What an intimate p...more
i first saw this book (the english translation - the country under my skin) while working at a bookstore. the cover both intrigued and repelled me. a machine gun, a crucifix on a necklace, highheels and cartoon palm trees on a t-shirt. ultimately, i think it was the high heels that kept me a way. a couple years later, upon meeting my brother-in-law to-be, he presented me with a book by his aunt. a book about his nicaraguan roots. the book? el pais bajo mi piel. belli is passionate, daring to do ...more
A memoir of a Sandinista revolutionary and feminist who is a novelist/poet whose works in Spanish and English translation, I enjoy much for their depth of feeling. I learned less about her development as a poet than I did about Nicaragua and the Sandinista struggle from the inside, which DID inform me of the context of her poems so much more clearly. The book is engaging and forthright and even in translation, I believe with thanks to Kristina Cordero, she feels very present and real in her inte...more
This is the first full book that I've read in Spanish! It was slow at first because I felt this weird pressure to look up every single word I didn't know, and since Belli is a poet there were a lot. As my Spanish got better I started being able to read more fluidly and I felt more confident about picking up stuff from context, rather than constantly combing the dictionary. (Don't worry, it's available in English translation too.)
El Pais Bajo Mi Piel (The Country Under My Skin) is ...more
El Pais Bajo Mi Piel (The Country Under My Skin) is ...more
Ivy's Mom
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Anyone interested in Central American history
Shelves:
life_stories
I'm on the fence wether I liked this one or not. One the one hand the inside story of the Sandanistas was interesting but on the other hand she spent more time on childbirth than on her reasons for joining the Sandanistas. I never got a real sense of why she did what she did. The only people in the story that I developed any sympathy for were her husbands and children whom she neglected.
I finished the book with many more questions than answers...why did the Sandanistas revere a ...more
I finished the book with many more questions than answers...why did the Sandanistas revere a ...more
I read this book before reading Blood of Brothers and it was an excellent book to start out with. Gioconda's telling of life during the Nicaraguan revolution was exciting. The Sandanistas were disciplined and wanted a shot at ruling their country without dictators or US intervention. Her story is told during those years with death and heartache all around. She puntuates her personal anecdoes with stories of another fallen comrade or the difficulties of balancing her work and dangerous romanc...more
I liked Gioconda Belli's frankness about what she thought worked and didn't work for the Nicaraguan revolution. It also offered a feminist perspective that I hadn't heard before about the Sandinistas that at times they really weren't all the inclusive/egalitarian. She also put into perspective a bit of the current political climate, particularly the development of the MRS and their initial reform projects. Would love to read more by her!
This book was interesting, though I got frustrated at her long-winded passages at time. This is the story of one woman’s dedication to the struggle for her people in Nicaragua and her life as a revolutionary – but also, her love life. One thing she did not do was convince me of WHY she was so devoted to this movement. I did not understand her motivations, though I did find her story interesting.
I read this before going to Nicaragua over the summer and I loved it. The history of the Sandanistas is so intriguing to me, especially because it's so recent. Standing in Managua and reflecting on the stories relayed by Gioconda Belli was pretty moving since the things she describes often have not changed. Her personal narrative is enlightening, compelling, and well-written.
Since I don't know much about Nicaraguan history, I was glad to have the perspective of someone who not only lived through and participated in the Sandinista revolution, but who explained them in a way I could relate to. In some ways, I wish I had read it before going to Nicaragua (to better understand the history and political situation more thoroughly) but in other ways I'm glad I didn't read it before I went there (so during the book I would think, "I know where that is!").
Beautifully and passionately written. A fascinating look into the life of a renowned Nicaraguan poet and Sandinista rebel. I found myself annoyed by the protagonist, however, as she seemed so committed to following her own passions that she often forgot that her actions also affect the people around her.
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I highly recommend this memoir. Gioconda Belli gives emotional and dramatic insight into the Nicaraguan Revolution. There is nothing like learning history through personal accounts filled with the juicy details of narrow escapes and love affairs - and then traveling around places where it happened.
It was difficult to get through the book. Although I understand it is a memoir, it left me wanting more depth. I feel like her reasons for being part of the revolution were nothing more but selfish and stemed from the bored life of an upper-class woman who was disatisfied with her personal life.
La vida de esta escritora Nicaraguense es increiblemente interesante. Nacida en cuna burguesa y fue líder revolucionaria del frente sandinista en la lucha por la liberación del pueblo nicaraguense de la dictadura.
Kymberlie
rated it
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review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Kymberlie by:
Lisa Skalla
Shelves:
bad-ass-women
This is an amazing autobiography of the life of a revolutionary Sandanista woman who was also a mother, a daughter, a wife, etc. So beautiful, and touching, and tragic, and joyful, all at the same time.
This book simply changed my life. The authors´lifestory showd me how we can change through time but the esence is always the same. It also gave me a chance to believe in other ways of imagine revolution.
Un muy buen libro. Combina la vida personal y emocionante de la escritora con pincelazos históricos sobre la revolución sandinista. Guerra, amor, machismo... todo desde una perspectiva real.
I appreciate Gioconda Belli's writing style, use of descriptive words, and sentence fluency. You can tell she's a poet. She makes the scenes come alive--whether personal or historical.
This book is an excellent way to learn about the history of Nicaragua's Sandinista revolution in the 1970s, but it is also a wonderful story of a how a woman learns to balance her dreams and ambitions with her desire to have love, children, and a fulfilling personal life. Giaconda Belli is inspiring because she went out and fought for what was right, defying social standards and standing up for what she believed in, yet she is a woman like the rest of us.
It is an educational book bu...more
It is an educational book bu...more
I wanted to read this book to learn more about Nicaragua and the Sandinistas. It's engaging, but is more about the author justifying her many affairs than the revolution.
A first hand account of the Sandinista Revolution of Nicaragua by Gioconda Belli. Belli was a woman from a wealthy background who joined the Sandinista movement.
"He thought I was acting like a bourgeois, finicky woman. He managed to make me feel guilty; spoiled. He insisted that the doctors were good, they were doing the right thing. The other women accepted it, why couldn't I do the same? I resented the way he dismissed my claims, my desire for more humane medical treatment. I didn't just want it for myself. I wanted it for all women, I said. Sergio's attitude was typical of the left. He believed that true revolutionaries should endure the same in...more
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“Dare to change the world
There is nothing quixotic or romantic in wanting to change the world. It is possible. It is the age-old vocation of all humanity. I can't think of a better life than one dedicated to passion, to dreams, to the stubborness that defies chaos and disillusionment.”
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There is nothing quixotic or romantic in wanting to change the world. It is possible. It is the age-old vocation of all humanity. I can't think of a better life than one dedicated to passion, to dreams, to the stubborness that defies chaos and disillusionment.”
