Tunnel to Canto Grande: The Story of the Most Daring Prison Escape in Latin American History

by Claribel Alegría, Darwin J. Flakoll (Translator)

Tunnel to Canto Grande  tells the dramatic story of how the Peruvian Tupac Amuru Revolutionary Movement (MRTA) tunneled into an "escape-proof" penitentiary, Canto Grande, to free forty-eight political prisoners on July 9, 1990. The prisoners escaped through the tunnel without a single casualty and eluded the authorities. Because of their world-wide reputation as writers of testimony, the authors, Alegría and Flakoll, were invited by MRTA leaders to write the exclusive story of the escape. At no small risk to their own safety, they spent a week in the most hunted for safe house in Lima, Peru, interviewing the participants in the project and the escapees. The resulting narrative is filled with suspense, drama, and humor. 

193 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

Clara Isabel Alegría Vides was a Nicaraguan poet, essayist, novelist, and journalist who is a major voice in the literature of contemporary Central America. She writes under the pseudonym Claribel Alegría. She was awarded the 2006 Neustadt International Prize for Literature.

(from Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Old Man JP · Rating 4 out of 5]

An exceptional story of an amazing escape from an escape proof prison. This is the true story of how a tunnel was dug by the MRTA, a Peruvian revolutionary group, to free forty eight of their comrades from the Canto Grand prison. It's quite an amazing story full of intrigue and suspense that took months to accomplish and all the time on the verge of being discovered.

[Louis · Rating 4 out of 5]

“A structural violence exists that denies the Peruvian people the right to a job, the right to a roof over their heads, the right to health care, the right to an education, and even the very right to eat. This social violence is reflected in the fact that more than 100 of every 1,000 children born die shortly after birth. Add to that 5,000 children between the ages of one and five who die each year of malnutrition or curable diseases. Over the past ten years some 50,000 children have died this way. You can see that this ingrown social violence, only taking into account the situation of children under five, has caused two and a half times more deaths than the political violence over the same period.”

[Ian Cressman]

It could have been so much better... Such a cool story and good research, but I just felt like the narrative style and actual writing were kind of bland.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such an engaging book that I read almost half of it in one go without realizing how far I had read! (It only took me two more nights to finish the whole thing.) It's crazy how something where you know the ending - they escape - can still be so intriguing as to make you want to keep reading. I suppose part of it is just how amazing it is that tunneling into a high security prison to help almost fifty people escape at once actually worked! Based on interviews with those who actually participated in the escape and in making it possible, the book is a great meld of context, explanation, and personal testimony that comes together seamlessly. Although I still feel as though there is a LOT more I could learn about politics in Peru, enough was included within the text to help me understand what was happening and why before, during, and after the tunneling effort. That combined with learning more about the individuals who participated and how it impacted their daily life, really made for a fabulous read.

#womenwritersoftheworld -> Mestizo-America selection (Nicaragua, El Salvador)

[Martín Q. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting and detailed account of the 1990 Peruvian Túpac Amaru Revolutionary Movement's (MRTA) successful prison escape strategy from the "escape proof" Canto Grande penitentiary. The story was engaging but focused almost exclusively on the logistics of the creation of the tunnel and the planning of the escape. The politics behind the imprisonment of the political prisoners could have been highlighted more, but overall, a good book. It shows the ingenuity, dedication, and commitment of the planners to ensure this plan worked.