Mothers of the Disappeared

by Jo Fisher

Puts the struggle of the Mothers of the Disappeared in the context of modern Argentine history and compares their experience with the restitance of other Latin American women.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

168 pages, Paperback

Published July 1, 1999

Reviews

[Lily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed how much this book highlights the words of the mothers, from lengthy testimonials about their lives prior to the disappearances of their children to their opinions on the government. Oral history is an incredibly necessary and valuable pursuit, especially for figures as notable as the mothers of the Plaza de Mayo. Fisher's background is also helpful at many points in describing how the Dirty War came to be — the economic factors that led to dissatisfaction, Argentinian coups beforehand, and the general culture surrounding them as well as describing how the coup ended. Fisher also includes a number of sources that aren't the Mothers, including quotes from military generals and higher ups. But I wish she'd kept her focus more narrowed — there's a lot of attention given to the Grandmothers of the Disappeared who are an entirely separate group (deserving of their own book), and a lot of really interesting things about the Mothers that Fisher doesn't give enough attention to. But for a history written in the moment, this is a really great resource! Fisher organizes the book really well as well, with distinct sections and chronology.

[Kaitlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved learning about this history. Mothers are so strong. It took me a while and was dense but worth it!