The shining path Love, madness, and revolution in the Andes

In the summer of 1986, a train filled with tourists from all over the world exploded, bringing international attention to a group of brutal fanatics that had been plaguing the Peruvian government and people for several years, namely the Shining Path or Sendero Luminoso. Anthropologist Starn and historian La Serna set this somewhat anachronistic movement in its sad place along the trajectory of worldwide communist uprisings, erupting as it did at a time when most leftist movements were seeking relevancy by letting go of hard-line stances. This vivid, gritty, sometimes gruesome, yet touching narrative history covers the complete spectrum of players and survivors, from humble Andean villagers to the illustrious Nobel laureate, Mario Vargas Llosa. This is an agile and meticulously researched book that contains fascinating revelations about, for example, the strength and resourcefulness the villagers found to navigate delicate, potentially deadly situations in which they were vulnerable to both the senderistas and government soldiers. Starn and La Serna have created a timely reminder of the dangers of inflexible dogma and an important work that belongs in every collection.--Sara Martinez Copyright 2019 Booklist

This captivating work traces the story of the Shining Path, the communist guerrilla insurgency that erupted in Peru in the 1980s. Anthropologist Starn (Ishi's Brain) and historian La Serna (The Corner of the Living) detail how the organization--motivated by "that great Communist longing to redeem humanity from misery and injustice"--ignited a rural rebellion to destroy the capitalist system. With "frightful cruelty and mad illusions of victory," the group unleashed a wave of terror--bombings, sabotage, assassinations, and massacres. The Peruvian military and police reacted with an equally brutal counterinsurgency involving torture, killings, and indiscriminate massacres. The conflict spread to the capital and throughout the country, and the civilian population found itself in the crosshairs. The authors highlight Abimael Guzmán, the polite and charismatic academic turned "Communist warrior--philosopher king" who spearheaded the revolutionary movement and espoused an uncompromising Marxism. The other primary figures include Augusta La Torre, Guzmán's wife, who helped him lead the insurrection and who died during the war; Elena Iparaguirre, another high-level rebel whom Guzmán subsequently fell in love with; and Gustavo Gorriti, a journalist covering the Shining Path. Interviews with Iparaguirre add insight. The authors skillfully weave a noteworthy story of violence and drama. (Apr.)

Drawing on Peruvian government archives, two scholars recount the fortunes of a headline-grabbing Peruvian guerrilla movement.It's never a good idea to join a political party founded by college professors, who think in coldblooded abstractions. Such was certainly the case with Abimael Guzmn, who, in 1980, founded Shining Path, a Maoist-with-deviations gang in which his wife and other women took leadership roles. As Starn (Cultural Anthropology/Duke Univ.; The Passion of Tiger Woods: An Anthropologist Reports on Golf, Race, and Celebrity Scandal, 2011, etc.) and La Serna (History/Univ. of North Carolina; The Corner of the Living: Ayacucho on the Eve of the Shining Path Insurgency, 2012, etc.) show, there wasn't much questioning of the supreme leader, who took the curious path of attacking peasants as well as government troops. For its part, the Peruvian government, which, under Alberto Fujimori, was certainly corrupt enough to merit a revolution, committed atrocities of its own even while preparing for the day of Guzmn's fall by building a maximum security prison intended just for him. Of interest to literary historians is the go-between investigative work of the novelist Mario Vargas Llosa, who emerged from events disgusted enough to quit politics and move to Spain. "The citizenship change, Fujimori taunted, showed that his globe-trotting rival had never been a real Peruvian in the first place," write the authors, though Vargas Llosa had his revenge by winning the Nobel Prize a few years later. Guzmn was eventually caught and imprisoned, ending Shining Path's most active period. The authors do a fair job of recounting events, though often ham-fistedly: The fact that Silence of the Lambs was playing in Lima movie theaters at the time does not qualify Guzmn for the sobriquet "Peru's own Hannibal Lecter," and it's a bit overblown to throw in the gruesome torture of rebel leader Tpac Amaru two centuries earlier as evidence for how comparatively easy the "white doctor andcelebrity prisoner" Guzmn had it.Shining Path was significant enough to warrant a better book at the hands of someone like Mark Bowden. For the moment, however, this adequate one will do. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.