Examining Epitext in the form of reviews can provide us with useful insight into how a narrative is being read. In this post I will be looking at and comparing three different reviews on the life narrative “I, Rigoberta Menchu: An Indian Woman in Guatemala”.
After reading some of the top reviews across popular book vendors and review websites I began to notice some patterns. The first thing that could be noticed across all three of my selected reviews was that they recommend or strongly encouraged others to read the book. As stated by an amazon reviewer by the name of Carolina S. “This is an awesome book. I recommend this book for everybody who wants to know the truth about the suffering of the Indians in Guatemala”. Another unknown amazon reviewer interestingly stated “Despite the recent questioning of Rigoberta’s honesty, I strongly encourage others to read this book”. This statement of praise in spite of the controversy surrounding the author speaks to the quality of the content within the text. It also appears that many of the reviews, despite enjoying the read, are well aware of the suffering and pain that occur within the narrative and that the journey into the text can be an emotional taxing and saddening one. The unknown customer suggests reading it because “it will open your eyes to the harsh side of life”, he or she also says “we are isolated from many human rights abuses, but Rigoberta Menchú’s courage to overcome oppressors will inspire you”. This theme of drawing inspiration from the hardships faced by Menchu is also common. Mary from goodreads states “Her and her family’s passion for fighting the injustices the indigenous people suffer was admirable”. However one reviewer does express his or her criticism with the book, “My criticism for this book – that Rigoberta’s transcribed interviews do not read smoothly – is a minor one, especially when reading her actual spoken words can be so emotionally moving.”(Unknown Customer – Amazon).
It is also interesting to note that the reviews provide brief summaries of the text after stating their initial reaction. All of the summaries however share the common theme of Menchu’s fight against the oppression of her people and her struggle to survive. This provides potential readers with a fairly clear understanding of the serious nature of the narrative. It is also to be noted that these reviews rated the narrative with at least four out of five stars and were ranked among the highest on their respective pages. This is important because it shows that the attitudes of the authors towards the text were supported and shared among a broader range of reviewers. Overall it could be said that according to the reviews of “I, Rigoberta Menchu: An Indian Woman in Guatemala” the book was well received and commended for its harrowing recounting of what took place in Guatemala through the eyes of Rigoberta Menchu .
Citations
Menchu, Rigoberto. “I, Rigoberto Menchu.” Goodreads. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Oct. 2016.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18275957-i-rigoberto-menchu?from_search=true
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https://www.amazon.ca/Rigoberta-Menchu-Indian-Woman-Guatemala/dp/1844674185/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1475812474&sr=8-1&keywords=menchu
No MLA Citation available, Authors name Carolina S. posted on may 4th, 2004
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https://www.amazon.ca/Rigoberta-Menchu-Indian-Woman-Guatemala/dp/1844674185/ref=sr_1_12?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1475815488&sr=1-12&keywords=i+rigoberta+menchu
No MLA Citation available, Authors name unknown posted on Aug. 14th, 2003
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