I really enjoyed this read. I like that Burgos-Debray stayed true to Rigoberta’s words and lived experience through her transcription of the tapes, modifying very little. I listened to sections of the audiobook as well; hearing the words aloud was very powerful, and I can only imagine what it was like to sit in the same room as Rigoberta as she shared her story. No wonder they cultivated an important trust and camaraderie in the process. 

There is a ton packed into this novel, but I’m going to hone in on a section I found super interesting—Rigoberta and her mother’s thoughts on machismo (I’m not sure if the word should be italicised, but it was in the book, so I’ll stick with it) and the role of women in Guatemala. She believes, “men [aren’t] to blame for machismo, and women [aren’t] to blame for machismo, but that it was part of the whole society” (216). Later, Rigoberta goes on to say, “it would be feeding machismo to set up an organisation for women only, since it would mean separating women’s work from men’s work. […] What is the point of educating women if men aren’t there to contribute to the apprenticeship and learn as well? […] We must fight as equals” (222). I don’t have a fully fleshed out opinion as to whether there should or shouldn’t be organisations for women only in Guatemala; since I know very little about the country or the culture, it doesn’t seem right to form an opinion from an uninformed background. However, I like what Rigoberta has to say about men and women working together to puzzle through the concept of machismo, and contribute their perspectives on one another’s respective roles. From what I’ve observed in Western culture—especially in recent years as I have a thirteen year old brother whom I’ve watched grow personally and academically from an adult standpoint—I think more care is being put into ensuring young women are learning how to embrace their voices and advocate for themselves, and more dialogue regarding boundaries and consent is entering quotidian life. However, I notice that there is still a separation between young men and women. For instance, my brother’s school still divides boys and girls when it comes to sex education and puberty talks; it’s vital we educate children on the functions of both AFAB and AMAB bodies, otherwise they may grow to fear not only their one but each other’s bodies or feel ashamed to ask questions or explore gender identity and expression when encouraged to think in such binary terms. Perhaps this is not what Rigoberta meant when she said “we must fight as equals”, but I think an important step to working as a unit is eradicating any lingering fears in regard to airing perspectives and asking questions to better understand different viewpoints. 

Rigoberta’s mother stood out to me as an important female figure in the novel. She believe “a woman should learn her womanly occupation” (219), and she, along with many other women, play a large part in the struggle for Indigenous justice and rights. She believes in embracing a woman’s role as a homemaker of sorts, but also of standing alongside men in the fight for Indigenous sovereignty. Her strength is demonstrated especially when “she was capable of seeing her son even as he was dying and doing everything she could to save him” (219). If I can make a comparison, she sort of reminds me of One Hundred Year’s Úrsula in her extreme resilience and stoicism in the face of immense suffering, while continuing to uphold her values as a wife and mother.

What did you think of what Rigoberta and her mother have to say about machismo?