About the Book

It was the worst massacre since the times of the Conquest in the 16th century.
It happened just twenty years ago, but the world, blinded by racism, never knew.
This book recovers that recent history. In words and images,
it narrates the death and resurrection of the indigenous peoples of Guatemala.

With his photographs, Jonathan Moller reminds the present generation of the extreme
wave of brutality that engulfed the people of Guatemala twenty years ago. Because of my Latin-American heritage,
my blood turns to ice when I see these images. They speak of the horrors faced by my fellow Latin Americans
in countries dominated by the externally imposed National Security Doctrine. Moller's photographs should be shown
and debated in all schools and universities to teach tolerance and compassion to
those who will hold power in the future.

In Guatemala, every clandestine cemetery that is found, every bone that is recovered from Mother Earth speaks of the people who were annihilated, of the homes burned, of the indiscriminate massacres. In short, they speak of the crimes against humanity, of the genocide committed by the Army against the indigenous population.

Jonathan Moller’s photographs speak of this. But they also show another face, the face of life, hope, redemption, and demands for change. These images both denounce and give a message of life. They inform while capturing the beauty of a passing moment that is fixed in memory. Each moment captured by Jonathan Moller’s camera passes into eternity, yet also gives encouragement for the future. Each moment sets an example for future generations, so that they may know the past, which is filled with darkness but also contains hope, struggle and optimism. Hope is seen in people’s labor, in children’s faces, and in the construction of a better life for all…

Guatemala is a country of beauty and nightmare, horror and courage. Jonathan Moller captures
its complexity perfectly through his lens and his words. Drawing upon years of personal experience as well as
that of Guatemalans themselves who have been the victims of the nightmare and bearers of the beauty, he
offers us a point of entry into a world many will never have seen before. To enter that world is invariably to be
changed--to be both engulfed by regret and inspired by the promise of a new tomorrow. Moller is an
uncompromising guide and those who follow his lead will be forever in his debt.

Books can ordered through your local bookstore, directly from the publisher (see web link above), or through other web based booksellers. The normal retail price is $45. Amnesty International USA is also selling copies: go to www.amnestyusa.org at the top of the page under “Join” click on “Shop,” then “Books.”

The publisher is offering special bulk discounts for non-profit organizations, churches and community groups. The discounts are as follows: 15 copies at 30% off of the retail price (or $31.50/book); 16-25 at 35%; 26-50 at 40%; 51-100 at 45%; 100 + at 50% (or $22.50/book). For more info or to order bulk copies, please contact Craig Cohen: craig@powerHouseBook.com

The AJR is the plaintiff in two collective criminal cases presented in the Guatemalan national courts in 2000 and 2001 demanding justice for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes committed during the military regimes of Romeo Lucas García and Efraín Ríos Montt in 1981 and 1982. More than 100 massacre survivors from 22 communities are part of the AJR. Their objective is to seek justice through legal cases for family members assassinated during the internal armed conflict, to contribute to the strengthening of the rule of law in Guatemala, and to reveal the truth of Guatemala’s recent past so that violence is never allowed to take place again. The Center for Human Rights Legal Action (CALDH) acts as legal counsel to the AJR. The cases are advancing extremely slowly, and are not expected to actually go to trial before sometime in2005, if not later. For more information go to: www.justiceforgenocide.org