(Forward)  Why did Elvia Alvarado take the risk of speaking out and telling her story to Medea Benjamin?

(Introduction)  Why was Honduras spared the armed revolts that had devastated its neighbors Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala?

 How (and why) did the U.S. destabilize Honduras?

 Chapter I: Childhood to Motherhood

1. What was Elvia’s childhood like? Why don’t her parents get along?  What does she remember about her father? 
2. How does her ignorance about her own sexuality affect her life?
3. When a Honduran man fathers a baby, what is his obligation? What effect does this have on Elvia’s life as a young mother with three children?
4. Describe her relationship with Alberto, the man she lived with for 18 years.

Chapter 2: The Church Opened Our Eyes

1. What was Elvia’s experience with the Church sponsored women’s clubs?  What issues and problems did the Church encourage the women to deal with? 
2. What does Elvia come to believe is the biggest obstacle to combating poverty? 
3. How does the Church react when the women become politically active?

Chapter 3: The Real Honduras Is Hidden

1. Explain the poverty of  the campesinas.  What is their housing like? Their food? Clothing? Health care? (What are the causes of basic health problems?) Transportation?
2. What does Elvia think about the inequalities between rich and poor?

Chapter 4: Jesus Was an Organizer

1. What is Elvia’s relationship with organized religion? Does she believe in God?  What does she believe in? Explain her identification with Jesus.
2. What does she say about the priests?

Chapter 5: Marriage Campesino Style

1. How do young people “get hitched” among the campesinos?
2. What happened to Elvia’s daughter, Celia? How does Elvia react? Why? (What do you think about her reaction?)
3. Why do so few campesinos get married in the church? Why doesn’t Elvia marry Alberto?
4. Is there a double standard in Honduras? (Do men have different moral standards than women?) Does that seem fair to you?
5. Why is Elvia suspicious of birth control?

Chapter 6: Taming Macho Ways

1. Why does Elvia think that women work harder than men?
2. What is her view of the ideal marriage?  
3. What are some of the problems associated with “machismo”?  What does Elvia think is the cause of the problems? 
4. Why does she blame the government and what does she see as the cure?

Chapter 7: I Learned to Judge For Myself)

1. What is the attitude of most campesinos toward education?  Why don’t they educate their children?
2. What does Elvia criticize about education? 
3. How has she educated herself?  What has she learned about the best ways to acquire knowledge and the reliability of information?  What is her advice for finding the truth?

Chapter 8: Our Struggle to Recover the Land

1. The first Agrarian Reform was passed in the 60’s and in 1975, an Agrarian Reform Law was passed that stated that if private or public land did  not fulfill a social function, the campesinos could have it.  The National Agrarian Institute was supposed to uphold the law.  Did it work to give the campesinos land—why or why not? (See Appendix 4: Major Campesino Organizations)
2. Explain how a land recovery works.  Is the process dangerous?  Does it succeed? What other tactics are used by the campesinos?
3. What is the leader’s role in the land recovery process?   

Chapter 9: Organizing Brings Change

1. Why is it important to organize?  How have the campesinos organized?
2. What is the danger of accepting government help?
3. Why is it harder to organize women than men? 
4. What has Elvia’s  life as an organizer been like? Why does she do it?

Chapter 10: We Don’t Want to Beg

1. Why does Elvia say that foreign aid is not the answer in helping Honduras? 
2. What is the answer?

Chapter 11: Gringos and Contras on Our Land

1. How has the U.S. presence in Honduras and the support given to the Contras affected Honduras?  (See Appendix 5 and 6 161-165)
2. What is Elvia’s message to President Reagan about U.S. foreign policy?

Chapter 12: What’s Democracy?  What’s Communism?

1. What is democracy to Elvia?  (To you?) How does she see her country falling short of the ideal? 
2. How would you answer her question  “If the United States is a great democracy, why are there poor people?” 
3. How would you reply to her question “What is a communist?”  Is she more afraid of the U.S. or communism?

Chapter 13: Facing Repression and Prison

1. Describe Elvia’s prison experiences?
2. How have the campesinos used knowledge of laws to help themselves?  

Chapter 14: Turn Your Tears Into Strength

1. What is the link between U.S. policy and the fate of Central America?
2. What does Elvia encourage the people in the U.S. do?

Dorothy Altman
Maria Makowiecka
April Adams
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[Composition and Literature] [English Department]