The Little School: Tales of Disappearance and Survival in Argentina by Alicia Partnoy Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Little School: Tales of Disappearance and Survival in Argentina
Book Review: Stunning and heart-breaking
Summary: 5 Stars
"The Little School: Tales of Disappearance and Survival" is a collection of twenty short vignettes that depict Alicia Partnoy's three months in concentration camp. Most are just a few pages long, but in these few pages lie an incredible wealth of determination and perseverance. These are very sensory experiences. Since she remained blindfolded for most of her incarceration at The Little School, Ms. Partnoy's could only catch brief glimpses of her surroundings through a gap in her blindfold. She relies on sound, scent, and touch for much of her information, and it all combines to give the reader an image of such clarity that it is almost frightening.
I wonder if Ms. Partnoy found writing these stories cathartic. She describes her friends and co-prisoners and jailers in a very matter-of-fact tone in these stories, almost as if she were imparting information rather than telling a story. This appears to mask deep suffering and the anguish of losing loved ones, which suggests that she doesn't want to dwell on them too in depth for fear of reopening wounds. Each small story packs an emotional punch as it takes a small facet of life in the camp and expands on it. The narrative shows strength of spirit, love of her fellow prisoners, and an agile mind.
Overall, I found this collection to be compelling and highly affecting. Smug American that I am, I began this book unaware of the full extent of the political repression in Argentina at that time. Ms. Partnoy's glimpses into life in the concentration camp brought much of it to vivid life for me. It broke my heart over and over as she describes the torture, the beatings, the starvation, the filth, and sheer inhumanity of the conditions that she and her fellow prisoners existed in.
I finished this book stunned and saddened, feeling a deep sense of respect for the writer and her experiences. It will be a very long time before I forget these stories, if I ever do. They are a testament to those who have suffered for human rights and a reminder to us all to value the freedom we were born with.
Book Review: A poignant reminder not to take freedom for granted
Summary: 5 Stars
Argentina has often been a hotbed for political activism. Even those unfamiliar with foreign governments know of Juan Perón and his wife Eva, immortalized in Andrew Lloyd Webber's catchy musical, Evita. For many of us, the concept of a military coup is unfathomable -- such actions are relegated to footnotes in history books, dates learned in school and forgotten once we're tested on them. The fear that someone could barge into our homes and take us prisoner against our wills is unfamiliar to Americans. We say what we want, when we want, in ways that loudly broadcast our own beliefs, mostly without fear of reprimand or repercussion.
Alicia Partnoy's book, The Little School, is an eye-opener, to say the least. Within the pages of this slim volume lies a fictionalized account of her own imprisonment at the hands of the military that overtook her government. What makes her stories more profound is the knowledge that this didn't happen a lifetime ago but in the late 1970's, when most Americans were reveling in newfound freedoms of expression. While teenagers in the United States were expressing their views on warfare, feminism, and sexuality, their peers in Argentina were being silenced for daring to speak out against the government.
By 1979, over 30,000 people "disappeared." Most of these were young adults between the ages of 18 and 35, though Partnoy's book mentions some friends of hers who were abducted when they were merely 15 years of age. Parents watched helplessly as their children were taken by force from their homes; small children cried on doorsteps or were scooped up by relatives as their own parents were taken from them. These "disappeared" were transferred and held -- blindfolded, immobilized, inadequately fed and clothed, tortured -- in a secret concentration camp Partnoy calls "The Little School."
This book documents the stories of those imprisoned. Though the preface states that the stories are fictional accounts, the truth of Partnoy's experience is poignantly clear. Without detailing exact punishments or tortures, she nonetheless spells out clearly for her readers the agony and pain the prisoners endured on a daily basis. They were kept blindfolded and bound, forced to stand or lie completely still for hours on end in a room full of fellow prisoners with whom they were forbidden to speak.
It is the small details that make these stories so heartbreaking. A child's nursery rhyme that runs endlessly through the mind of one prisoner while being tortured. A friend's jacket that shields the guard's blows once that friend is removed from the school, possibly killed. A broken tooth kept in a matchbox that reminds one prisoner she is still "whole." The glimpses of life another prisoner catches through the bottom of the blindfold, where it doesn't quite lay flat against her cheeks. The sheer delight in catching raindrops in the palm of a hand where the window leaks during a storm.
These elements drive home the desperation and despair hinted at in the stories. They make the moments real, in a way more detailed explanations of the torture endured could not. Even without knowing the exact political views that caused the prisoners to be kidnapped and held, readers will empathize with the stories -- feeling both a lingering helplessness at the prisoners' plights and an overwhelming indignation at the injustice imposed upon the rights of fellow human beings. Such a book will encourage readers to recognize their own freedom, which many take for granted, while serving as a constant reminder to be vigilant against atrocities that endanger freedom everywhere.
Book Review: Absolutely profound
Summary: 5 Stars
This book stirred up and anger and passion in my in me that I cannot express in words. You have to read it to beleive it!Book Review: The Little School
Summary: 5 Stars
Imagine being kidnapped and being taken to a concentration camp, blindfolded, tied up and not knowing when you will ever see your family and friends again. What would you do if someone put a gun in your mouth? Alicia Partnoy proved to be a brave woman among others.What you must know is that this is a true story. It is like if you are reading something made up, but it is sadly true. It is greatly detailed and it even has a sense of humor at points. It is really amazing to see how Alicia talks about her experience and the other "disappeared" s' experiences.
She was kidnapped. Did not know the whereabouts of her daughter. Her husband was kidnapped also, but they were not able to see each other. Even though she was away from them, she managed to think of them as little as possible, because she thought it would weaken her in trying to survive for them.
She was always helping others in one way or another. Since they did not know when they were going to die, Alicia showed her compassion in their last hours. She was very generous when everything else was so ruthless.
She shares part of her hideous life lived in the Little School, because even though she tells you what happened to her and her friends, she keeps the darkest moments to herself. It is personal, a very personal story. You should be thankful that she even wrote this book because she is informing you about what really happened at those times and how the guards treated them inside the Little School.
This book demonstrates the true value of life. Some people overlook small things in life, but these small things grow to be very significant to Alicia when she was a prisoner. It shows the importance of your five senses, the ability to smell, to touch, to hear, to taste and to talk. She was able to see through her nose given that she was blindfolded and was able to create small balls out of bread. Talk about using your imagination at miserable times. This is just one of the things she learned to do when held captive. Read this book to find out how she did this and what else she discovered inside the concentration camp.
Book Review: the little school
Summary: 4 Stars
What would you say if one day while you were doing your chores like every day in your house, spending time with your family and then suddenly a man barges the door throgh wearing military uniforms and takes you away without an explation. What would you do? How would you react?Well unfortunately this is what happened to Alicia Partnoy. On January 12, 1977 Alicia was taken away from her house while her husband was working. This sad event took place in Argentina during the time when people were struggling for a better life, striking on streets, demanding better wages. "The Little School" not only tells you the story of Alicia Portnoy, but the stories of people who experience the brutality, the night mares they had to go through while being kept in captivity by the military in a camp called "The Little School".
I would recommend this book because it gives the reader an idea about how life was in Argentina when govern by evil dictatorship. It will show you how life was while being kept in captivity by the military. For example, the prisoners were blindfolded and by being blindfolded they lost any memory of themselves leaving them hopeless, miserable, and humiliated without any energy left for the future. People would like reading this book because is not only interesting, but it opens your eyes and gives you an idea of how cruel the world can be if its run by the wrong people. Many families were ruined and many people died because they believe in a better world and wanted a better life for the future. "The Little School" is a book that tells us the stories of many people who suffered in the in the hands of thier leaders and teaches us that things like this are happening all around the world and just because we don't hear about it, it doesn't mean we cant do anything about it. You will like this book that you might read it several times because is an unbelievable story of survival.
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