The General's Slow Retreat - by Mary Helen Spooner (Paperback)

About the Book

"Pinochet's supporters will continue to believe what they will believe, but the well-educated reader needs to have a solid historical record to turn to, and "The General's Slow Retreat" provides just that. Few books offer the kind of engaging narrative Spooner is capable of. I have been looking for such a text for years." --Steven Volk, Professor of History, Oberlin College

Book Synopsis

In her acclaimed book Soldiers in a Narrow Land, Mary Helen Spooner took us inside the brutal dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet. Carrying Chile's story up to the present, she now offers this vivid account of how Chile rebuilt its democracy after 17 years of military rule--with the former dictator watching, and waiting, from the sidelines. Spooner discusses the major players, events, and institutions in Chile's recent political history, delving into such topics as the environmental situation, the economy, and the election of Michelle Bachelet. Throughout, she examines Pinochet's continuing influence on public life as she tells how he grudgingly ceded power, successfully fought investigations into his human rights record and finances, kept command of the army for eight years after leaving the presidency, was detained on human rights charges, and died without being convicted of any of the many serious crimes of which he was accused. Chile has now become one of South America's greatest economic and political successes, but as we find in The General's Slow Retreat, it remains a country burdened with a painful past.

From the Back Cover

"Pinochet's supporters will continue to believe what they will believe, but the well-educated reader needs to have a solid historical record to turn to, and The General's Slow Retreat provides just that. Few books offer the kind of engaging narrative Spooner is capable of. I have been looking for such a text for years." --Steven Volk, Professor of History, Oberlin College

Review Quotes

"A human account of Chile's particular experience that is thoughtful, well researched and immensely readable."--Tanya Harmer "International Affairs" (4/1/2012 12:00:00 AM)

About the Author

Mary Helen Spooner is a journalist who began working in Latin America in 1977, including nine years as a foreign correspondent in Chile. She has reported for ABC News, The Economist, The Financial Times of London, and Newsweek. She is the author of Soldiers in a Narrow Land: The Pinochet Regime in Chile, Updated Edition (UC Press).