Silenced Voices: Reclaiming Memories from the Guatemalan Genocide

A heart wrenching tale of the brutality and healing that happens when we shed light on family trauma. — Victoria Ying, author and illustrator of Hungry Ghost

This timely graphic novel for middle school describes the terror of the U.S.-backed dictatorship in Guatemala that forced so many families to flee north, many to the United States.

The history is revealed when two teenage boys in Maryland ask their mother why she fled. For years she had wanted to protect them from the pain of that era. But the trial of Guatemalan dictator Rios Montt opens the door for the intergenerational conversation.

Leon, as writer and illustrator, has made this a gripping, painfully honest, and yet also hopeful story. As immigrants are being attacked by the administration, this book reminds us why many Central Americans are in the United States and how they deserve reparations, not deportations. 

ISBN: 9780063223561 | HarperAlley

Review

In a solo debut, Leon (Miles Morales: Stranger Tides) delivers a potent graphic novel examination of the effects of the Guatemalan civil war on its people.

In 2013, American-born brothers José and Charlie live with their overworked single immigrant mother, Clara, in Langley Park, Md. When a teacher asks José if his mother was following coverage of the criminal trials relating to the Guatemalan genocide, José realizes that he knows nothing about his mom’s past. Though initial attempts to broach the subject end with emotional outbursts from Clara, she soon shares stories about her youth in a Q’eqchi’ Mayan village. After Clara reveals that she hasn’t seen her sister, Elena, since they were separated during a violent conflict as children, José and Charlie resolve to discover what happened to their aunt.

Alternating chapters follow José and Charlie in the present as they grapple with questions about their identity, and Clara and Elena in the 1980s as they navigate traumatic instances of war. Information about the events addressed is peppered throughout a stirring story about the power of familial bonds and historical recollection in the face of grief, fear, and hopelessness. Saturated color and textured overlays add depth and ambiance to this meaningful offering. Ages 14–up. — Publishers Weekly

Watch the official book trailer below.