Marx, Lenin, Stalin, Mao and Guzmán? Yep, you read that correctly. Wondering about that last name on the list? Well, he and his cohorts managed to kill 70,000 Peruvians so it’s a name, and lesson, for all of us.(The government was guilty as well.) If you haven’t heard of “El Sendero Luminoso” or “The Shining Path,” then have a look at “The Shining Path: Love, Madness and Revolution in the Andes,” by Orin Starn and Miguel La Serna.
Peru, as we speak, is amidst more unrest, part of which dates back to the era when Guzmán, also known as Chairman Gonzalo, formed the Communist Party of Peru and took on the entire Peruvian government. Bombs, executions, and a pervasive underlying culture of violence crippled the country. Running parallel at this time was the presidency of Alberto Fujimori who is credited with the development of “Fujimorism,” as well as fighting to defeat the Shining Path. Fujimori, like many of our favorite political hacks, fled Peru under a veil of corruption and human rights abuses.
This book reads, sadly, like a spy novel. It’s a factual account of all phases of the attempted revolution.
The cost of human lives and economic despair was tremendous and is still being felt today. There are so many lessons to be learned here, and this book helps provide a foundational understanding of how someone like Guzmán comes to power, gains following, and begins to unleash their hard ideals on the world. (While living in luxury in a high-end Lima neighborhood.) Get it, read it.