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Common Knowledge

Canonical name: Perera, Victor
Birthdate: 1934
Date of death: 2003-06-14
Gender: male
Education: University of Michigan (MA, English Literature)
Occupations: journalist
lecturer (literature, writing and journalism, at the University of California at Santa Cruz)
lecturer (journalism, University of California, Berkeley)
Places of residence: Guatemala City, Guatemala
Brooklyn, New York, USA
Santa Cruz, California, USA
Associated Place (for map): USA

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2 reviews

starbox 1,390 reviews

Rites: A Childhood in Guatemala by Victor Perera

A Jewish upbringing in 40s/ 50s Guatemala, December 16, 2014

This review is from: Rites: A Guatemalan Boyhood (Paperback)
Perera recalls his upbringing in a (not overly religious) Sephardic Jewish family, living in Guatemala. ('Why Guatemala? Father never explained this to my satisfaction')
He takes us through his early years: the family drapery business; school and the bullying of both him and certain teachers; the discovery of sex; his friends.
After spending some years in USA, he returns to show more find Guatemala in the middle of revolution, his own family not untouched by the casual killings.
Perera is a skilful writer but somehow this book - despite its subject matter - failed to really make much of an impression on me. show less

Dec 16, 2014 (Edited)

Folkshul 1,468 reviews

The Cross and the Pear Tree: A Sephardic Journey by Victor Perera