El Arma en el Hombre = Weapons Within Man

What is a soldier to do after the war is officially over and he is released from the army with three months' salary and a few meager belongings? This question is addressed in this short but controversial novel by the well-respected journalist, essayist, and author of La di spora (The Diaspora, UCA Editores, 1988), which received the national book award sponsored by the University of Central America, El Salvador. Recruited at age 20 to fight in the Salvadoran armed forces, the protagonist, Robocop, has no identity other than as a soldier in the elite Acahuapa Battalion that had been his home for eight years. In the army, the feared and respected soldier commanded the most dangerous missions. Now he occupies a small room in his cousin's house and spends his days trying to figure out where he fits in. Pretty soon, he begins to practice the only skills he has for various criminal and underground organizations. Though it takes place in El Salvador, this simply written, fastpaced, and vivid tale about the consequences of war for the human spirit will have international appeal. Recommended for bookstores and both public and academic libraries. Yolanda J. Cuesta, Cuesta MultiCultural Consulting, Sacramento