The Death of Ben Linder
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| Author | Joan Kruckewitt |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Adam Simon |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Seven Stories Press |
Publication date | 1999 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Hardcover, paperback, digital |
| Pages | 400 |
| ISBN | 9781888363968 |
| OCLC | 869310030 |
| LC Class | F1528.22.L56k78 1999 |
The Death of Ben Linder: The Story of a North American in Sandinista Nicaragua is a biographical account of the life of Ben Linder, an American engineer who was murdered by Contras while working on development projects in Nicaragua during the Nicaraguan Revolution. Published in 1999 by Seven Stories Press, it was the first published biography focused on Linder, whose death had sparked significant political controversy in the U.S. in 1987.[1][2] The book received generally favorable reviews from newspapers, academic journals, and individuals and organizations involved in Nicaraguan solidarity work.
Kruckewitt moved to Nicaragua in 1983, reporting on the Contra War for various U.S. news outlets, primarily ABC Radio, until 1991. Linder also moved to Nicaragua in 1983, shortly after graduating from the University of Washington, in order to work on development projects. He remained in the country for most of the next several years, interrupted by a few visits to the U.S., and was murdered in 1987 while building a weir in a remote part of the countryside. During the several years they were both in Nicaragua, Kruckewitt and Linder met several times, particularly in the national capital of Managua.[2] After Linder's death, Kruckewitt attended his funeral in Matagalpa and began gathering material for a book about his life. In 1993, Kruckewitt returned to Nicaragua focused entirely on producing a biography. With the aid of Paul Berman, she was able to interview the Contra who claimed responsibility for Linder's death.[2] Kruckewitt conducted many other interviews with those who knew Linder, including Nicaraguans, fellow internationalists, and his family and also made extensive use of his letters and journals. Berman described his and Kruckewitt's search in a 1996 article in the New Yorker.[2] In 1997, Kruckewitt published an excerpt from the book in the San Francisco Chronicle, describing a Contra ambush near the town of El Cuá.[3]
Summary
Kruckewitt briefly describes Linder's early life and academic career, but mostly focuses on his time in Nicaragua in the 1980s. She covers Linder's time in Managua working for the Nicaraguan Energy Institute, his work on hydroplants around El Cuá, and his death in a Contra ambush. Kruckewitt also discusses the activities of other internationalists in Nicaragua including Yvan Leyvraz, a Swiss worker killed by Contras in 1986. The book covers warfare in the area of El Cuá, including clashes between Contra and government forces and Contra raids and ambushes, and Kruckewitt also discusses the war on a larger scale.