“This is a compelling memoir of Peru and a rich and persuasive analysis of the Shining Path movement. Kirk’s deeply sympathetic and unsentimental approach to individuals in moments of distress, defeat, confrontation, and discovery give this book broad appeal. A first-rate book.” — Philip Bennett, Foreign Editor, Boston Globe
“The Monkey’s Paw is outstanding. Kirk is a magnificent writer and is very knowledgeable about Peruvian politics and society. Once I had started, I found the book very hard to put down.” — Cynthia McClintock, George Washington University
“[The Monkey’s Paw] is one of the best books written on Latin America in the 1990s.” – Toronto Globe and Mail
“In the first few pages of her book, Kirk writes: “It takes stubbornness, perhaps arrogance, and a certain faith in the face of long odds to write about someone else’s country.” The country Kirk has chosen, moreover, is a vastly complex and changing place. Nonetheless, she has succeeded remarkably well in detailing Peru’s many facets, in capturing the grand schemes and the day-to-day struggles, in recounting the varied and fascinating Peruvians who cross her path with all their strengths and all their weaknesses, in avoiding simplistic conclusions, and in making me feel as if I myself lived in “someone else’s country.” The book is a must for anyone interested in the people who live in Peru and its complicated web of social struggle. Her clear, evocative writing recreates Peru on the page for readers who can’t go there themselves, and adds to the experience of those who can. I loved it.” – an Amazon.com reviewer