This book gives a good picture of El Salvador during the civil war. It tells the story of Jean Donovan who at some point of her life decided to throw away her career and to help the people who were suffering in El Salvador. She describes her struggle trying to help the poor to survive while being attacked (verbally and physically) by land owners, officials, military, death squads, and American intelligence. While her being an American citizen usually kept her out of the worst trouble, the locals were usually not so lucky and often killed rather arbitrarily. What makes the book so interesting is that it is not written from a global political viewpoint, but from the very personal viewpoint of Joan Donovan.