“Joseph Zárate is, simply put, a great talent. He is refined as both a writer and a reporter of resounding moral fiber. This book, which traces the dramatic lives of the indigenous villages brought on by the exploitation of their treasures, is sure enshrine him as one of the best chroniclers of his generation.”

“Investigative journalism of this calibre, combining a rich and characterful narrative with formidable reportage, is a rare find, and we are thrilled to be bringing this important work to the list. Wars of the Interior expands our understanding of contemporary Peru, and, more broadly, our understanding of the human struggles behind the monolithic structures of industry. The writing reveals rigorous research, great compassion and a mind fine-tuned for detail and exactitude. Joseph Zárate is a world-class journalist. ”

“Zárate possesses that enviable combination of a researcher’s doggedness, a storyteller’s ear and, most importantly, a genuine empathy for his informants. When he recounts Edwin’s wasted petitioning of officials, you can feel his frustration. Writing about the destruction of Máxima’s house by company-paid guards, you can hear his rage. The anger is unmistakable but never melodramatic.”

“Guerras del interior helps us understand Latin America through three conceptual vectors: gold, wood, and petrol. These three materials summarize the continent’s history, its imperialist conquest, and its neo-imperial present.”

“His viewpoint is filled with a vibrant comprehension of the humanity of these men and women who decide to submit themselves to an unequal and terrible battle where they face contempt, solitude, and even death.”

“Joseph Zárate has managed to do what almost nobody does in chronicles: what can be found in Guerras del interior is a respectful sense of the relationship between the form and substance of a story. What we see is an obsessive effort to organize a world in words that is faithful to the one he got to know, and that we must urgently get to know as well.”

“With investigative journalism’s most effective weapons and a great sense of narrative rhythm, Zárate makes some of Ribeyro’s words his own, understanding the chronicle as “the psychological history of a human decision.” His work connects to the notable continental tradition of writing that is capable at denouncing while it simultaneously transcends its own combative gesture.”

“There are beautiful books. And very good books. But there are some — not that many — that can be considered important. Books that put forth crucial elements in order to discuss fundamental topics. That help us confront these discussions with seriousness and dignity. Guerras del interior is undoubtedly one of these books, and it reminds us what journalism is for. ”

“Masterful storytelling. Peru’s environmental conflicts are rooted in different concepts of development and different understandings of people’s relationship with the land. Joseph Zárate explores these complexities through the lives of individuals who are forced to face these conflicts with the courage - and the contradictions - of their convictions.”

“Harrowing stories, beautifully told. Surely a future classic of non-fiction, a masterclass of reportage. Compelling characters facing impossible challenges whose outcome has wide-reaching consequences for all of us: Zárate brings the Amazon rainforest into your living room.”

“All too often, indigenous peoples endure the devastating consequences of resource extraction and development projects undertaken in their territories. And all too often, the stories of those communities-and of the people defending their traditional lands and ways of life from such projects-go untold. Zárate’s captivating account of three resource development conflicts in Peru brings these struggles to life and puts a human face on the brave defenders taking a stand to protect their communities.”

“Three portraits through which Zárate takes on the task of compressing history until it takes on a human dimension.”

“Joseph Zárate’s masterly new book reminds us that when it comes to fighting on the front line of the environmental wars, it’s all in the detail, and that nothing is quite as simple as might first appear. Zárate’s strategy is to describe , as he puts it, ‘ not just social conflicts, but rather the human questions at their heart’. By doing so, he casts light on the true complexity and emotional cost of what is happening in Peru. Unless we can make such connections, we will only have statistics.”

“Zárate’s work reminds us of the virtues of good sociologists or anthropologists. (...) Zárate’s investigation shows us the horrors and abuses that various regions of the Andean country have to suffer because of the extraction of natural resources. The author gives a voice to those who have only known broken promises and sows a glimmer of hope by collecting their testimonies, stories that deserve to be remembered as a form of resistance.”