Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here by Jonathan Blitzer Summary
Overview of Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here
Blitzer's masterful chronicle unveils how U.S. policies shaped Central America's migration crisis through unforgettable human stories. Praised by Jill Lepore for its "devastatingly sharp relief," it reveals what one migrant called "una cucharita de justicia" - a little spoonful of justice long overdue.
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When Prayer Circles Meet Policy Failures and the Doctor Who Witnessed Too Much
Ten Honduran migrants bow their heads in prayer at a Mexican housing complex called Solidarity 2000. It's August 2019, and they're thousands of miles from home but still hundreds from their destination. They share stories, swap memories of American detention centers, and pass around keepsakes-scraps of paper with phone numbers, faded photographs, rosaries blessed by priests they'll never see again. This scene captures something essential about modern migration: it's no longer about single men crossing borders for work. It's about families fleeing conditions so desperate that no wall, no policy, no threat of separation can stop them. Despite a century of enforcement efforts and billions spent on deterrence, people keep coming because what they're running from is worse than anything they'll face at the border. Juan Romagoza wanted to heal people, not become a revolutionary. Growing up in rural El Salvador, he watched his grandfather die waiting for medical care-an image that drove him toward medicine. But medical school in the late 1970s coincided with political awakening. El Salvador's grotesque inequality, where twenty-five families controlled ninety percent of the nation's wealth, was cracking open. When Juan saw soldiers execute a wounded student protester in his hospital in February 1980, everything changed. He found himself drawn to Archbishop Oscar Romero, the "voice of the voiceless" whose radio sermons condemned government violence. Romero enlisted Juan and other medical students as his eyes and ears, gathering evidence of torture that he cited in broadcasts heard across the nation. When Romero was assassinated while celebrating mass in March 1980, any hope for peaceful resolution died with him. Juan continued treating torture victims, learning to recognize the signature patterns of electric shocks and cigarette burns. Then his name appeared on a death squad list. Captured in December 1980, Juan endured twenty-four days of systematic torture-electric shocks, sexual assault, suspension by his fingers. His torturers shot through his left forearm, telling him he'd never practice medicine again. They were wrong, but Juan's personal nightmare reflected a larger tragedy: the Reagan administration was pouring hundreds of millions into supporting the very forces committing these atrocities, all in the name of fighting communism.
Underground Railroads and the Asylum System That Wasn't
Building Community from Broken Pieces
Exporting Violence, Importing Consequences
Facing the Torturers
The Cycles Continue
The Border That Never Closes
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From Columbia University alumni built in San Francisco
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
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