Alicia Partnoy

Born in Argentina in 1955, Alicia Partnoy is a Jewish writer, poet and human rights activist. In college in Argentina, Partnoy became an active political dissident who opposed the Argentine military junta between 1976 and 1979, but she was a political prisoner during most of that time due to her previous activism. She rose to prominence for poems and stories she wrote in prison that were smuggled out and anonymously published in human rights journals. She has lectured all over the world and helped to spur increased investigation of disappeared persons.

In the book, the reader can see Partnoy's personality primarily from the inside out. One knows that Partnoy is creative and particularly resistant to submit to the whims of the guards. She is also unafraid to be confrontational. She frequently worries about her husband, her daughter and her fellow prisoners, and she does everything she can to retain a...