L&C Book Club: Gringo Nightmare by Eric Volz
February 17, 2014
I've got another book recommendation for you today! And let me tell you, this one sucks you in big-time.
It's a memoir written by Eric Volz called Gringo Nightmare.
This is an unbelievable story of Eric Volz's experience of getting arrested and put in jail in Nicaragua. That basically sounds like a nightmare right then and there, but when you read what Volz has to say, you literally can't believe that conditions could be so bad or that a nation could be so corrupt.
Volz, a 27 year old American, lived in Nicaragua and dated a Nicaraguan woman (who was known in the area since she was an ex-Miss Nicaragua or something like that). They had broken up at some point and then in November 2006 she was found to have been raped and murdered in her local boutique.
Volz was arrested 2 days later. The first trial didn't begin until February 2007. One day later he's convicted of murder. When you read this book you absolutely can't believe how he ends up being convicted. He has many different types of evidence (such as phone bills of him calling someone from his office at the time of his ex-girlfriend's death) or eye-witnesses who were at work with him the whole day. The court ignores everything and sentences him to 30 - yes thirty - years of prison. This story is literally jaw-dropping.
He writes about all kinds of things he experiences in the prison (including horrible living conditions which worsen his health long-term), about his battle with the government in Nicaragua, how corrupt the country is and how they discriminate against him for being an American.
In December 2007 the conviction is overturned and four days after the appeals court he is finally freed from prison.
There's a lot more to the story and it's definitely one of the most interesting books I've ever read (even writing about it now, I feel like re-reading it right away).
Have you read this book? Let me know what you thought of it in the comment section below :)
It's a memoir written by Eric Volz called Gringo Nightmare.
This is an unbelievable story of Eric Volz's experience of getting arrested and put in jail in Nicaragua. That basically sounds like a nightmare right then and there, but when you read what Volz has to say, you literally can't believe that conditions could be so bad or that a nation could be so corrupt.
Volz, a 27 year old American, lived in Nicaragua and dated a Nicaraguan woman (who was known in the area since she was an ex-Miss Nicaragua or something like that). They had broken up at some point and then in November 2006 she was found to have been raped and murdered in her local boutique.
Volz was arrested 2 days later. The first trial didn't begin until February 2007. One day later he's convicted of murder. When you read this book you absolutely can't believe how he ends up being convicted. He has many different types of evidence (such as phone bills of him calling someone from his office at the time of his ex-girlfriend's death) or eye-witnesses who were at work with him the whole day. The court ignores everything and sentences him to 30 - yes thirty - years of prison. This story is literally jaw-dropping.
He writes about all kinds of things he experiences in the prison (including horrible living conditions which worsen his health long-term), about his battle with the government in Nicaragua, how corrupt the country is and how they discriminate against him for being an American.
In December 2007 the conviction is overturned and four days after the appeals court he is finally freed from prison.
There's a lot more to the story and it's definitely one of the most interesting books I've ever read (even writing about it now, I feel like re-reading it right away).
Have you read this book? Let me know what you thought of it in the comment section below :)
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