Konefal (history, William and Mary) spent years of research in archives and in tracking down and interviewing Maya participants in the Guatemala civil war in the 1980s, or their survivors. What emerges from this painstaking work is a multi-faceted portrait of a time of crisis and the diverse responses made by members of the Maya people, who are over half of the population of Guatemala. The politicization of the Maya was not universal. Some joined with the Ladino (non-Mayan) revolutionaries, some fought for indigenous autonomy, others just wanted to lie low. Konefal concentrates on one segment of the activists, starting with the brave rebellion of the government sponsored "Maya Queens" while the role of the Catholic Church and liberation theology is shown from the perspective of the people and by blending available documentation with memories. Konefal presents a dramatic, complex and harrowing story of contemporary conflict and genocide in which the Maya were too often used as pawns or victims, seen as a unit rather than as individuals. Annotation ©2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)