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In the Arms of Inup

The extraordinary story of a Guatemalan survivor and his quest for healing from trauma

by (author) Eve Mills Allen

cover design or artwork by Jody Claus

photographs by Jeremias Tecu

Publisher
HARP Publishing The People's Press
Initial publish date
Jul 2020
Category
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9780993829567
    Publish Date
    Jul 2020
    List Price
    $25.00

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Where to buy it

Recommended Age, Grade, and Reading Levels

  • Age: 13 to 18
  • Grade: 8 to 12

Description

Eve Mills Allen, a New Brunswick mental health therapist, has written the profoundly moving story of Jeremias, who at the age of 11 led his family to safety during the Guatemalan genocide against the Mayan peoples. Jeremias breaks the silence as he shares his memories with the author, and we learn how inadequate our mental health system is to fully heal those traumatized by war and genocide.

 

About the authors

Contributor Notes

Eve Mills Allen is a mental health therapist in Moncton, New Brunswick. She holds a MA in Creative Writing and a MEd in Counselling Psychology,and worked as a journalist for 30+ years, supplied writing services for businesses and magazines, and wrote for TV shows on APTN. She taught Life Writing classes at the university and therapeutic writing workshops, mostly in First Nations communities. She is a member of the Moncton Writer’s group and NB Federation of Writers. Her 2002 memoir, Little White Squaw: A White Woman’s Story of Abuse, Addiction and Reconciliation, coauthored by Kenneth J Harvey, was published by Beech Holme Publishing, and is now with Dundurn Press. Her book for young children, Moli Musquash and the Seven Deadlies, and The Friendly Feelings Kit was used in Fredericton-area elementary schools. She has won several short story contests including third place in the Canadian Authors Association prize for narrative nonfiction, published in the 2019 anthology, Re-creating Our Common Chord.

Excerpt: In the Arms of Inup: The extraordinary story of a Guatemalan survivor and his quest for healing from trauma (by (author) Eve Mills Allen; cover design or artwork by Jody Claus; photographs by Jeremias Tecu)

In the Beginning

Jeremias bows his head before the monument in Rabinal, tears coursing down his cheeks, as memories

slash through his brain. Here are the names of those who were senselessly slaughtered—his

relatives, his friends, his people. Although it has been 35 years since he escaped this massacre,

the pictures of that time turn steadily off and on as if someone were working a flashlight in the

night—vividly bright, then black. But nothing can extinguish the crying or the screams, and, even

in the dark, blood is still red.

 

Jeremias Tecu was only eleven when he became a man. The disappearance of his father and two older

brothers left him, as the oldest male in the family, no choice but to step quickly into the adult

role. The smell of acrid smoke winding its tentacles around decomposing flesh, and the sight of

scattered body parts, sealed this premature appointment and impelled him to step up and take

responsibility. To save his remaining family, Jeremias bravely directed his mother and younger

siblings, one only a month old, to hide in the roots of the huge Inup, a tree greatly feared by all

Mayan children.

 

Jeremias lived in La Ceiba near the small town of Rabinal, a Maya Achí village in Guatemala. He

loved his home and his family and, even though he worked very hard, the work was

something he enjoyed, something that made him feel connected to the earth around him and to his

family. The massacre began in his village in 1981, taking with it his carefree spirit. It was Inup

that saved his life, but it could in no way shelter his mind from the images that would become

seared on his brain for a lifetime.

 

Editorial Reviews

This book takes you into the heart of the healing process of storytelling between a compassionate

listener and a refugee survivor of horrific cruelty and injustice. The safe space created by

unconditional acceptance and positive regard informs us about how an empathic approach can respond

to the needs of trauma survivors.

 

Jeremias’ story points to the lack of culturally sensitive mental health services that recognize

the burden of carrying untold stories of trauma. A lack of compassionate social services for

survivors of atrocious injustices will only serve to send the survivors underground and reinforce

fear and shame. In order to support the successful integration of refugees into our Canadian

society, we must rise to the task of developing trauma-based and culturally sensitive mental health

services.

 

- Sandra deVink, retired social work professor at St. Thomas University (1985-2014)