When a Flower Is Reborn

"[A] fascinating document." - Linda B. Hall , Canadian Journal of Latin American and Caribbean Studies

"[A]n eloquent testimony." - Rosamel Millaman Reinao , American Anthropologist

"Because the success stories, which inspire emulation, are interspersed with accounts where [Reuque Paillalef] failed to achieve her goals or maintain organizational cohesion, the book presents a balanced perspective. Her honesty and candidness discourage the reader from idealizing Mapuche people or simplifying Chile's recent past, yet by reading the monograph students and scholars alike will gain a more profound understanding of ethnic and gender relations under the distinct political structures of dictatorship and democracy." - David Carey Jr., South Eastern Latin Americanist

"Mallon has crafted a complex, rich, and deeply interesting testimonio of Isolde's life and role in the Chilean Mapuche movement. . . . Mallon's study serves as one model for understanding the multiple and critical uses of oral history and testimonio in crafting important scholarly work." - Nancy Raquel Mirabal, Oral History Review

"This book is a welcome addition to the encouraging and rapidly expanding literature on the many ways in which Native peoples are winning various degrees of recognition, autonomy, and influence in various countries. It is also an excellent addition to the relatively recent genre of testimonios. . . . Editor Mallon skillfully interweaves discussions of history, international relations, the strengths and limitations of testimonios, and other themes with vivid characterization and detailed recounting of a rapidly changing lifestyle. . . . Highly recommended." - D. B. Heath , Choice

"This book is an absorbing study of the past three decades of Mapuche history, through the eyes of a key protagonist of the struggle for the rights of the Mapuche, especially those of Mapuche women." - Margaret Power , The Americas

“A landmark in the history of social movements, indigenous studies, and women’s studies, When a Flower is Reborn tells the story of the cultural regeneration of a whole people. The match between a sophisticated scholar drawn back to the country of her birth and an urbane indigenous woman organizer has engendered an entirely new form of testimonial literature, one that reads like a novel, but has the depth and breadth of the best history. This is not only an innovative book, it is a major achievement.” - Temma Kaplan, author of Crazy for Democracy: Women in Grassroots Movements

“Composed of short dialogues, this testimonio is just made to be read aloud by students who will find themselves drawn into the rich personal experiences of Mapuche cultural resurgence and political activism as related by Rosa Isolde Reuque Paillalef and her family to Florencia E. Mallon. When a Flower is Reborn is a fascinating account of the renewal and transformation of Mapuche culture and community politics and social criticism as captured through one woman's participation in different social movements across Chile's political history from the early 1970s to 1997. A pathbreaking, thoughtful collaborative work on indigenous activism in Chile.“
  - Kay Warren, author of Indigenous Movements and Their Critics: Pan-Maya Activism in Guatemala