The relationship between historical or traumatic events and the memories created by them are examined in this selection of essays by writers who have been affected by the social and political upheavals of Latin America during the past four decades. Recognizing the impact these events have had upon both collective and individual memory, these essayists also recall hard times living through the McCarthy era and the AIDS epidemic as well as the effects of living in exile from Chile and the bi cultural reality around the U.S. border with Mexico.