The Silence and the Scorpion

Brian A. Nelson
May 2009     ISBN: 1568584180

On April 11, 2002, nearly a million Venezuelans marched on the presidential palace to demand the resignation of President Hugo Chávez, Led by Pedro Carmona and Carlos Ortega, the opposition represented a cross-section of society furious with Chávez's economic policies, specifically his mishandling of the Venezuelan oil industry.

But as the day progressed, the march turned violent, sparking a military revolt that led to the temporary ousting of Chávez. Over the ensuing, turbulent 72 hours, Venezuelans would confront the deep divisions within their society and ultimately decide the best course for their country—and its oil—in the new century.

An exemplary piece of narrative journalism, The Silence and the Scorpion provides rich insight into the complexities of modern Venezuela.

"Nelson takes readers from the streets to the halls of the presidential palace, from frightened journalists smuggling tapes of riots back to their stations to be put on the air to a terrified Chávez... [H]is status as a foreigner familiar with the culture of Caracas and an experienced journalist and academic gives him a unique vantage point from which to tell the very personal stories of those three days of chaos."
—Publishers Weekly

"Fast-paced" and "engaging."
—Kirkus

Brian A. Nelson's work has appeared in the Virginia Quarterly Review, the Christian Science Monitor and other publications. He teaches at the Center for American and World Cultures at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, where he lives.