
The Shining Path
The History of Peru’s Revolutionary Communist Party and the Ongoing Civil War
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $5.42
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Stephen Platt
About this listen
On the evening of May 17, 1980, a day before the Peruvian electorate - the most representative in the nation’s history - was due to go to the polls for the first authentic presidential election since 1963, a curious thing happened. In the tiny mountain town of Chuschi, little more than a hamlet nestled in a valley on the western slopes of the Andes, a group of armed youth broke the lock on the town hall and removed all of the ballot boxes, papers, and voting lists prepared for the following day. These were carried out into the town square and burned. The group identified itself as Sendero Luminoso, the “Shining Path”, declaring this action to be the commencement of the armed phase of the “People’s War".
In the avalanche of press coverage for the election, the incident was scantly reported and generally overlooked. It was an exciting and energetic time in Peruvian politics, as the country sought to shake off nearly two decades of military rule and dictatorship, and a minor disturbance such as this in the rural countryside was of little interest. Nor, for that matter, was the theft of dynamite from a handful of local mines, although the handful of isolated bomb blasts that followed did stir a certain amount of curious reporting.
Soon, however, the citizens of Lima began to notice the frequency of stray dogs found hanging from traffic lights and lamp posts. Images that have since become iconic in the chronicles of the Shining Path began appearing in local newspapers. They were described by Peruvian journalists and satirist Santiago Roncagliolo: “My earliest memory of Peru is a newspaper photograph from 1980 of dead dogs hanging from lamp posts in downtown Lima. Their stiff bodies were wrapped in posters that said: "Deng Xiaoping, son of a bitch". In the picture, bewildered policemen are cutting down the bodies in the early-morning light. Some of the dogs drip blood, others are painted black, but most are simply dead.
Roncagliolo then went on to discuss what this all meant in the philosophical context of local political aspirations, for clearly it meant something: “In our house, the picture - and the murders that came later - was the subject of lengthy deliberations. My father’s friends wondered if the time was ripe for a revolution in Peru. For all of them, revolution in Latin America was imminent, as inevitable as hurricanes in the Caribbean. They never wondered if it would come but only when, and in which countries it would triumph. At home, in long sessions cloudy with cigarette smoke, bearded men in tortoiseshell glasses would debate, conspire, or just hide out.”
This flush of macabre and ritualistic statements, apart from being confusing and a little unnerving, were also inescapably folkloric and sinister. This, in time, would become the hallmark of Sendero Luminoso, as it emerged thereafter as one of the largest and most violent of Latin American guerrilla movements.
Despite these ritualistic overtones, the founder of the movement was an eccentric and, perhaps, somewhat brilliant if not delusional Peruvian professor of philosophy by the name of Abimael Guzmán. Guzmán, highly cultured and educated, was absorbed in Marxist social theory and atheism. He decried religion as a “social phenomena, the product of exploitation that will end with the end of exploitation, to be swept aside as a new society arises".
The Shining Path: The History of Peru’s Revolutionary Communist Party and the Ongoing Civil War looks at the Peruvian party, the people behind it, and the history of the violence.
©2020 Charles River Editors (P)2020 Charles River EditorsListeners also enjoyed...
-
The History of Peru
- A Fascinating Guide
- By: David Robbins
- Narrated by: Steven Barnett
- Length: 1 hr and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Overlapping with the Amazon and the Andes, Peru is a rich and incredible country with a long history. Now, this audiobook examines Peru’s story, covering the early Inca Empire, one of the most advanced pre-American societies, to colonization and Peru’s journey to its place in the modern world.
By: David Robbins
-
Field Marshal Albert Kesselring
- The Life and Legacy of Nazi Germany's Most Popular Commander
- By: Charles River Editors
- Narrated by: Colin Fluxman
- Length: 1 hr and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Albert Kesselring holds a strange place in the history of World War II. A commander in the Luftwaffe, he is remembered as much for the skill with which he oversaw the German armies as for his mastery of the air fleets. Called "Uncle Albert" by many of his men and "Smiling Albert" by the Allies, he was widely respected by men on both sides of the war and loved by many of his troops, yet he was responsible for massacres in occupied Italy for which he was condemned to death during the post-war trials.
-
-
brief overview
- By Brian on 04-20-23
-
The Khmer Rouge: The Notorious History and Legacy of the Communist Regime That Ruled Cambodia in the 1970s
- By: Charles River Editors
- Narrated by: Colin Fluxman
- Length: 1 hr and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The reign of the Khmer Rouge, a Cambodian communist regime, began on April 7, 1975 as Khmer Rouge militants entered the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh, ultimately gaining control and forcing out its residents. For the next four years, the regime would remain in power and commit what is now referred to as the Cambodian Genocide. Their reign would result in economic turmoil, cultural destruction, and mass death, impacting Cambodia to this day.
-
Inca Mythology
- Captivating Inca Myths of Gods, Goddesses, and Legendary Creatures
- By: Matt Clayton
- Narrated by: Randy Whitlow
- Length: 3 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The myths of the Inca gods in the first section of the audiobook explain how the world was created and also detail the adventures of various deities as they vie for supremacy or act as tricksters in the worlds of mortals and huacas alike. The second section contains the origin myth of the Inca Empire, which was used to justify Inca political legitimacy. This section also presents other tales involving the mythologized deeds of Inca emperors and their interactions with divine beings.
-
-
More than the basic stories
- By Ashley Romney on 07-16-24
By: Matt Clayton
-
Haile Selassie: The Life and Legacy of the Ethiopian Emperor Revered as the Messiah by Rastafarians
- By: Charles River Editors
- Narrated by: Colin Fluxman
- Length: 1 hr and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The modern history of Africa was, until very recently, written on behalf of the indigenous races by the white man, who had forcefully entered the continent during a particularly hubristic and dynamic phase of European history. In 1884, Prince Otto von Bismarck, the German chancellor, brought the plenipotentiaries of all major powers of Europe together, to deal with Africa's colonization in such a manner as to avoid provocation of war. This event - known as the Berlin Conference of 1884-1885 - galvanized a phenomenon that came to be known as the Scramble for Africa.
-
-
Good
- By Amazon Customer on 09-14-20
-
Incas: A Captivating Guide to the History of the Inca Empire and Civilization
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Duke Holm
- Length: 2 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One of the most notable ancient cultures of South America is undoubtedly the Inca civilization. They once ruled over the largest empire in South America. Not only that - their empire was also the largest in the world at the time. There are many mysteries surrounding the Incas. Where did the Incas originate? And how did they come to rule over their vast empire that incorporated mountaintops, tropical jungles, and coastal lands? What were the most notable achievements of their great kings?
-
-
Thoroughly and objectively presented
- By Rodrigo on 06-03-18
-
The History of Peru
- A Fascinating Guide
- By: David Robbins
- Narrated by: Steven Barnett
- Length: 1 hr and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Overlapping with the Amazon and the Andes, Peru is a rich and incredible country with a long history. Now, this audiobook examines Peru’s story, covering the early Inca Empire, one of the most advanced pre-American societies, to colonization and Peru’s journey to its place in the modern world.
By: David Robbins
-
Field Marshal Albert Kesselring
- The Life and Legacy of Nazi Germany's Most Popular Commander
- By: Charles River Editors
- Narrated by: Colin Fluxman
- Length: 1 hr and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Albert Kesselring holds a strange place in the history of World War II. A commander in the Luftwaffe, he is remembered as much for the skill with which he oversaw the German armies as for his mastery of the air fleets. Called "Uncle Albert" by many of his men and "Smiling Albert" by the Allies, he was widely respected by men on both sides of the war and loved by many of his troops, yet he was responsible for massacres in occupied Italy for which he was condemned to death during the post-war trials.
-
-
brief overview
- By Brian on 04-20-23
-
The Khmer Rouge: The Notorious History and Legacy of the Communist Regime That Ruled Cambodia in the 1970s
- By: Charles River Editors
- Narrated by: Colin Fluxman
- Length: 1 hr and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The reign of the Khmer Rouge, a Cambodian communist regime, began on April 7, 1975 as Khmer Rouge militants entered the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh, ultimately gaining control and forcing out its residents. For the next four years, the regime would remain in power and commit what is now referred to as the Cambodian Genocide. Their reign would result in economic turmoil, cultural destruction, and mass death, impacting Cambodia to this day.
-
Inca Mythology
- Captivating Inca Myths of Gods, Goddesses, and Legendary Creatures
- By: Matt Clayton
- Narrated by: Randy Whitlow
- Length: 3 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The myths of the Inca gods in the first section of the audiobook explain how the world was created and also detail the adventures of various deities as they vie for supremacy or act as tricksters in the worlds of mortals and huacas alike. The second section contains the origin myth of the Inca Empire, which was used to justify Inca political legitimacy. This section also presents other tales involving the mythologized deeds of Inca emperors and their interactions with divine beings.
-
-
More than the basic stories
- By Ashley Romney on 07-16-24
By: Matt Clayton
-
Haile Selassie: The Life and Legacy of the Ethiopian Emperor Revered as the Messiah by Rastafarians
- By: Charles River Editors
- Narrated by: Colin Fluxman
- Length: 1 hr and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The modern history of Africa was, until very recently, written on behalf of the indigenous races by the white man, who had forcefully entered the continent during a particularly hubristic and dynamic phase of European history. In 1884, Prince Otto von Bismarck, the German chancellor, brought the plenipotentiaries of all major powers of Europe together, to deal with Africa's colonization in such a manner as to avoid provocation of war. This event - known as the Berlin Conference of 1884-1885 - galvanized a phenomenon that came to be known as the Scramble for Africa.
-
-
Good
- By Amazon Customer on 09-14-20
-
Incas: A Captivating Guide to the History of the Inca Empire and Civilization
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Duke Holm
- Length: 2 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One of the most notable ancient cultures of South America is undoubtedly the Inca civilization. They once ruled over the largest empire in South America. Not only that - their empire was also the largest in the world at the time. There are many mysteries surrounding the Incas. Where did the Incas originate? And how did they come to rule over their vast empire that incorporated mountaintops, tropical jungles, and coastal lands? What were the most notable achievements of their great kings?
-
-
Thoroughly and objectively presented
- By Rodrigo on 06-03-18
-
Inca Empire: A History from Beginning to End
- By: Hourly History
- Narrated by: Matthew J. Chandler-Smith
- Length: 1 hr and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Discover the remarkable history of the Inca Empire...In the space of less than one hundred years, the Inca people expanded from being a small kingdom in the highlands of Peru to becoming one of the largest and most powerful empires in the Americas. At the height of its power, the Inca Empire stretched for more than one thousand miles down the Andes Mountains and the west coast of South America. It incorporated more than two hundred distinct ethnic groups and somewhere around fourteen million people were ruled by a much smaller number of Incas.
-
-
dip your toe in the water book
- By Karen on 11-04-21
By: Hourly History
-
Turn Right at Machu Picchu
- Rediscovering the Lost City One Step at a Time
- By: Mark Adams
- Narrated by: Andrew Garman
- Length: 10 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Writer for the New York Times and GQ, Mark Adams is also the acclaimed author of Mr. America. In this fascinating travelogue, Adams follows in the controversial footsteps of Hiram Bingham III, who’s been both lionized and vilified for his discovery of the famed Lost City in 1911—but which reputation is justified?
-
-
Spellbounding, exceptional vocals
- By KLewis on 09-19-15
By: Mark Adams
-
Open Veins of Latin America
- Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent
- By: Eduardo Galeano, Isabel Allende - Foreward
- Narrated by: Jonathan Davis
- Length: 14 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Since its U.S. debut a quarter-century ago, this brilliant text has set a new standard for historical scholarship of Latin America. It is also an outstanding political economy, a social and cultural narrative of the highest quality, and perhaps the finest description of primitive capital accumulation since Marx. Rather than chronology, geography, or political successions, Eduardo Galeano has organized the various facets of Latin American history according to the patterns of five centuries of exploitation.
-
-
Please up-date the addition
- By fishrock on 02-20-10
By: Eduardo Galeano, and others
-
The Shining Path
- Love, Madness, and Revolution in the Andes
- By: Orin Starn, Miguel La Serna
- Narrated by: Robert Fass
- Length: 12 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On May 17, 1980, on the eve of Peru's presidential election, five masked men stormed a small town. They set election ballots ablaze and vanished, but not before planting a red hammer-and-sickle banner in the town square. The lone man arrested the next morning later swore allegiance to a group called Shining Path. Described by a US State Department cable as "cold-blooded and bestial", Shining Path orchestrated bombings, assassinations, and massacres across the cities, countryside, and jungles of Peru in a murderous campaign to seize power and impose a Communist government.
-
-
Understanding my wife
- By Eugene on 06-10-22
By: Orin Starn, and others
-
The Hundred Years' War on Palestine
- A History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance, 1917--2017
- By: Rashid Khalidi
- Narrated by: Fajer Al-Kaisi, Rashid Khalidi - introduction
- Length: 10 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Drawing on a wealth of untapped archival materials and the reports of generations of family members - mayors, judges, scholars, diplomats, and journalists - The Hundred Years' War on Palestine upends accepted interpretations of the conflict, which tend, at best, to describe a tragic clash between two peoples with claims to the same territory. Instead, Khalidi traces a hundred years of colonial war on the Palestinians, waged first by the Zionist movement and then Israel, but backed by Britain and the United States, the great powers of the age.
-
-
Thoroughly Researched and Evidence-Based, but...
- By K on 05-24-21
By: Rashid Khalidi
-
Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945
- By: Tony Judt
- Narrated by: Ralph Cosham
- Length: 43 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Almost a decade in the making, this much-anticipated grand history of postwar Europe from one of the world’s most esteemed historians and intellectuals is a singular achievement. Postwar is the first modern history that covers all of Europe, both east and west, drawing on research in six languages to sweep readers through 34 nations and 60 years of political and cultural change—all in one integrated, enthralling narrative.
-
-
Great book, but not terrific listening
- By History on 10-18-11
By: Tony Judt
-
On Power and Ideology
- The Managua Lectures
- By: Noam Chomsky
- Narrated by: Brian Jones
- Length: 6 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The arguments are concise, and the information is overwhelming. The first two lectures examine the persistent and largely invariant features of foreign policy, the overall framework of order. The third discusses Central America and its foreign policy pattern. The fourth looks at national security and the arms race. And the fifth examines US domestic policy.
-
-
Eye opening
- By Alex on 08-22-15
By: Noam Chomsky
-
The Washington Connection and Third World Fascism
- The Political Economy of Human Rights - Volume I
- By: Noam Chomsky, Edward S. Herman
- Narrated by: Brian Jones
- Length: 15 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A brilliant, shattering, and convincing account of United States-backed suppression of political and human rights in the Third World... It relentlessly dissects the official views of Establishment scholars and their journals. The "best and brightest" pundits of the status quo emerge from this audiobook thoroughly denuded of their credibility.
-
-
must listen
- By Amazon Customer on 09-14-20
By: Noam Chomsky, and others
-
Central Asia
- A New History from the Imperial Conquests to the Present
- By: Adeeb Khalid
- Narrated by: Aaqil Ahmed
- Length: 17 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Central Asia is often seen as a remote and inaccessible land on the peripheries of modern history. Encompassing Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and the Xinjiang province of China, it in fact stands at the crossroads of world events. Adeeb Khalid provides the first comprehensive history of Central Asia from the mid-18th century to today, shedding light on the historical forces that have shaped the region under imperial and Communist rule.
-
-
Great History of a Forgotten Region
- By Than on 07-07-21
By: Adeeb Khalid
-
Iran
- A Modern History
- By: Abbas Amanat
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 41 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This history of modern Iran is not a survey in the conventional sense but an ambitious exploration of the story of a nation. It offers a revealing look at how events, people, and institutions are shaped by currents that sometimes reach back hundreds of years. The book covers the complex history of the diverse societies and economies of Iran against the background of dynastic changes, revolutions, civil wars, foreign occupation, and the rise of the Islamic Republic.
-
-
Extremely Opinionated.
- By Elijah Rose on 02-13-19
By: Abbas Amanat
-
ISIS
- A History
- By: Fawaz A. Gerges
- Narrated by: Bradley Hayes
- Length: 12 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Islamic State has stunned the world with its savagery, destructiveness, and military and recruiting successes. What explains the rise of ISIS, and what does it portend for the future of the Middle East? In this book, one of the world's leading authorities on political Islam and jihadism sheds new light on these questions as he provides a unique history of the rise and growth of ISIS. Moving beyond journalistic accounts, Fawaz Gerges provides a clear and compelling account of the deeper conditions that fuel ISIS.
-
-
Great information and understanding
- By Anon on 12-02-16
By: Fawaz A. Gerges
-
A History of Fascism, 1914-1945
- By: Stanley G. Payne
- Narrated by: Michael Kramer
- Length: 20 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Focusing mostly on Italy and Germany but also considering Spain, Romania, Japan, and movements in other countries, Payne describes fascism as revolutionary ultranationalism based on national rebirth, extreme elitism, mass mobilization, and the promotion of violence and military virtues. He also suggests that the early Russian communists borrowed many techniques from fascism, and that though we are fairly well-inoculated against fascism itself, the values it represents could still emerge in new forms.
-
-
Dated lit review, ill-suited for audiobook
- By Keith on 11-24-19
By: Stanley G. Payne
What listeners say about The Shining Path
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Arbor House Books
- 09-18-20
Lacking in content and substance.
Excellent narration, interesting content, but too many important details have been omitted to make this description and exposé of the Shining Path a relevant read.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!