I am happy to inform you that my latest book (in Spanish) has just been published. This is a project that began in March of 2020 diving into old Spanish newspapers and archives of the 1920’s and 30’s in Spain, to write the stories of my grandmother’s 15 siblings during the Spanish Civil War. It was during this intense period of research that I discovered the figure of my great uncle Gonzalo Pando Rivero. Gonzalo was a doctor in various towns of Spain and he experienced, first hand, the abuses of the land owners over the working class. He organized the farmworkers, helped them to unionize and spoke to them about their rights. When the fascist insurrection took place in Spain in July of 1936, Gonzalo did not think twice about it, he organized a militia and went to the mountains north of Madrid leaving medicine behind to become one of the most courageous and beloved Commanders of the liberal army of the Spanish Civil War. I will be traveling to Spain soon where I will be presenting the book in different locations. The wounds of the Spanish Civil war that killed over half a million people are still very much open. As a historian, as a citizen and as a member of the Pando family, it is my duty and my great honor to write the first biography of my great uncle, Gonzalo Pando Rivero. For those of you who don’t know Spanish I hope to translate this work to English next year.I would like to take a moment to thank the many Spanish and American historians, politicians, relatives and friends who have so selflessly helped me to make this project a reality. Your support and understanding has meant and continues to mean everything to me.
Watch this brief video in Spanish about the book