CESAR'S WARS

About the Book

CESAR’S WARS is based on the true story of Roberto César Montiel, a Special Forces soldier and CIA operative who made American history for 35 years: The Portable Atomic Bomb. The creation of Special Forces. The Bay of Pigs. The School of the Americas. Korea. Vietnam. Operation Phoenix. Operation Condor. The Contras. Non-official Cover. Interrogations. Torture. Through it all, his family paid the price. There were other women. PTSD. Alcoholism and abuse. In the end, the violence always comes first circle. “You’re like a Mafia wife,” his oldest son tells his mother. “The more dad kills, the more you pray.” CESAR’S WARS is also the tale of a first generation American family that struggles to endure the sacrifices and understand the sins committed in the name of God, country, democracy and empire. From the rebuilding of post-war Europe and Japan, through the turbulent 1960s, and the covert South American operations of the 1980s and beyond, this is the story of a family and a nation in crisis.

About the Author

Jeremy Shonick grew up in New York and Los Angeles. A former high school history teacher, he spent four years researching the events that form the background to this story. He currently works as a Teacher/Supervisor of Student Teachers in History at UC Santa Cruz. He lives with his wife in Santa Cruz, California. They have three grown children.