The Death of Ben Linder: The Story of a North American in Sandinista Nicaragua

In 1987, the death of Ben Linder, the first American killed by President Reagan's "freedom fighters" — the U.S.-backed Nicaraguan Contras — ignited a firestorm of protest and debate. In this landmark first biography of Linder, investigative journalist Joan Kruckewitt tells his story.
In the summer of 1983, a 23-year-old American named Ben Linder arrived in Managua with a unicycle and a newly earned degree in engineering. In 1986, Linder moved from Managua to El Cuá, a village in the Nicar…