The Silence and the Scorpion

The Silence and the Scorpion (Spanish: El Silencio y el Escorpión) is a book written by Brian A. Nelson and published in 2009 about the 2002 Venezuelan coup attempt.

The Silence and the Scorpion

Cover of the book
Author	Brian A. Nelson
Language	English Spanish
Subject	2002 Venezuelan coup attempt
Publisher	Nation Books
Publication date	2009
Media type	Print
Pages	341
ISBN	1568586868

Book

American academic Brian A. Nelson came into contact with Venezuela since 1989, learning about its contemporary history, and returned to the country in mid-2002 to research about the events of the April 2002 Venezuelan coup attempt. Nelson's perspective, initially a strong supporter of President Hugo Chávez, gradually shifted after conducting multiple interviews and researching about the events.^[1]

Reception

The book was described by Alfonso Molina in his book 2002, el año que vivimos en las calles as "one of the most complete investigations on the 2002 coup attempt, as well as one of the most consulted texts on the subject".^[1] It was chosen as one of Economist's Books of the Year in 2009.^[2]

Further reading

• Langue, Frédérique (2010-01-06). "Brian A. Nelson, The Silence and the Scorpion. The Coup against Chávez and the Making of Modern Venezuela, New York, Nation Books, 2009, 355 p." Nouveaux Mondes Mondes Nouveaux (in Spanish). doi:10.4000/nuevomundo.58381. ISSN 1626-0252.