Plot Summary

Prisoner Without a Name, Cell Without a Number

Jacobo Timerman
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Prisoner Without a Name, Cell Without a Number

Nonfiction | Autobiography / Memoir | Adult | Published in 1981

Book Brief

Jacobo Timerman

Prisoner Without a Name, Cell Without a Number

Nonfiction | Autobiography / Memoir | Adult | Published in 1981
Book Details
Pages

164

Format

Autobiography / Memoir • Nonfiction

Setting

Argentina • 1970s

Publication Year

1981

Audience

Adult

Recommended Reading Age

18+ years

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Super Short Summary

Prisoner Without a Name, Cell Without a Number is a memoir by Jacobo Timerman that recounts his arrest, torture, and imprisonment by the Argentine military police under dictator Jorge Rafael Videla from 1977 to 1979. The book reveals the brutal conditions he endured and witnessed during Argentina's "Dirty War" and highlights the state's anti-Semitism and oppressive tactics against perceived dissidents. This memoir contains descriptions of graphic torture and family-related trauma.

Dark

Unnerving

Challenging

Mysterious

Contemplative

Reviews & Readership

4.3

651 ratings

73%

Loved it

20%

Mixed feelings

7%

Not a fan

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Review Roundup

Jacobo Timerman's Prisoner Without a Name, Cell Without a Number is a powerful memoir that captures the harrowing experience of political imprisonment in Argentina. Critics praise its raw, compelling narrative and vivid depiction of human rights abuses. However, some readers find its structure fragmented. Overall, it is an essential, albeit distressing, read on tyranny and resistance.

Who should read this

Who Should Read Prisoner Without a Name, Cell Without a Number?

Ideal for readers interested in political memoirs, human rights, and historical narratives, Prisoner Without a Name, Cell Without a Number by Jacobo Timerman will resonate with fans of Night by Elie Wiesel and The Gulag Archipelago by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. This book combines personal anguish with a powerful critique of authoritarian regimes.

4.3

651 ratings

73%

Loved it

20%

Mixed feelings

7%

Not a fan

Book Details
Pages

164

Format

Autobiography / Memoir • Nonfiction

Setting

Argentina • 1970s

Publication Year

1981

Audience

Adult

Recommended Reading Age

18+ years

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