Super Short Summary

In What You Have Heard Is True, Carolyn Forché recounts her experiences in El Salvador during the late 1970s as the country edged toward civil war. Invited by activist Leonel Gómez Vides, Forché encounters the harsh realities of war and poverty, meeting various individuals affected by the conflict. Her observations form the basis for her poetry of witness, emphasizing the power of poetry in social advocacy. The memoir includes harrowing depictions of violence, poverty, and systemic corruption.