WEBVTT

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So this, I'm going to
read from a new book

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that I've been working
on, what is-- whatever.

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I've been working on it forever.

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God knows, when it's
going to happen.

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But this is Bloodletters: An
Amateur Mayanist's Field Journal.

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And it's a book, in progress,
about a narrator obsessed

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with the ancient Maya, of
what is now Central America.

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They were the creators of
the first writing system

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in the Western hemisphere.

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Only four of their
books still exist.

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The narrator has
roots in New York,

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and Honduras, homes of
deteriorating empires,

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new and old.

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So the first one, I'll
read without pictures.

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"Fruit Survivor."

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I've known all the
survivors of the depths,

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was raised by them,

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put in my place by them.

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Happyland survivor.

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Hurricane Fifi survivor.

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Hurricane Mitch survivor.

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Hurricane Eta, Iota survivor.

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Double hurricane survivor.

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First coup in the 21st century
in Latin America survivor.

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First coup in 20 years in
Latin America survivor.

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Iran-contra survivor.

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'80s counterinsurgency-based
survivor.

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Secret Vietnam survivor.

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Caravan survivor.

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Soccer war survivor.

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100 hours war survivor.

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Banana plantation survivor.

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United Fruit, Standard Fruit,
Cuyamel Fruit survivor.

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Every American president in
the 20th century survivor.

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Every Honduran president in
the 20th century survivor.

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Northern Triangle survivors.

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Murder capital of
the world survivors.

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Border caged child survivors.

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Backward, invisible,
forgotten, erased survivor.

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Always spoken of but
never spoken to survivor.

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Wouldn't speak to
you anyway survivor.

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Trauma is a joke survivor.

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Slur survivor, slurvivor,

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Serve survivor.

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Not from here or there survivor.

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Never enough survivor.

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No one knows who you are.

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And when you tell them,

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They don't believe
you because it's not

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their idea of who
you are survivor.

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No one really cares survivor.

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A survivor of surviving.

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A survivor of survivors.

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