“The Dark Side of Memory: Uruguay’s Disappeared Children and the Families that Never Stopped Searching” by Tessa Bridal is now available for purchase

“The Dark Side of Memory: Uruguay’s Disappeared Children and the Families that Never Stopped Searching” by Tessa Bridal focuses on four implacable and tenacious women determined to find their disappeared children and grandchildren, even when searching for them endangered their own lives and freedom Proudly published by Citi of Books, this book is now available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other major retail platforms.

Tessa Bridal was born and raised in Uruguay. After moving to Washington, DC with her mother and sister, she began writing as a means of dealing with the psychological impacts of immigration and displacement. She eventually moved to London and completed a three-year course in theatre arts, with a focus on acting and directing. 

She later married and moved to Minnesota, where her two daughters, Anna and Kate, were born. Bridal went on to develop a career using theatre in museums—an educational and interpretive technique she was instrumental in developing and for which she became widely recognized in the museum field. While at the Science Museum of Minnesota, she was awarded the American Alliance of Museums’ Excellence in Practice Award, which recognizes an individual who demonstrates exemplary service to the public through the practice of education in museums. 

Bridal also led interpretive programs at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis and the Monterey Bay Aquarium. She is the author of two books on the use of theatre in museums: Exploring Museum Theatre and Effective Exhibit Interpretation and Design. 

Her first novel The Tree of Red Stars won the Milkweed Prize for Fiction, the Friends of American Writers Fiction Prize, and was translated into several languages. River of Painted Birds (Río de los pájaros pintados) is her second novel and will be released both in English and Spanish. 

“The Dark Side of Memory: Uruguay’s Disappeared Children and the Families that Never Stopped Searching” explores the devastating impact of the disappearances of children and adults during the Cold War era. The book chronicles the plight of families whose loved ones were captured or kidnapped by military and paramilitary forces, leaving no official record of their fate. It particularly focuses on the relentless efforts of four women who dedicated their lives to searching for their disappeared children and grandchildren, even at great personal risk. Their stories are a testament to their unwavering determination and courage in the face of government repression.

The disappearances described in the book were part of a broader international conspiracy that involved not only the abduction of minors but also political assassinations across several countries. The men responsible for these atrocities were connected to a network that operated from the Americas to Europe, carrying out covert operations with backing from various state powers. The book highlights how these women fought not only for their families but against an oppressive system that sought to erase their existence from history.

Bridal presents the personal accounts of these families through dialogue based on firsthand testimonies and credible sources. While some documentary evidence was unverifiable, the author uses literary license to present a more accessible and emotionally resonant narrative. The book aims to make the complex political, historical, and social contexts of the time more comprehensible to readers unfamiliar with Latin American history or the specifics of the Cold War-era repression.

The text also provides insight into cultural and naming conventions in Latin America, where children typically have two first names and two surnames. This adds an additional layer of complexity when recounting the disappeared, as many individuals are referred to by multiple variations of their names. Bridal’s narrative serves as a poignant reminder of the human cost of political violence and the enduring strength of those who refuse to forget or give up on their loved ones.