Are people in Guatemala still enduring the same deplorable treatment that led to the writing of GRAVE SECRETS?
KR: Guatemala is a spectacular country filled with beautiful, warm, hard working people. Unfortunately, it is a place experiencing many of the problems faced by emerging, third world countries. Although things seem to be much better than they were during the long years of civil war, there is still a great deal of poverty in many areas. The recent signs of renewed repression are not encouraging. BRC: At one point Tempe gives Ryan a lecture on the beneficial possibilities of stem cell research. Were you deliberately making a point about the US being too cautious in engaging in this research? KR: I believe that stem cell research holds great promise for an enormous number of people suffering form wide ranging medical problems. While some breakthroughs have occurred since the writing of GRAVE SECRETS, involving adult stem cells derived from skin, my research convinced me that work with the embryonic form should go forward and be funded. BRC: The repartee between Tempe and Ryan is so engagi
