Wondering if anyone has any recommendations for books coving the Central American crises from 1960 to 1996 in Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua, in addition to their origins and aftermath. More or less, I'm curious about the nature of the conflicts and American involvement in them, particularly the exploits of the CIA as they intensified during the Reagan years.
I'm currently working on an undergraduate research project on the Guatemalan Civil War from 1960 to 1976 or so. One particularly useful primer has been Timothy P. Wickham-Crowley's Guerillas and Revolution in Latin America. He notes marked similarities and differences between the revolutionary movements throughout Latin America and the Caribbean as well as the regimes that sought to stamp them out.
His bibliography is pretty damned useful as well!
Edit: I changed Central to Latin America.
I read a book about a year ago called "The Last Years of the Monroe Doctrine". Very interesting stuff. It's about all of Latin America, but it still has a heavy focus on Central America and the Caribbean. It ranges from 1945-1993 and covers most of the major US involvements like Guatemala, Cuba, Chile, Nicaragua, El Salvador and more. I strongly recommend it for your field of interest.