In Episode 16, we turn to Argentina’s Dirty War — a period marked by forced disappearances, censorship, and the quiet complicity of powerful institutions. This episode explores what happens when belief curdles into betrayal, and what silence costs when lives are at stake.

We begin with The Jacarandas by Mark Whittle, a haunting work of historical fiction that follows Daniel, a university student turned federal police infiltrator. As the regime grows more brutal, Daniel’s loyalty unravels, leading to devastating consequences for those he once called friends. The novel traces the slow disintegration of conscience under authoritarian rule — and what’s left behind when guilt is no longer enough.

Next, we turn to A Theology of Liberation by Gustavo Gutiérrez, the foundational text of a movement that sought to align Catholicism with the fight for social justice. Liberation Theology called for the Church to stand with the poor and the oppressed — but in Argentina, it was quickly crushed by a regime that viewed faith as a threat when it dared to speak.

Finally, we look at The Catholic Church and Argentina’s Dirty War by Gustavo Morello, which documents how the Church’s silence — and at times, its cooperation — enabled the disappearance, torture, and murder of thousands. In a country where faith shaped the fabric of daily life, that silence became its own kind of answer.

Together, these books ask hard questions: What happens when ideology is used to justify cruelty? When institutions protect themselves at the expense of the people they claim to serve? And when history looks back, who is held accountable — and who still remains unheard?