Historias Unknown

What They Stole with Paige Towers

What They Stole by Paige Towers blends together a true crime case from her hometown, a familicide, geopolitics, history, and so much more. The synopsis: In 1955, following the devastation of the Korean War, Bertha and Harry Holt made headlines for adopting eight Korean children. Driven by evangelical convictions and emboldened by a special act of Congress, the couple founded the Holt Adoption Program, which would facilitate the migration of tens of thousands of Korean children to the United States over the following decades. The Sueppels were among the families profoundly shaped by the legacy of the Holt Adoption Program. To their suburban Iowa City community, Steven and Sheryl Sueppel were kind and charitable, humble yet magnetic—seemingly ideal candidates to adopt. But in 2008, when Steven found himself facing federal embezzlement and money laundering charges, he murdered Sheryl and their adopted children before ending his own life. Paige Towers traces the interwoven histories of the Holts and the Sueppels, exploring the deeper, often hidden complexities of intercountry adoption: the ethical gray zones, the influences of religion and race, and the global inequalities that made such large—scale child migration possible. Meticulously researched and sensitive with its storytelling. Carmen and Cristina were joined by Paige to talk about her new book.  Follow her work here https://www.paigetowers.com/ [https://www.paigetowers.com/] Get the book from the University of Iowa Press [https://uipress.uiowa.edu/books/what-they-stole#accordion-book-type-heading-15531]or wherever you get books [https://bookshop.org/p/books/what-they-stole-a-familicide-rooted-in-intercountry-adoption-paige-towers/c2e6ee3bc72a71cd?ean=9781685970673&next=t&] Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/historias-unknown--6253658/support [https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/historias-unknown--6253658/support?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss].

He Was Imprisoned in the National Stadium for Eleven Days with Dr. Joseph Doherty

Joseph Doherty fulfilled a childhood dream when, after graduating high school and joining Maryknoll, a Catholic missionary society, he was assigned to work in Chile. He was present for the coup, in 1973, when the military overthrew the government of President Salvador Allende. Arrested by DINA, the secret police, he was imprisoned in the National Stadium for eleven days before being expelled from the country. CHILE: EMBERS OF THE PAST is the story of what took place before and during his expulsion as well as his time in El Salvador, where he was reassigned. His book also recounts, how in 2001 he accompanied Joyce Horman, widow of Charles Horman, whom the Chilean military executed, and returned to Chile to testify against various military officials. Leaving Maryknoll in 1975 he obtained his doctorate in psychology. He returns to visit his friends in Chile as often as he can. Carmen and Cristina were joined by Dr. Joseph Doherty. He discussed his book, as well as what it was like to live through the coup and the National Stadium. Get the book here:  https://a.co/d/09FtCrDQ [https://a.co/d/09FtCrDQ] If you have topic suggestions, feel free to email Historiasunknownpodcast@gmail.com or use the contact us form on the website https://www.historiasunknown.com/contact/ [https://www.historiasunknown.com/contact/] Want ad free episodes? And weekly bonus episodes? Support Historias Unknown on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/HistoriasUnknownPodcast [https://www.patreon.com/HistoriasUnknownPodcast] By joining, you can help Historias Unknown donate 20% funds to mutual aid.  Follow on social media: Instagram: https : //www.instagram.com/historiasunknown/ [https://www.instagram.com/historiasunknown/] Threads: https://www.threads.net/@historiasunknown [https://www.threads.net/@historiasunknown] Substack: https://substack.com/@historiasunknown [https://substack.com/@historiasunknown] Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/historias-unknown--6253658/support [https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/historias-unknown--6253658/support?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss].

The Other Side of the Bracero Story with Irvin Ibargüen

Caught in the Current: Mexico's Struggle to Regulate Emigration, 1940–1980 is a pioneering analysis of Mexico’s efforts to curb the outflow of its citizens to the United States. It spotlights the miscalculation of Mexican authorities, who believed they could restrain migration at will—particularly when it provoked social chaos, drained the domestic labor pool, or produced egregious cases of migrant abuse. Mexico’s counter-migratory policies, both those based on coercion and incentives, repeatedly collapsed. Mexican migrants resisted restrictions, U.S. authorities refused to cooperate, and Mexican officials ultimately lacked resolve. As the migration swelled, it slipped beyond Mexico’s control. What was once seen as a looming source of disorder, depletion, and disgrace became naturalized as an irreversible fact of national life. Follow Irvin Ibarguen's work and get his book here: https://www.irvinibarguen.com/ [https://www.irvinibarguen.com/] If you have topic suggestions, feel free to email Historiasunknownpodcast@gmail.com or use the contact us form on the website https://www.historiasunknown.com/contact/ [https://www.historiasunknown.com/contact/] Want ad free episodes? And weekly bonus episodes? Support Historias Unknown on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/HistoriasUnknownPodcast [https://www.patreon.com/HistoriasUnknownPodcast] By joining, you can help Historias Unknown donate 20% funds to charity. Follow on social media: Instagram: https : //www.instagram.com/historiasunknown/ Threads: https://www.threads.net/@historiasunknown [https://www.threads.net/@historiasunknown] Substack: https://substack.com/@historiasunknown [https://substack.com/@historiasunknown?utm_campaign=profile&utm_medium=profile-page] Historias Unknown is on YouTube now! https://youtube.com/@historiasunknown?si=_rmuVXrSQhs5R1bg [https://youtube.com/@historiasunknown?si=_rmuVXrSQhs5R1bg] Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/historias-unknown--6253658/support [https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/historias-unknown--6253658/support?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss].

Berta Caceres Part 4

Berta Cáceres was a Lenca indigenous leader, an environmental activist, and a human rights defender. But she was also so much more than that: a beauty pageant queen, a revolutionary, and a mother. In part 4, Cristina tells Carmen about the harassment and constant surveillance Berta faced before her murder, her murder, the trial and what the latest GIEI report on her case revealed.  If you have topic suggestions, feel free to email Historiasunknownpodcast@gmail.com or use the contact us form on the website https://www.historiasunknown.com/contact/ [https://www.historiasunknown.com/contact/] Want ad free episodes? And weekly bonus episodes? Support Historias Unknown on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/HistoriasUnknownPodcast [https://www.patreon.com/HistoriasUnknownPodcast] By joining, you can help Historias Unknown donate 20% funds to charity. This month's donation went to CLEAN, carwash worker center, an org that has been helping car wash workers who are unable to leave their homes due to increasing ICE raids in LA county, by providing groceries to over 200 car wash workers. Follow @carwasherxs on instagram Follow on social media: Instagram: https : //www.instagram.com/historiasunknown/ Threads: https://www.threads.net/@historiasunknown [https://www.threads.net/@historiasunknown] Substack: https://substack.com/@historiasunknown [https://substack.com/@historiasunknown?utm_campaign=profile&utm_medium=profile-page] Historias Unknown is on YouTube now! https://youtube.com/@historiasunknown?si=_rmuVXrSQhs5R1bg [https://youtube.com/@historiasunknown?si=_rmuVXrSQhs5R1bg] Sources Who Killed Berta Caceres? Dams, Death Squads, and an Indigenous Defender’s Battle for the Planet by Nina Lakhani https://archive.ph/BsiZB#selection-3399.94-3399.248 [https://archive.ph/BsiZB#selection-3399.94-3399.248] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berta_C%C3%A1ceres [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berta_C%C3%A1ceres] https://english.elpais.com/international/2026-03-02/berta-caceres-and-the-resistance-that-was-born-under-an-oak-tree.html [https://english.elpais.com/international/2026-03-02/berta-caceres-and-the-resistance-that-was-born-under-an-oak-tree.html] https://elpais.com/elpais/2016/03/04/planeta_futuro/1457113234_162700.html [https://elpais.com/elpais/2016/03/04/planeta_futuro/1457113234_162700.html] https://www.gaipe.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Represa-de-Violencia-ES-FINAL-.pdf [https://www.gaipe.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Represa-de-Violencia-ES-FINAL-.pdf] https://www.internationalrivers.org/news/remembering-river-defender-berta-caceres/ [https://www.internationalrivers.org/news/remembering-river-defender-berta-caceres/] https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/case/honduras-berta-caceres-killed [https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/case/honduras-berta-caceres-killed] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jun/21/berta-caceres-name-honduran-military-hitlist-former-soldier [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jun/21/berta-caceres-name-honduran-military-hitlist-former-soldier] Berta Caceres Goldman acceptance speech, 2015 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AR1kwx8b0ms&t=3s] https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/press-release/2016/03/honduras-deep-failures-in-investigation-into-activist-s-killing-put-many-at-risk/ [https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/press-release/2016/03/honduras-deep-failures-in-investigation-into-activist-s-killing-put-many-at-risk/] https://www.oas.org/en/IACHR/ [https://www.oas.org/en/IACHR/jsForm/?File=/en/iachr/media_center/PReleases/2026/006.asp&utm_content=country-hnd&utm_term=class-ip] https://www.law.berkeley.edu/experiential/clinics/human-rights-clinic/projects-and-cases/featured-reports-and-projects/the-giei-honduras-report-on-the-murder-of-berta-caceres/ [https://www.law.berkeley.edu/experiential/clinics/human-rights-clinic/projects-and-cases/featured-reports-and-projects/the-giei-honduras-report-on-the-murder-of-berta-caceres/] Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/historias-unknown--6253658/support [https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/historias-unknown--6253658/support?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss].

Berta Caceres Part 3

Berta Cáceres was a Lenca indigenous leader, an environmental activist, and a human rights defender. But she was also so much more than that: a beauty pageant queen, a revolutionary (she joined the FMLN during the Salvadoran Civil War), and a mother. In part three, Cristina tells Carmen about the conditions that led to the Agua Zarca Dam Project. If you have topic suggestions, feel free to email Historiasunknownpodcast@gmail.com or use the contact us form on the website https://www.historiasunknown.com/contact/ [https://www.historiasunknown.com/contact/] Want ad free episodes? And weekly bonus episodes? Support Historias Unknown on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/HistoriasUnknownPodcast [https://www.patreon.com/HistoriasUnknownPodcast] By joining, you can help Historias Unknown donate 20% funds to charity. This month's donation went to CLEAN, carwash worker center, an org that has been helping car wash workers who are unable to leave their homes due to increasing ICE raids in LA county, by providing groceries to over 200 car wash workers. Follow @carwasherxs on instagram Follow on social media: Instagram: https : //www.instagram.com/historiasunknown/ Threads: https://www.threads.net/@historiasunknown [https://www.threads.net/@historiasunknown] Substack: https://substack.com/@historiasunknown [https://substack.com/@historiasunknown?utm_campaign=profile&utm_medium=profile-page] Historias Unknown is on YouTube now! https://youtube.com/@historiasunknown?si=_rmuVXrSQhs5R1bg [https://youtube.com/@historiasunknown?si=_rmuVXrSQhs5R1bg] Sources Who Killed Berta Caceres? Dams, Death Squads, and an Indigenous Defender’s Battle for the Planet by Nina Lakhani  https://archive.ph/BsiZB#selection-3399.94-3399.248 [https://archive.ph/BsiZB#selection-3399.94-3399.248] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berta_C%C3%A1ceres [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berta_C%C3%A1ceres] https://english.elpais.com/international/2026-03-02/berta-caceres-and-the-resistance-that-was-born-under-an-oak-tree.html [https://english.elpais.com/international/2026-03-02/berta-caceres-and-the-resistance-that-was-born-under-an-oak-tree.html] https://elpais.com/elpais/2016/03/04/planeta_futuro/1457113234_162700.html [https://elpais.com/elpais/2016/03/04/planeta_futuro/1457113234_162700.html] https://www.gaipe.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Represa-de-Violencia-ES-FINAL-.pdf [https://www.gaipe.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Represa-de-Violencia-ES-FINAL-.pdf] https://www.internationalrivers.org/news/remembering-river-defender-berta-caceres/ [https://www.internationalrivers.org/news/remembering-river-defender-berta-caceres/] https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/case/honduras-berta-caceres-killed [https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/case/honduras-berta-caceres-killed] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jun/21/berta-caceres-name-honduran-military-hitlist-former-soldier [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jun/21/berta-caceres-name-honduran-military-hitlist-former-soldier] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_Honduran_coup_d%27%C3%A9tat#Zelaya's_detention_and_exile [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_Honduran_coup_d%27%C3%A9tat#Zelaya's_detention_and_exile] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porfirio_Lobo_Sosa#U.S._drug_trafficking_case_against_Fabio_Lobo [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porfirio_Lobo_Sosa#U.S._drug_trafficking_case_against_Fabio_Lobo] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Orlando_Hern%C3%A1ndez [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Orlando_Hern%C3%A1ndez] Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/historias-unknown--6253658/support [https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/historias-unknown--6253658/support?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss].