The Water Defenders: How Ordinary People Saved a Country from Corporate Greed

In their acclaimed book The Water Defenders, Robin Broad and John Cavanagh told the story of activists in San Isidro, El Salvador, who fought multinational mining corporation OceanaGold and won--protecting their drinking water and environment from irreparable harm--despite great personal danger. Now, Jon Sack's captivating graphic adaptation brings the story to new audiences and with new urgency, as environmental progress and human rights remain under assault around the world. The book is also updated to address Salvadoran dictator Nayib Bukele's ascent and the subsequent arrests of five water defenders.

Initially excited by the company's promises of jobs and prosperity, farmer Vidalina Morales, brothers Marcelo and Miguel Rivera, and others soon realized that the trade-off was catastrophic contamination of El Salvador's main source of fresh water. Facing corporate machinations and violence, the ordinary people of San Isidro and surrounding communities built a transnational coalition that prevailed over powerful adversaries to score an environmental victory with worldwide repercussions.

Broad and Cavanagh draw on over a decade of research, interviews, and experience as allies and experts in international development to recount the harrowing saga. A blueprint for civic bravery and local-to-global activism, as well as a rich history of Central America's political conflicts and people's fights against environmental and economic exploitation, this story will inspire anyone who feels helpless against corporate malfeasance.

Author: Robin Broad,John Cavanagh
Publisher: Mad Creek Books
Published: 05/11/2026
Pages: 144
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.05lbs
Size: 9.90h x 7.00w x 0.40d
ISBN: 9780814259689


Review Citation(s):
Booklist 05/01/2026

About the Author
Robin Broad (Author) Robin Broad is a two-time MacArthur fellow and won a Guggenheim fellowship for her work surrounding mining in El Salvador. A research professor at American University, she served as an international economist in the US Department of the Treasury, in the US Congress, and at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Broad and her husband, John Cavanagh, helped build the network of global allies that spearheaded the fight against mining in El Salvador. They have coauthored several books together. John Cavanagh (Author) John Cavanagh is senior advisor for and former director of the Washington, DC-based Institute for Policy Studies, an organization that collaborates with the Poor People's Campaign and other dynamic social movements to turn ideas into action for peace, justice, and the environment. Previously, he worked with the United Nations to research corporate power. Cavanagh and his wife, Robin Broad, helped build the network of global allies that spearheaded the fight against mining in El Salvador. They have coauthored several books together. Jon Sack (Illustrator) Jon Sack is a US- and UK-based artist and writer. His comic books include La Lucha, which is about violence in Juárez and the lawyers working to combat it, and Iraqi Oil for Beginners, about the complicated history of oil in Iraq, as well as My Fairy Godfather and Windows on the World.