In 1954, during the height of the Cold War, the CIA carried out a coup to overthrow the first democratically-elected president in Guatemala. In the months leading up to the coup, the CIA Station Chief in Guatemala City was Grossinger's grandfather. Dying long before Grossinger was born, his presence still loomed like a mythological creature throughout much of her childhood. Serpent Tongue explores Guatemalan history through the lenses of power, identity and memory.