Central America Books

this is a book passed along to me from some friends, who picked it up at the local Goodwill store. it sat on my bookshelf for three years before I picked it up, finally. what an amazing gift and treasure - this book opens your eyes to a world which is simply incredible, magic, unbelievable and yet, yet - - - you know it's real and true and entirely possible. I will now endeavor to read anything written by loren ("lowen, over") mcintyre, the great explorer, and petru popescu, the weaver of the tale. what a great, wild, fantastical adventure!

After reading Popescu's Amazon Beaming the world does'nt look the same. All the New Age "rubbish" appears to be just superficial while Popescu and McIntyre reveal the truth so clearly. While following Mr. McIntyre's journey to the source of the very beginning of Time, to the source of Amazon, to his own source, the reader discovers his very own inner source. Accompanied with this knowledge he is also able to understand better the native tribes throughout the world and the importance to rescue them by just leave them in peace. My deepest thanks to Mr. Popescu and surely to Mr. McIntyre ("Tayah")

There have been several prominent books and journal articles on Japan's postwar economic success (my personal favorite is The Misunderstood Miracle: Industrial Development and Political Change in Japan (Cornell Studies in Political Economy)). However, understanding the true nature of this flourishing is a somewhat different matter. While Friedman addresses the ECONOMIC aspects, Fosberg ably addresses the political and diplomatic aspects.

Prior to the War, Japan had been a major industrial power, and while a stupendous amount of plant and materiel had been physically destroyed by Allied bombing, it was clear that Japan possessed the trained personnel and deepened industrial institutions to recover. What was not clear, however, was if the US political establishment had the will or vision to help out.

Political establishments are heterogenous things, with complicated networks of competing and colluding interests; and while this is something so obvious it ought to be vapid, it's a point usually overlooked by ideologically zealous historians. For those interested in a serious, well-documented treatment of how the network of myriad US interests coalesced towards a strategy of helping Japan develop, and then integrate into the US economic sphere, this is a good beginning.

Students of economics will possibly be perturbed because Forsberg does not strictly adhere to neoliberal economic orthodoxy. This book tends towards neutrality on controversial issues in development economics, and rather, deals with what actors expected to happen as a result of the policies they pursued. So, for example, for much of the period covered the US Congress wavered between accommodating Japanese home markets protection (for the purpose of defeating Communism in the region) and demanding that the Japanese authorities open their market to US goods. An orthodox economist might object that protecting domestic markets was a stupid "payout" for either Japanese or US constituencies generally, but the point is that in 1950 very few political actors anywhere thought such things.

In general, the account tends to be fairly favorable to the US polity in terms of "generosity" (in this case, willingness to sacrifice short-term regional preferences for long-term success in the project of Japanese development), and emphasizes the success of Japanese industry interests in protecting specific markets. At the same time, the difficulty of getting the US polity to support Japanese economic recovery is not ignored. The terms of the bilateral agreements with Japan were sometimes one-sided, allowing the USA bases without commitments to actually defend Japan. Partly this was an ugly byproduct of the fact that Japan had become a US client by virtue of defeat in a war; but it also reflected internal divsions in the Japanese polity over the relationship with the USA.

In any respects, the book is an outstanding companion to the above-mentioned Friedman book on the economics of Japan's development. While Friedman emphasizes the overlooked entreprenuerial aspect, Forsberg explains the institutional and diplomatic aspect that actually prevailed. Readers of varing ideological or economic dogmas may draw their own conclusions based on what actually followed.

in my world history class i was doing a project on the japanese economic miracle after world war ii. this was the main source of information i used. i thought that this book was full of information involving the japanese and their sturggle to gain economic success. this book also taught me a lot about how the americans felt about the japanese. although in war they were enemies, after the war, since the US occupied Japan, due to their help, the japanese were able to get the success they wanted. if you are working on a project or just want to know about the japanese economic miracle, then i strongly suggest this book.

This book fills a significant gap in the historical record on philanthropy and the rise of civil society in the United States. Kathleen McCarthy's writing meets the highest standards of scholarship, in a very readable and enjoyable style that will appeal to a broad audience. It should be on the "must-read" list for all nonprofit researchers, practitioners, and students of philanthropy!

This is an important book. It offers a novel and compelling explanation of America's early democratic development that suggests a much greater role for the non-governmental sector than previous studies have suggested.

The author throws light on some neglected corners of American development, such as the role of non-governmental organizations run by blacks and women. After reading this book, no one will look on non-governmental efforts in quite the same way. Their energy and vision were essential not only in making America a more decent country but also, surprisingly, a much more prosperous one.

The book describes everything about the furtrade in the American west.It describes the hunters and trappers,the history of the furtrade west from 1807 to 1843,the Santa Fe trade,how the western country looked like and the indians.It was very interesting because it described so much.It should have described the hunters equipment better.

The book describes everything about the furtrade in the American west.It describes the hunters and trappers,the history of the furtrade west from 1807 to 1843,the Santa Fe trade,how the western country looked like and the indians.It was very interesting because it described so much.It should have described the hunters equipment better.

Given the current focus on the mistreatment and torture of detainees in Iraq, Guantanamo and elsewhere and the debate over the origins of this abhorrent behavior, this is a very timely book. As well as describing the Kafkaesque intricacies of recent Immigration law, Dow documents the mistreatment of non-criminal detainees, showing that the abuse of human beings in detention has a long and institutionalized history within the United States. This book is further argument against the Bush Administration's insistence that the recent prisoner abuses in Iraq are isolated incidents, perpertrated by a few low-level prison guards. In fact, it is a reflection of common practice in a penal system that is as much out of control as the Iraq war situation. Dow writes with remarkable clarity, while treating both the incarcerated and their guards with humanity and respect. It is long past time that this secret world of incarceration has been brought into the light. Congratulations to Mr. Dow!

immigration practice and policy is america's deep, dark secret. people are detained indefinitely for reasons that are often trivial and sometimes non-existent. this book shines a light into immigration policy and the detention facilities where noncitizens are held. everybody interested in how our justice system treats noncitizens should read this book. democrat or republican, conservative or liberal, this book will outrage you.

this book gives great information for anyone interested in learning more about the history of native american tribes and the double standard our legal and legislative systems have caused.

The book was recived in excellent condition and in a very timely manner.

A great read on why we need to work to protect the wilderness we have now. It is such a small part of our public lands. Not for preservation but for use, study, admiration and protection for future Americans.

American Wilderness is a great textbook to study the history of US wilderness idea. This book provides a great supporting response to William Cronon's criticism on the modern wilderness idea of America; the insightful articles reveal that Americans have contructed their own wilderness idealism with religious, political, economic, and cultural tools. Despite of the American distinct feature in viewing nature (preservation of wilderness), the idea of preservation was spred to other countries as if it is a universial consensus. If Cronon's criticism mainly focuses on the domestic relationship between urban areas and untouched wilderness, this book reveals the troubles of American wilderness idea in the international context. In the end, Michael Lewis (somewhat indirectly and arguably) suggests Aldo Leopold's Land Ethics as the alternative solution. The whole book has a great logic and is highly recommended to any readers who have knowledges in wilderness conservation-preservation.

Excellent story and photographs of a real little boy's life in the rain forest. Particularly useful for teachers to integrate science, social studies, even a math component, as students may calculate the amount of sap needed for a 90 pound ball of rubber, etc. I also liked the facing pages of historical information. For younger children, the focus can simply be on Antonio's own story. Older students may read more details of the historical struggle to gain economic independence and preserve the forest. The historical background and the dangers of daily life are recounted in a matter-of-fact manner, giving a realistic and yet over all positive view of the lives of people who are conserving the beauty of the forest and their way of life. I am delighted to find this book is still available! A colleague who searched for it typed "Rainforest" as one word, and found nothing. "Antonio's Rain Forest" really is something. I highly recommend it.

Antonio's Rain Forest is an outstanding contribution to anyschool or community library collection on nature, ecology, and livingin the Amazon rainforest for young readers. Beautiful photographs by Edward Parker showcase this picturebook adaptation of Anna Lewington's original text. Children are informed of the economic value and history of the rainforest and its rubber plantations as 8 year old Antonio Jose describes the life and work of his family who make a simple living from their surroundings. Portuguese words are provided with pronunciation guides. Highly recommended.

This book is very finely done! The pictures are excellent, the information is very educational.

Danial Fox has written a very informative book that I would highly recommend to anyone intrested in Great Plains arrowheads.I found the section on lithic materials very helpful and the pictures of artifacts fantastic. It's packed cover to cover with good information.

"Honest, straightforward and audacious" is how the author describes Che Guevara, the Argentine who along with Fidel Castro led the Cuban revolution to victory. Such description is the polar opposite of the dishonest, double-speaking and cowardly character of imperialist leaders in Che's time: Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon, as well as today: Bush, Clinton and Bush. Some of who used their wealth and privileges to evade the fire of war. All of who glibly sent young people off to slaughter others or be killed while trying to protect the interests of the ruling rich.

This 36-page pamphlet, including the excellent footnotes and photographs, is a wonderful introduction to the Cuban revolution and its foreign policy. It is made up of easy-to-read interviews with "Pombo" - Harry Villegas, brigadier general in the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Cuba who fought alongside Che during the final battles of the Cuban revolution as well as with freedom fighters in the Congo and Bolivia.

Additional reading: Cuba and the Coming American Revolution by Jack Barnes; Our History is still being written by Armando Choy; Capitalism's Long Hot Winter Has Begun by Jack Barnes.

One way to measure the Cuban Revolution is to look at the women and men it produces. This pamphlet does just that. It both tells us about Harry Villegas's amazing life and gives us a number of his insights. Villegas (also known as Pombo) joined the Revolution as a working class youth in rural Cuba. Since then, his life has been dedicated to world solidarity, frequently risking his life. Pombo served at the side of Che Guevara in Cuba, Africa, and Bolivia. After Che was executed by the CIA, Pombo led a small band of Cubans in a courageous escape from Bolivia. After that, he served in Angola as part of the Cuban force that helped defeat the invasion by apartheid South Africa. What a life! This man and his insights are a true reflection of the Cuban revolution and its incredible record of solidarity with the oppressed. While Amazon may say this book is not available from time to time, it is always available from booksfrompathfinder store listed under new and used at the top of this page.