Central America Books

I'm the guy who updated and revised the Belize section of this new Fodor's guide. Some things have changed since the book went to press. I'll be glad to try to answer questions about Belize if you'll e-mail me at bzefirst@aol.com.

--Lan Sluder

I'm the guy who updated and revised the Belize section of this new Fodor's guide. Some things have changed since the book went to press. I'll be glad to try to answer questions about Belize if you'll e-mail me at bzefirst@aol.com.

--Lan Sluder

(Planeta Journal) The Handbook looks better than ever. This 15th edition of this guide provides reliable information about general tourism as well profiles of national parks and reserves in Mexico and Central America. This is a terrific guide and the format is easy to follow. Colorful pictures and maps complement the text.

Footprint have produced a cracking guide to the region, i used this book day in and day out over 6 months and found it absolutely invaluable. It was especially good in taking me away from the crowds into some of the more remote and untouched areas of Mexico and Central America. This is a great value buy, incredibly well written and extremely informative - it won`t let you down!

Excellent, however, needs more on the answer to the question, Cuba

Excellent, however, needs more on the answer to the question, Cuba

Compiled and written by Lee Ellis, Free Tours, Museums, And Sites In America: Southern States Series is a solidly presented guide designed specifically for those seeking economical travel advice and entertainment suggestions in the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas. From zoos and botanical gardens, to wine and brewery tours, to national monuments, to scenic overlooks, to natural history museums, and more, this is a straightforward compendium of places to visit (complete with addresses, telephone numbers, brief descriptions, and other basic information), Free Tours, Museums, And Sites In America: Southern States Series is an excellent and recommended resource for planning vacations, road trips, and for anyone living in these fine southern states wanting to see something special during a day trip excursion, a weekend adventure, or an extended holiday experience.

Wisconsin-based author Lee Ellis knows that the only thing better than cheap is free. That premise is embraced by budget travelers, who will enjoy his new book, "Free Tours, Museums and Sites in America: Southern States Series." This edition covers all sorts of sightseeing in Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas, organized in alphabetical order by cities within state chapters. The book offers good free-admission finds such as the Museum of the Big Bend in Alpine, the Sid Richardson Collection of Western Art in Fort Worth and the Japanese Tea Garden in San Antonio's Brackenridge Park.

This book offers some very good, concise descriptions of eighteen lesser known fur trappers,traders and mountain men of the early American west. After reading several books on this subject myself,there were some names I never came across before who were very instrumental during this time period: James Kipp, Gabriel Franchere, William Laidlaw, David Dawson, William Gordon and John Sanford to mention a few. Each one of these men's lives had obstacles of hardships, disasters, frustrations, etc. to overcome and all had something to do with the founding and development of the early American west in one way or another. It was a fun book to read and the bibliographies in each chapter simply 'whet the appetite' to read more about these interesting early frontiersmen.

This is another volume culled from the 10-volume MOUNTAIN MEN AND THE FUR TRADE OF THE FAR WEST by LeRoy R. Hafen. The men chosen for inclusion here were all associated with the fur trade in the Upper Missouri region. Some of the trappers and traders dealt with are John F.A. Sanford, Charles Larpenteur, Alexander Culbertson, William Laidlaw, and J.B. Moncravie. Personalities run the gamut from honorable and intelligent (Moncravie and Kenneth McKenzie, for example) to brave and able (just about everybody). The biographies are encyclopedic: all known pertinent facts are given, but not expanded on. I wish for this volume Hafen had perhaps broadened the category for inclusion a bit, because the book is about half the length of companion volumes; most of the biographies are only a few pages long. Other than that, it's an excellent source for biographical information on important figures of the Upper Missouri trade.

As a recent transplant to the south, I found this book not only entertaining but extremely informative. Take two old men, several theories on gardening and an unlimited number of pages for arguing and you've got Gardening in the Humid South. Ed and Leon have never steered me wrong, and they're a hoot to boot!

Living in climates where the humidity is high, is as difficult on plants as it is humans. O'Rourke provides lots of useful information on creating gardens that withstand the challenge of heavy air.

Dans le royaume des incas, des cendres du volcan etaient-elles la cause de la faible recolte et de la faim? Cinq siecles apres, des cendres et la fumee du Nevado Sabancaya fondaient les versants glaces et enneiges du Mont Ampato. Alors deux alpinistes, le Dr Johan Reinhard et Miguel Zarate, reussissaient a y retrouver le corps d'une adolescente inca. L'auteur ecrit un conte pour dire pourquoi une jeune fille de 14 ans grimpait jusqu'au sommet du Mont Ampato. Chaque chapitre du conte est precede par des faits de la decouverte de la jolie Juanita. Quelle courageuse, mourante sacrifiee pour aider a sa communaute et, avec son corps bien momifie, a la science 500 ans plus tard.

Once upon a time, falling volcanic ash might have hurt community crops and led a brave teen to scale sacred Mount Ampato. Within the last decade, ash and smoke from Nevado Sabancaya melted slopes and led mountain climbers Johan Reinhard and Miguel Zarate to the 14-year-old's mummified body. Author Susan Vande Griek starts each chapter of her suspenseful short story with facts about finding Juanita. A GIFT FOR AMPATO also works as cultural background to Janet Buell's ICE MAIDEN OF THE ANDES, David Getz's FROZEN GIRL, Harriet Griffey's SECRETS OF THE MUMMIES, Nova's FROZEN IN HEAVEN video, and Dr Reinhard's DISCOVERING THE INCA ICE MAIDEN.

This is a great collection of stories. I have been reading it cover to cover and enjoy every story. Many of the stories are so well written that I can feel the wind and hear the meadowlarks that I remember from my childhood growing up near Wichita. I would recommend it for every Great Plains native and maybe for those who don't understand why anyone would want to live "out there."

This hefty (700+ pages) anthology, far-reaching in scope and viewpoint, attempts to reflect "the historical and contemporary experience of life on the Great Plains." It includes many different types of writings (short stories, memoir excerpts, essays, tribal accounts) from scores of different writers (Mark Twain, Maria Sandoz, Hamlin Garland, Garrison Keillor, Wright Morris, Louise Erdrich, to name only a few). The book's sections are organized around specific themes:

1) The lay of the land and natural history;
2) Natives and newcomers: these include Indian accounts of the first Europeans and early explorer impressions (Louis & Clark, Stephen Long, etc.);
3) Arriving and settling in: reflections of the first white settlers and the creating of communities.

Each passage is fully introduced by the editors in terms of its message and social/historical significance. The anthology provides a comprehensive overview of the Great Plains as a section of North America (Canada included) remarkable for its special, in some ways even unique, life offerings it gave to those who came in contact with it. Excellent for use in college survey courses dealing with the Plains, it's also an interesting book for anyone wanting to gleam insights on the region from a wide array of perspectives.

American childhood in the 1930s became a government policy ideal which was reinforced by cultural changes during the Great Depression, and represented the first period of time in which the federal government provided a legal definition of childhood dependency as extending from birth through age seventeen. Any studying children's rights or American childhood will want to make The Greatest Generation Grows Up: American Childhood In The 1930s a part of their reading reference collection: it details social and political forces which shaped, defined and created new interpretations of childhood and dependency.

Kriste Lindenmeyer has done us a wonderful favor by giving us a portrait of childhood in 1930's America. She looks at many different facets of youth during these turbulent years including child labor, education, consumerism, and how the New Deal affected these youngsters.

Lindenmeyer's book is well written and is an enjoyable read. Her prose is clear & her arguments consise and well thought out. After reading this book, it is easy to see why the decade of the 30's changed childhood forever in America. Before this ten year span, education was of secondary importance, and children were not considered consumers. During the 30's, education became of prime importance to so many, youngsters were seen as consumers that could spark economic growth, and children were removed from the most oppressive labor conditions (i.e. manufacturing & mining).

The author's concluding chapter on the New Deal really struck me as important - it helped me to see where the FDR administration really did try to help the youth of America in addition to the adults who were so negatively impacted by the Great Depression. Formation of the EDC (Emergency Day Centers) for care of toddlers, the NYA (National Youth Administration) to promote education by providing stipends for work, and the FLSA (Fair Labor Standards Act) with its abolition of child labor in most industries were all examples of positive impacts made by the New Deal for America's youth.

She borrows Tom Brokaw's phrase "The Greatest Generation" in describing these youngsters, because most men that went off to war in the 1940's were reared during this economic crisis. A very apt title for very important book.

"Growing Up During World War II" is a wonderful compilation of personal stories from real people related in their own words. The vocabulary, thought provoking questions, and activities at the end of each chapter also make this book a useful classroom tool and I would strongly recommend it for families who are home-schooling their middle level children.

Jeanne Manning has created a fabulous resource for students, teachers, and parents to understand what it was like to live and grow-up during World War II. Her engaging style is very reader friendly and allows the voices of the people to be heard clearly. There are helpful discussion questions and relevant vocabulary words are defined.
This book should be in every classroom from 7th grade on up, because it gives a face and a voice to those who experienced World War II. Through the personal stories of young people, you gain a global understanding of life during this world conflict.

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