Central America Books

Cruel Justice: Three Strikes And The Politics Of Crime is a no-holds-barred look at the rise of the "three strikes" law in California, first instituted in 1994 in the wake of the media-followed murders of Kimber Reynolds and Polly Klaas. The vagaries and utter ruthlessness of the law have resulted in 25 year to life prison sentences for not only violent offenders, but countless individuals convinced of nonviolent crimes such as petty theft or serving as an alleged lookout for a $20 drug deal. The utterly brutal and disproportionate punishmet meted out to nonviolent offenders has caused the even the family of Polly Klaas to speak out openly against the law; yet it remains entrenched, and political interests resist every effort to amend it to apply only to "serious" or "violent" offenses. A stark and disturbing account of a very real and ongoing law that is causing tremendous impact in the state of California today. Highly recommended.

I liked te book a lot! i'm traveling to Cuba in a couple of weeks and the book helped me to decide where to go and how much money do i need. I think it's gonna be really usefell wehen i get there because it has a lot of maps and it explains clarely all the important spots you have to visit.

This book is a masterpiece by diplomat/economist/revolutionary Mr. Lechuga Hevia. His extramarital son, Martin Hevia, obtained his SJD at the U of Toronto, with his doctoral thesis being indeed a masterpiece. GOD SAVE THE QUEEN.
GO LECHUGA GO

This book has become a classic for all of us who study Cuba's history and society. However, I must also recommend the book for any student of social and cultural anthropology interested in cross cultural interactions and acculturation ("transculturación" in Ortiz's own words. It is incredible that his ideas on this subject have been mostly ignored by the United States anthropological community, despite the strong support Ortiz received from Bronislaw Malinowsky. I highly recommend it.

I can see no possible reason for you not to buy this concise, but informative book on the Cuban Missile Crisis. Plus: if you keep a stack of several books close to your heart and you're shot at long range by a low caliber bullet, it just may save your life!

The Americas is mostly Central and South America where as in Bogota, Columbia, "no one asks what 'cultural agency' is." "The concept resonates with a variety of public practices that link creativity with social contributions." As the editor and authors of the 16 articles, most of whom are university anthropologists, approach the topic, the "link" is between scholarship and society. Scholarship takes on a social dimension, bringing benefits to the members of society. The methodology, subject matter, and intellectual character of scholarship bound with a notion of the public good is able to help overcome the traumas of the past, build bridges between antagonistic social groups, and implement performances and other activities having a part in developing a community. Chapter titles indicate the novel, imaginative, and beneficial forms "cultural agency" can take--e. g., "A City [Mexico City] That Improvises Its Globalization; Tradition, Transnationalism, and Gender in the Afro-Brazilian Candomble [a local religion]; The Cultural Agency of Wounded Bodies Politic: Ethnicity and Gender as Prosthetic Support in Postwar Guatemala. The collected pieces provide a sampling of the especially vibrant, generous, and hopeful cultural agency--which the older term social activism refers to to some extent--occurring in heterogeneous Latin American cultures seeking new social forms in the ambiance of postmodernism.

great book on the nahua civilizations in "Central America". this is a must in understanding our Anahuac (Mexican & Central American)history. get this anyway you can.

If it's a 'traditional' travel guide you're after, with bus times and hotel prices, then this book isn't for you.

But if you really want to get inside the Costa Rican mindset, then it's fantastic. I read this book before I visited the country and it really helped so many things about how the Ticos behave make sense to me.

The writing style is fun, and I love how the author has peppered the whole book with little personal stories and experiences to illustrate her points.

I'd strongly recommend this book to anyone who wants to do more than just scratch the surface of the country - especially good for anyone going to spend a long holiday in Costa Rica or even move there.

great book! easy to read and definitely prepared me to study abroad in costa rica. When there, i felt like i was better prepared for the situations that came up because i'd learned about them from this book. Such as, carry your own toilet paper and how to work the showers! it was great knowing so much about the culture before i lived there!

CULTURE SMART! COSTA RICA isn't your usual travel guide: its focus is on Costa Rican culture and standards of etiquette, and it tells how to avoid culture shock by providing an easy overview of attitudes, values, and social arts from body language to taboos and habits. Many similar books are geared to businessmen: not so CULTURE SHOCK! COSTA RICA, which covers some business concerns but many tourist concerns too. It's packaged in a pocket tote format, which makes it the perfect take-along reference.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch