Central America Books

Countering Colonization provides refreshing insights about the interplay among Native nations, early contact, and ecological changes induced by the colonizer's commerce and religion. Carol Devens sets forth an evolving tapestry with regional differences that occurred across decades. Part of the shifting tapestry was ecological, as indigenous life ways became increasingly affected by traders' commercialization of hunting and trapping. Concurrently, many Native Nations were affected by zealous Christian missionaries whose message and methods were directed against Native life-ways and religiosity. Although her primary and well-argued thesis calls attention to Native women's role in resisting colonization, her essay is equally important for its summary portrayal of colonization's impact upon ecological balance and how that change altered male/female relations within Native communities. Devens also provides informative critiques helpful for interpreting cultural biases and insights provided by various early and mid-20th Century anthropologists who described Native ways. Probably, Countering Colonization is more useful for intermediate and advanced students of Turtle Island's native history. For persons wanting insights into indigenous ways of knowing, Buhner's "One Spirit, Many Peoples" and Abram's "The Spell of the Sensuous" are recommended. In contrast, Devens' book stands with Allen's "The Sacred Hoop" in providing an overview of societal and interpersonal changes that occurred within Native Nations as colonization endured. Fortuitously, by Countering Colonization, Native women (and men) have helped preserve Native Nations' more healthy ways of knowing and acting. Perhaps someday, after polluting one too many rivers, the colonizers' descendants will come to their senses.

William Quirk's book, "Courts & Congress: America's Unwritten Constitution" reveals the unarticulated Gentlemen's Agreement between the Congress, the highest office of the Judiciary, and the Presidency. The author calls it "The Happy Convention". It is an unspoken arrangement between the U.S. Supreme Court and the Congress who, with the tacit approval of the President, arrange for the members of Congress almost never to have to take responsibility for legislation which might disaffect the voters. The author explains it fully and presents extensive and convincing proofs of its existence and application. A must-read for anybody interested in the duplicitous ways of our present-day Congress and the reason we will never have term limits and an end to gerrymandering.
Professor Quirk even makes a case for making The Happy convention legal by giving the Supreme Court appellate jurisdiction in all constitutional cases - in other words, wherever constitutional questions come into play simply accept the fact that the Supreme Court has supplanted Congress and has become the arbiter - for this reader at least, an unfortunate state of affairs in the evolution of our beloved Republic.
Thomas D. Cherubini MD

The book arrived within two weeks of my ordering it and was in the condition advertised.

Albert Jerome Dickson was a fourteen-year old youth when taking these notes of his 1864 journey westward to Montana. In later years his son Arthur compiled all his father's notes, journals and papers into this narrative. Young Albert was enthusiastic, sharp-eyed and keen in his observations.
Not only do we read of day to day travel on the trail, but also Indian uprisings and intimidations of the early 1860's; road agents, thieves and murderers and how vigilante groups confronted this behavior; life in early Montana mining communities; the reality of making ends meet while homesteading; establishment of territorial laws; character analysis of such men as Jim Bridger, J. M. Bozeman, military figures, the notorious Jack Slade and many others.
An enjoyable and historical timepiece.

Cronica Mexicana by Tezozomoc is a very important though neglected work. The Dastin version rated here is a true reprinting with the original archaic Spanish text. This can be difficult to follow in reading, but it does allow the reader to go beyond translator's reinterpretations which at times can be incorrect. This book is an important history of the Azteca empire and much more detailed than Duran's History of the Indies of New Spain. I highly recommend this text to students of Mexican archaeology, anthropology or history.

The memoir Crossing Border Street by Honigsberg is an excellent look into the life and times of a man committed to civil rights. Coming from NYU Law School, Honigsberg did more than legal matters, he got involved in marches and demonstrations, risking his life on several occasions. The memoir also includes interactions with the Deacons for Defense, which were the originators of the Black Panthers. Few people have ever heard of the Deacons, or of civil rights marches outside of MLK. This is a fascinating book, and I can't recommend enough!

Jere' Franco has illustrated the sacrifice and important contributions Native Americans have made to the war effort, both in combat and on the home front. This book highlights the fact that despite centuries of warfare and oppression, Native Americans revitalized the warrior code and demonstrated their patriotism by fighting for the same U.S. Government their forefathersopposed. The photos capture the faces of the dedication and purpose Indians brought to the war effort, and Franco's writing reflects the extensive research she invested into telling this important, but often neglected, segment of history. Of unique interest to me was was how the Third Reich attempted to sway Native Americans against the American government, even to the extent of declaring the Sioux Nation "Aryan" and promising to repatriate the annexed lands back to native people should they rebel against their country. The cultural observances Indian people remark on in the course of the war are particularly intriguing, and following the reading of the book one is left with a profoundly-lasting appreciation of Native people and the role they played in protecting the interests of their nation. Whether your interest is in Indian culture, military history, anthropology, government reforms, or international relations, Crossing the Pond displays all of these elements in telling detail and challenges the assumption that Indian people have not contributed to America's security. In fact, given their consecutively high-enlistment rates in the military across the 20th Century, many have given their lives to protect the land and values of the ancestors. A wonderful book and an appropriate tribute to Native veterans.

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