Central America Books

In this book, Fantasia and Voss--two long-time, respected labor scholars--provide a great overview of and introduction to the American labor movement. The book was actually originally written for a French audience, so they assume you know very little about the American labor movement, explaining things like the National Labor Relations Board and the Taft-Hartley Act, instead of assuming you know about them. They also at times contrast the American labor movement with those in Eruope, which is also frequently illuminating.

Building upon Voss' previous work, they address the question of the supposed exceptionalism of the American working class--the fact that, unlike European working classes, they never developed a militant labor movement that fought for the interests of all workers and embraced socialist or social-democratic politics; instead, the labor movement has fought primarily for benefits for its members and embraced mainstream politics. But, Fantasia and Viss argue, the American labor movement was not always like this--in the mid- to late nineteenth century, the American labor movement was as militant, broad-minded and radical as its European counterparts, if not more so. What was exceptional was not the American working class, but the American capitalist class, which was far more hostile to labor than their European counterparts. This hostile social environment, in which any major labor organziation that showed signs of a broad vision of social justice was brutally crushed, lead to the thoroughly domesticated politics of the AFL-CIO, in which they agreed to act as business' junior partner, gaining increased wages and benefits for their members, in return for abandonning any broader vision and supporting the Cold War agenda.

Even at its height, this bargain excluded most workers outside the core manufacturing industries. When the US and global economy began to undergo major changes in the 1970s (changes Fantasia and Voss don't explain well--this is one of the few weaknesses of the book), US business decided this bargain no longer suited its needs, rolling back the gains workers had made, a process that accelerated once the Reagan administration came to power. Traditional labor leaders were totally unprepared for this assult and it looked like organized American labor might go down the tubes.

Fortunately, the decentralized structure of some unions, while allowing for local corruption, had also allowed for progressives to survive in some localities. They have responded to the crisis of American labor with innovative new tactics and a new vision that embraces the interests of all workers, not just union members. They have begun working with other community groups and organizing groups unions had traditionally ignored--people of color, women and immigrants. (This is the other big weakness of the book--Fantasia and Voss don't pay enough attention to how deeply entrenched racism, sexism and nativism were entrenched in mainstream unions. They treat these matters casually instead of as central to understanding the crisis of American labor). With the election of Sweeney and the New Voices slate to the leadership of the AFL-CIO, these efforts began to get some official support. It is in this new, social movement unionism Fantasia and Voss see hope. However, it faces huge obstacles, both in the form of the entrenched leaders of many labor unions, leaders who are often conservative, corrupt or both; and the continuing hostility of American business and government to organized labor.

Despite the weaknesses I have mentioned, overall Fantasia and Voss do a great job of summarizing the history of the American labor movement, how it got into the mess it is today, and possible avenues out of the mess. The book is hopeful without being naive.

Rather than a comprehensive book about modern guatemala or a human rights thesis this is an anthropological study of violence.

There are 10 different case histories all written by different people who are among the top guatemalan scholars. In these case histories is information and analysis that isn't available in most books and it covers some areas of the country not always touched on by scholars. The whole thing is held together by an exellent 35 page introduction and a final chapter of conclusion with a wonderful chronology of events. Over all an exellent book for serious students but maybe not for beginners.

This is a study about the mayan people that provides exellent incites from the perspective of social anthropologists and ethnographers as opposed to activists or journalists. The contributors have spent enormous amounts of time with their subjects and know them well.

.............socks

This book is very concise and well written. It provides excellent information and analysis of all of the hot topics in healthcare today. A MUST read for all young healthcare administrators and a wonderful read for all of us living the healthcare fight!

...you just can't get over,once you've read her work you want to know everything there is to know about her!

i love this book- bought it for a class and usually resell when the class is over. i'll be keeping this one though. easy layout and text make it easy to find what you're looking for. great variety - excellent resource.

Max Hastings in The Sunday Telegraph `Books of the Year' 2 December 2001 >

The Hidden Hand by Richard Aldrich (John Murray) is as good an account of Cold War Intelligence between 1945 and 1962 as we are likely to get for some time.

George Walden in The Evening Standard 23 July 2001 >

From riveting case-histories of individual operations to the furious intrigues of the transatlantic intelligence community , from the unsung role of the low-level agent to the evolution of electronic espionage - everything is here ... Aldrich has a gift for conveying a sense of living history, combing colourful detail of this or that episode with the grand strategies that drove the intelligence men.

Cal McCrystal in The Financial Times 1 July 2001 >

What makes Aldrich's book so delightful is its abundance of marvellous anecdote ... Miles Copeland, the CIA's new station chief in Cairo at the time of the Suez crisis, had little time for US ambassadors and was a bit of a cowboy. As station chief in Syria in 1950 Copeland was blamed for a series of army coups that "eventually led to an increasingly pro-Soviet dictatorship". He was moved to Cairo after a wild party during which guns were fired through the ceiling. Indeed, an Aldrich sub-theme is the extent to which British and American secret agents frequently unnerved their own governments more than the regimes they were supposed to monitor subvert or liberate.

The state of Alabama is a natural wonder. From clear gulf waters kissed by blindingly beautiful white sand beaches, to rugged canyons and graceful mountains, Alabama truly has it all. Joe Cuhaj's book "Hike America: Alabama," covers enough trailblazing experiences in this well written and easy to follow guidebook to last a lifetime. The maps are clearly drawn and the text contains a wealth of information on everything from the local flora and fauna to the best restaurants in the area. Particularily nice are the individual hike profile maps, side elevation of the trail that can tell the novice more about the roughness of the terrain in a glance than squinting at a contour map all day. This is not the first book on hiking Alabama trails that I have bought, but it is by far the best.

I purchased this book for use in the courses I am completing in conjunction with my Public History degree major. I found it to be very informative. It contains data that is as relevant to the issues confronting present day public historians as it was to those holding the same positions between 1890 and 1970.

I found this volume informative and a suggested reading for intro. env. studies classes in colleges and universities. Wells and Schwartz give poignant descriptions of some hard-hitting environmental topics and movements that our nation has faced.

A summary of the most important economic thinkers in Latin America. Profesor Popescu gives us the result of years of study. Any student of the history of economic thougth must read this book to get the complete picture of the subjet. A great book.