Wisconsin Books

Buying a classic again. This is the U of New Mexico Press version. The earlier publisher had the picture of the baby in a coffin on the cover. That was better, but the contents are the same.

This is an interesting and slightly macabre book which is strangely beautiful. My son, who is Sam Witt, the poet, told me about it because he had been so moved by it that he wrote a poem associated with it in his soon to be published book, SUNFLOWER BROTHER. The old photos are stunning from the horses to the dead children. I am hoping to get the dvd soon.

"The pictures you're about to see are of people who were once actually alive." So begins historian Michael Lesy's masterpiece - a by turns touching and disturbing examination of life and death in a small Wisconsin town during the final 15 years of the nineteenth century. Lesy stumbled across a cache of 30,000 glass plate images made by a local town photographer named Charley Van Schaick and spools of microfilm from the local newspaper - and combined the most compelling of these images and newspaper excerpts to create a vivid examination of Victorian prairie life. Although there are numerous post-mortem memorial photographs to add morbid appeal to the book, the newspaper and insane asylum excerpts are what I find absolutely enthralling. If ever anyone tries to suggest to you that times were better "before", you might want to refer them to these matter-of-fact tales of murder, suicide, insanity, and lethal pestilence. Death was a constant threat and entire families of 6 children could be wiped out by diptheria in a matter of days. It's no wonder that so many were driven to suicide: the depth of despair that these people must have gone through is at times palpable.

To give you an idea of the sort of macabre fascinations you can find in these olde newspapers, here are some excerpts:
"The 60 year old wife of a farmer in Jackson, Washington County, killed herself by cutting her throat with a sheep shears"
"Mrs. James Baty... died suddenly of a hemorrhage of the lungs. She leaves a husband, her family of 6 children having died of diptheria last summer"
"Mrs. John Larson... drowned her 3 children in Lake St. Croix during a fit of insanity... Mrs. Larson imagines that devils pursue her"
And my personal favorite:
"Mrs. Carter... was taken sick at the marsh last week and fell down, sustaining internal injuries which have dethroned her reason. She has been removed to her home here and a few nights since arose from her bed and ran through the woods... A night or two after she was found trying to strangle herself with a towel... It is hoped the trouble is only temporary and that she may soon recover her mind"
You don't see entries like that in newspapers anymore!!

"Wisconsin death trip"is an accurate documentation,not only of "agrarian white"culture at the end of the 19th century but,in many ways,the whole of white culture in america at that time..Contrary to popular belief,the"good"old days were not really so good..Yes,they may well have been less complex,but infant mortality was very high,illnesses which today are highly treatable being killers not only of children but of adults as well,daily life being,for most,a drudgery,with little to show for one's efforts...There were few saftey nets,no antibiotics,no pensions to speak of,no recourse against the harshness life,or against a system that,like today,favors the wealthy..
Insanity was not understood,and "treatment"such as it was,often did little to help the afflicted...Wisconsin did not have a monopoly on such things,anymore than,say,los angles has a monopoly on street gangs,or newark has a monopoly on ghetto housing...
The novelty is perhaps in the seeing of the photographs and the documents all together in one volume,so that one can peruse the sorrowful aspects of that period as it affected one particular area...

I read this book over 16 years ago. It left a lasting impression that will stay with me forever. It may not have the same affect on others but reading some of the reviews posted here, I know that it has on most. You can't really ask somebody "did this really happen?" becuase they either died then or in the 100 years that have past. We have no perspective on these people, places and times other than to read books like this. If any of these folks were alive today and heard someone say, "those were the good old days." They might be inclined to give the speaker a quick education. This book will do it for them. I have pictures just like this in a family archive. You wonder how anybody lived into middle or old age. Disease, starvation, hypothermia, and farm accidents all took their toll. Winters are hard enough in the south. Why did these people decide to stop the wagon in Wisconsin or if they lived thru their first winter there, why didn't they head south? I went to a Brewers baseball game at the end of May some 25 years ago and wore a down parka and was cold. You can still see houses in small towns outside of Milwaukee that look like the houses in this book and you can feel the desolation, pain and suffering looking out at you thru 100 year old panes of glass.

Warning: reading this book may change your life. Once again, Andrea Boeshaar weaves a story filled with rich characters, a strong Christian message, a hint of mystery, and a happy ending. Another "Bravo" for Boeshaar.

Hidden Things, the second book in Andrea Boeshaar's "Faded Photographs" series, is the story of a young woman, Kylie Rollins, who, faced suddenly with some life-shaking discoveries, sets out on a journey of truth and self-discovery. The death of her mother raises many questions in her mind and she yearns to have these uncertainties laid to rest. Although raised as a Christian and living a good life, Kylie comes to the realization that being a Christian is a lot more than simply living well and believing in God. On top of all this, the long-time relationship with her fiancé Matt is shattered by betrayal and Kylie must learn the tough lesson of forgiveness as well as making the difficult decision of where Matt fits into her future.

All in all, Hidden Things is a work in the best Boeshaar tradition: fast-paced and fulfilling. No bookshelf is complete without at least a couple Andrea Boeshaar titles.

Craig Hart(...)

I just couldn't put this book down. I cried, I smiled, I held my breath....it was fantastic. One surprise after the other, you cannot miss this book!

Hidden surprises await you in Andrea Boeshaar's delightful novel, HIDDEN THINGS. The characters tug at your heart as they discover truths about themselves and their relationship with God. You will want to journey with them on their path of discovery. Perhaps it will nudge you into a journey of your own.

Hidden Things, the sequel to Broken Things, by author Andrea Boeshaar, is a heart-warming tale of a young girl whose world is turned upside down when she discovers that her mother may have lied to her. A faded photograph sends her on a journey to uncover the truth of the past. Will her journey lead her back to the man who claims to love her? Or is that an allusion as well?

Hidden Things is a delightful tale filled with rich, believable characters, and a story that will keep you turning pages until the end. Some of the characters in Broken Things make an appearance here. A third book in the series is due out in May 2004. I look forward to meeting up with many of these characters again. Andrea Boeshaar has done a wonderful job of weaving an enchanting tale. You won't be disappointed.

The author invites the reader into the lives of characters who might live down the street. Curl up with something you love to drink...and plan on staying awhile - you won't want to stop reading!

Published in 1959, Level 7 is presented as the diary of a military man who is permanently stationed thousands of feet underground in a self-sufficient bunker. His job is to sit in a roon awaiting the command to push a button to fire nuclear weapons at an enemy country. When the command arrives and the button is pushed, he is forced to deal with the consequences of a nuclear holocaust that wipes out life on earth as he knows it, and is left with nothing to do but await the fallout that must inevitably reach the bunker and slowly kill the few humans remaining on a dying planet.

Level 7 is bleak and terrifying, but it's just far-fetched and cold-war enough that it doesn't depress you too much. Read it and reflect on the self-destructive nature mankind can show, and the priority revenge and victory can take at the expense of quality of life.

What makes sci-fi and fantasy fun is the ideas. What makes great sci fi are those works that are still meaningful after decades of technical and social change.

Level 7 is one of those books. I read it for the first time 30+ years ago, and it's still scary. Nuclear winter may be less on our minds these days, but this tale will stick with you.

I have the the original hard back edition, but it's available in paperback now.

I have read this book during my schooldays, some 15 years ago, and it remained in my mind ever since. Im really happy that I finally found it at amazon and that i can wonder again into its fascinating and inspirational pages. Definitately the best story I ever read about the end of the world. And the ending.... ah the ending... i was with tears in my eyes...

Powerful. If only because its related in such a simple matter-of-fact way up until the buttons are pushed. And then the mounting sense of ?? as you realise level by level that all humanity will die when level 7 dies.

Maybe I read too much into it, but the 7th level in Dante's inferno is populated by the violent, the assasins (Push Button Technicians who will release the bombs?) . The 7th level is also overwhelmed by a powerful stench (X127 thought he could smell the dried waste that took up space beside the dried 'food'.) Dante's 7th level had woods of stunted gnarled trees (the emotionally stunted inhabitants of level 7 unable to make real emotional connections to others? Willing suicides of the 7th level are perhaps equivalent to level 7's willingness to be dead to the outside world?)

Level 5's politicians and important men that fall into civil disorder (killing those believed responsible for the End) before their own end is reminiscent of Dante's level of wrath where they tear at each other with their teeth.

Except, no levels 8 & 9 in Roshwald's Hell.

Afterthought:
Once the people had gotten down to level 7, the level was permanently cut off from the rest of the levels and the surface. My question? How were they going to get back up to the surface after the 500 years and food ran out? And was ther no way to override this mechanism after the damaged reactor was discovered? Move up to level 6 or 5 (presuming it *was* just the water that was contaminated) and remain there until the reactor was fixed?

Though the impact would not have been nearly as tragic...

Level 7 represents the journal of Officer X-127, a member of an elite Armed Forces unit. X-127 has been ordered to the bottom-most layer (level 7) of a highly secure facility, where he is ordered to set off a massive nuclear attack. The facility is a city unto itself, four thousand feet underground and fully prepared to withstand a direct attack and the resulting radiation for many decades.

Chosen for their ability to follow orders and to withstand the confines of the facility, X-127 and his fellow officers must now come to grips with the fact that they may, in fact, never leave. The surface of the Earth has been transformed into a radiological wasteland, but those in the facility -- some of whom represent a "continuity of government" operation -- will be safe.

Or so it seems. Reports of radiation poisoning begin to filter in from the higher levels of the facility. With a gripping, impending sense of doom, Roshwald takes us into a journey into the true meaning of mutually assured destruction.

I first read this book upwards of 30 years ago. It has never left me. Was it because I was young? Impressionable? I don't know, but the book certainly left an indelible footprint in my mind that few, if any, other work can match. Whatever Roshwald constructed in Level 7 was utterly unique and memorable beyond description.

I have been a big fan of the movie for years but had never read the book. Well, I have to say that the book is even better than the movie, and I still love the movie. If you have seen the movie It will be hard not to imagine Bogie and walter Huston in the main roles. And this is not just because they are already planted in your mind, I think director John Huston did an excellent job of casting the movie. Anyway, I highly recommend this book!

This book is the basis for John Huston's film of the same name. Both author and director share a love of Mexico and it's people. Having seen the movie many times it was interesting to come to many familiar parts of the story knowing what was going to happen and enjoy on the page verbatim bits of dialogue. The story takes awhile to get going as Traven sets up his characters but it builds to a powerful ending proving once and for all that man's greed destroys his soul. There are some who have criticized Traven's socialistic leanings but I don't think they get in the way of the story at all...in fact, I think they prove his point that unregulated capitalism is the bane of western civilization. But enough of that - this is a timeless story that meanders a bit so it won't appeal to casual readers. If your reading tastes lean to anything recent, this book will probably be too slow; in that case, watch the movie - you will get the same point in less than 2 hours. However, if you like Literature you will appreciate Traven's insights to human nature and his excellent story-telling method. I myself couldn't read this without putting the movie out of my mind...if someone tells you not to think of pink elephants...well, you get the idea. All in all, this novel is well written but could've been a bit shorter.

If you have seen and enjoyed the John Huston film of the same name, and believe it to be one of the greatest films ever produced, then it is mandatory to procure and read this book.

This review is written from the perspective of someone who has seen the film at least a half dozen times before reading the novel for the first time. The film is mostly faithful to the novel, so no nasty surprises await those weaned on the film. While less dramatic in some ways, the book provides a better explanation for the motivations of the characters. This necessarily leads to significant, though not unpleasant, changes in some of their fates compared to the film (or perhaps, better said, vice-versa). Some of the more interesting scenes also are expanded, such as the encounter with the bandits at the camp, and more background is provided about the bandits themselves and the efficient and clever way that they are ultimately dealt with by the local people.

Though a little slow going at first, once accustomed to Traven's writing style and well into the meat of the story, the feeling of the realization that a very special experience is in store for you simply builds and builds and continues doing so until the satisfying conclusion of the book is reached. This is a masterpiece, a gourmet treat for the soul, a book to relish during a lazy morning spent in a soft bed, or sitting by a cozy fireplace.

As in many screen adaptations, seemingly ancillary elements were culled for the film. However, those elements, namely the description of the factors which led to the oppression of the native peoples of Mexico, provides a pervasive, unifying theme throughout the novel. This lends an enriching, interesting counterpoint to the story of the central characters.

There is a tiny bit of information given about the mysterious B. Traven, just enough to make you want to learn more. A speculative look at his identity is presented in the extras which are included with the newly-released reissue of the film on DVD.

The stirring and adventurous novel, "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" was penned by enigmatic author B. Traven. Traven a political anarchist active in the 20's and 30's was thought to be of German descent and was purported to be the illegitimate son of Kaiser Wilhelm II. Nonetheless he lived for many years in Mexico and as seen by his most celebrated work, had an excellent working knowledge of Mexican culture and society.

His novel which served as the framework for the John Huston classic film starring Bogey and Walter Huston, greatly embellished the story seen on the screen. His tale of adventure, hardship and greed was admixed with political commentary as Mexico was emerging from years of colonial rule and subsequent exploitation by big industry. The oil business was seen ruling the economics of the region described in the book.

Traven's ingenious blending of the gripping tale of his main characters, Dobbs, Curtin and Howard braving the wilds of unexplored jungle regions of Mexico in quest for gold with social commentary was very effective. He was thereby able to expose his points concerning the Mexican social and political climate. He also didactically pointed out that life's riches are not solely based on precious metals but also on the fellowship, relationships and respect among mankind.

I bought the The Treasure of the Sierra Madre at a small used bookstore that was moving across town so that they marked all of their fiction half off (half off of used prices - awesome). So I left with about 20 books for about $20 - $25. I was grabbing things at random that looked at all interesting or at all slightly familiar. One of those books was The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.

I had seen parts of the movie years ago on TV, but not enough to remember any plot points. My dad had a tendency to habitually switch channels between five movies all at once so for the longest time I thought John Wayne and the scene where they blow up the bridge during "Bridge over the River Kwai" were scenes in EVERY movie.

The book was slow going at first. The characters are introduced and they take their time to finally get to the part where they're prospecting. As I read it I thought, "yes. There's lots of social inference in here." But then continued to read on taking it all at face value instead of trying to over analyze everything. It's more fun to think about it for a month later and think, "Man, that's so true. We'll all turn against each other in an instant if money is involved. tsk."

I enjoyed the characters, I felt frustrated for them as they fell into paranoia and insanity. I kept thinking, "Which one is Bogart? Is that Bogart?" And when the one guy **spoiler** gets his head cut off, I was like 'Whaa? For real? That's pretty intense." I've been reading a lot of Beat writers a lot lately, and the Mexico that Traven describes is a lot different from Kerouac's or Burroughs' Mexico - they tend to romanticize the poverty, where the guys in this book are actually living the miner hardships. Mexico's a lot better when you have a trust fund, huh, Burroughs?

And yes. I was so happy that the famous `badges' line is actually in the text. I pictured Micky Dolenz saying it from a skit in the Monkees TV show that I used to watch after school on Nickelodeon. I laughed and laughed.

The Frommers are terrific interviewees and their book is a history and an entertainment resource about the Catskills - what else would we expect from oral historians of their rank.

GREAT INSIGHT INTO WHAT THE CATSKILLS WERE ALL ABOUT

WONDERFUL COLLECTION OF REMINISCENCES

wonderful oral history - - -covers a lot of territory

While working at the Nevele Country Club, one of the many legendary Catskill resorts covered in this magnificent document, I briefly met Myrna and Harvey Frommer while doing their research. They probably don't remember me, I was too young at the time to offer the kind of history they were looking for, but the pair's enthusiasm and obvious love for the area's resorts and their unique (now long gone) familial atmosphere was readily apparent. When I finally got to read this book, it provided me with a sense of pride for being a part of its history. There's even an ancient picture of my father playing sax in the old Art Kahn Orchestra! But aside from personal connections, this book stands as a definitive oral history of an era. The people interviewed are true insiders, some of them legends in their own right among Catskill lore. And while the book provides some deep sociological perspective concerning its ethnic background, the authors know how to balance this with charming, amazing and often sidesplitting anecdotes. If you ever spent a weekend at Grossinger's, The Concord, The Nevele or one of the dozens of small bungalow colonies, this book will wash you in warm memories. And if you didn't have the chance, it will make you wish you did.

"The fans and the fanfare, the talented stars and the unique rivalries, atmospheric stories and snappy prose.Vivid and evocative."

New York City Baseball tells about how the Dodgers, Giants and Yankees dominated the late 40's and early 50's baseball.
I really enjoyed the opening chapters discussing the reasons for the departure of the Giants and Dodgers to the west coast.
It made me feel really in on the move.
The rest of the books talks about the feuds, history and outcomes of the seasons metioned.
Frommer is a gifted writer and it was a pity that the book had to end.
There are some neat photos and I would reccommend this book right up there with Dynasty (about the Yankees).

Don't hesitate to buy this marvelous book. It told with an exact and actually atmosphere everything about NYC baseball... when the Giants were called 'Polo Grounders' and the Dodgers 'Da Bums'. The dramatic move also is well explained.

y Harvey Frommer, 1992, 219 pps, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. At one time New York had three major league teams: the Yankees, Giants and Dodgers. What a time! In the days after World War II, some of the most heady times ever in the city, there was one incredible Baseball Decade. From 1946-57 the New York teams owned baseball. Relive the golden days of the 1950s in this amazing account. And loaded with photos and stats that fans love. Here's to you, Jackie Robinson and Joe DiMaggio.

When the lights came on again after World War II, they illuminated a nation ready for heroes and a city --New York--eager for entertainment. Baseball provided the heroes, and the Yankees, the Giants, and the Dodgers--with their rivalries, their successes, their stars--provided the show. Oisk and Newk, Pee Wee and Skoonj, Ski, Campy, Preacher, Westy, Blacky, Whitey, Yogi, the Yankee Clipper, the Peepul's Cherce, the Old Reliable--New York City Baseball recaptures the golden decade of 1947-1957, when the three New York teams were the uncrowned kings of the city and the very embodiment of the national pastime for much of the U.S. In those ten years, Casey Stengel and his Bronx Bombers went to the World Series seven times; Joltin' Joe DiMaggio stepped gracefully aside to make room for a yong slugger named Mickey Mantle; one Bobby Thomson hit "the shot heard 'round the world"' and the Brooklyn (but not for much longer) Dodgers achieved the impossible by beating the Yankees in the 1955 World Series.

ENGLISH
Julius is a young boy growing from childhood to the beginnings of adolescence in a Lima family of great inherited wealth and power. Devastated by the loss to illness of his adored older sister Cynthia, he struggles to fit in at his exclusive private school, while his predilection for socialising with the family servants makes him a source of concern to his mother and business magnate stepfather.

The genteel 1960s/70s Lima of "A World For Julius" no longer exists. But anyone who has spent some time in Peru will recognise the manners and attitudes depicted here. Bryce Echenique patiently and expertly satirizes the Peruvian obsession with social status as delineated by class, race, culture and language. The central figure of innocent, sensitive Julius is a window through which these values are viewed, at times with humour, at times with barely restrained indignation.

But "A World for Julius" does not merely lampoon the oligarchy in whose midst Bryce Echenique himself grew up. Beyond the powerful social criticism, it is a portrayal of the universality of human suffering. The novel's great achievement is to maintain empathy with the anxieties of the rich and powerful, at the same time as exposing their hypocrisy and complicity in the suffering of the powerless. Regardless of the walls erected by privilege, Bryce Echenique shows, no one can escape from the encroachment of age, disappointment in love, or the loss of a child.

Some patience is required for the long and detailed passages of stream of consciousness, which bear comparison with Proust or Joyce. But patience is rewarded by the subtle and skilful development of character. An additional pleasure comes from Bryce Echenique's success in capturing the rich flavors of Peruvian idiom--this is a book best read in the original Spanish, if possible.

ESPAÑOL
Julius es un niño que va acercandose a la adolescencia en una familia limeña de gran riqueza heredada. Trastornado por la pérdida de su adorada hermana mayor a una enfermedad fatal, le cuesta integrarse en su escuela exclusiva, y su tendencia de buscar la compañia de los empleados de la casa preocupa a su mamá y su padrasto

Ya no existe el Lima de "Un Mundo para Julius", pero quien haya pasado algun tiempo en el Peú reconocerá las actitudes representadas aquí. Con paciencia y pericia, Bryce Echenique satiriza la obsesion peruana con el estatus social y las diferencias de clase, raza, cultura y lenguaje. La figura central del ingenuo, sensible Julius es una ventana por la cual se examina los valores sociales, a veces con humor, a veces con una indignación apenas contenida.

Pero "Un Mundo para Julius" no sólo se burla de la oligarquía en medio de que se crió el mismo Bryce Echenique. Más allá de su fuerte criticismo social, es un retrato de la universalidad del sufrimiento humano. Lo que logra esta novela es mantener la empatía con las ansiedades de los ricos y poderosos, al mismo tiempo que va descubriendo su hipocresía y su complicidad en el sufrimiento de los pobres. A pesar de las paredes que construye el privilegio, nadie puede escapar el envejecimiento, la decepción en el amor, o la pérdida de un niño.

Se necesita algo de paciencia para los largos y detallados monólogos interiores, que se pueden comparar con Proust o con Joyce. La recompensa de esta paciencia es el desarrollo sútil y hábil de los personajes. Otro placer viene del exito de Bryce Echenique en capturar los ricos flavores del lenguaje peruano.

This is by far the most known novel Bryce has written, and there isn't much to comment unfortunately. It's a classic in Peru as far as I read but, as Chinua Achebe's 'Things fall apart', this is one of those folklore books that won't appeal to my Fiction reading hunger. It seems shallow most of the times, the character POV of the kid Julius never works out what's going on around him; no true sequels; Julius' parents are made of one piece of cardboard; the setting is the only thing that might be of interest (very much like Achebe's novel); and Julius barely grows by the end of the novel (at page 350!). For that matter, go check Coetzee's 'Waiting for the barbarians' or Peruvian Vargas Llosa's 'The war of the end of the world', two contemporary masterpieces.

The main thing that this novel does is make you ask what other such excellent novels must lay hidden in foreign languages or used book stores.

This book is nominally about the world of a young boy growing up in Lima, partly the real world in which he lives, partly in the play world where he goes on imaginary adventures in his great-grandfathers ornate, moldering carriage that has been stored in the carriage house.

This book is also about two other worlds, that of the well to do aristocratic family being pressured by changes happening in their world. And about that of the Indian servants who have come down out of the Andes seeking employment.

Like most of the best novels, the story grabs your attention as the characters and location become real, even though you've never been there. It took me back to my own Grandfathers garage, filled with musty relics from his younger years.

This book is absolutely amazing. No words could make justice to its brilliance. I've read it three times. Bryce describes the Limean society and especially the huge social gap between the aristocracy (where he comes from) and the low class (indian inmigrants from the Andes that arrive in Lima to work in domestic jobs), through the eyes of a 6 year old kid in such a way that'll make you both cry and laugh. I've read most of the Latin American authors but this has to be the best, its Bryce masterpiece.

Funnily, Alfredo started writing it as a short story but got so involved in it that he ended up writing more than four hundred pages. He stopped writing the book only because summer arrived and he decided to go on holidays (as many L.A. writers at the time he as living in Paris).

Other master pieces are: 1. "Todos los cuentos": short stories about Lima in the 50's and 60's, in the same line as 'Julius'. This edition includes his first book "Huerto Cerrado" and "La felicidad Ja Ja"

2. "La vida exagerada de Martin Romana" : A Julius, its heavily inspired in his own life. "Martin" could well be a 28 years old Julius trying to be a writer in Paris in the 60s. Truly amazing.

Julius is born in "a palace in Salaverry Avenue", coming from two of the wealthiest and most powerful families in Peru around the late fifties. Julius has it all: pretty family, servants who adore him, a forest-like garden, a pool, toys and cares. He grows up within a bubble of welfare. But one day, a little after his father's death, his beloved older sister Cynthia also dies, devastating him. Sadness and silence loom over the palace. Susan, his mother, a notable beauty of Anglo-Saxon descent, gives herself over to frivolity and nightlife. Julius finds shelter in the world of the numerous servants, since his mother and older brothers take no notice of him. Stability and some cheerfulness return when Susan marries a new man, Juan Lucas. He is another millionaire, the stereotype of the winner.In his early forties, Juan Lucas is handsome, rich, self-assured, a great socialite, a despot with those under his position, a man of the world and the perfect match for the always pretty Susan. The couple and the older boys leave for a time to go to Europe, during which time Julius goes to live in the countryside with the servants, in a beautiful chalet. There, Julius's sentimental education continues, by way of exploring the world of the servants, of poverty, the simplicity of country-side life, and how it is to be beyond Lima's jet-set. Then come the return to Lima, life in school, life with Juan Lucas (who hates Julius in an almost friendly manner), Susan and her husband's life in the fast lane in Lima's upper strata, as well as the move to a new palace and the traumatic arrival of adolescence.

Written with great control of style, with a lot of "stream of consciousness" and with the use of both the language of the beautiful people and the slang of the lower classes, the novel credibly conveys a portrait of the Peruvian high class and the miseries and small joys of the poor. All of this from the point of view of a smart, sensitive and sympathetic boy who basically grows up by himself, since his brothers are mostly absent, Juan Lucas despises him, and mommy is always partying or doing other things. In fact, Juan Lucas and Susan make up for one of the least sympathetic and most frivolous couples of literature and yet they are utterly credible and may very well remind you of people you actually know. I know I do. A great strength of the book, as noticed by another reviewer here, is that it has, thankfully, no political agenda. It is descriptive and avoids moralizing or patronizing about political issues. That's life. And for all of us who grew up in Latin America, especially, the books is a perfect portrait of our societies. Very good (and with a great sense of humor).

It's worth picking up a copy, alot of information in there. Good thick book. Glad i bought it.

This book must have taken a life time of research and work. It is the most comprehensive and complete work on the Maya I have read. I was particulary interested in the Maya Calendar history and their methods of working the calendar.

Had this book been less than half its size readers would end up learning much more about the Maya from it. Unfortunately, there's much too much that belongs in an Archeology 101 class here and by the time you get to some discussion of the Maya, you're half asleep. Those of us who are not reading archeology for the first time will wish the author had just kept his discussion to the Maya, as the title suggests he will, and assumed we understood the basics.

Personally, I'm still looking for a book on the Maya so that as I travel from site to site in Quintanaroo, Yucatan, Guatemala and Honduras, I will have a basic understanding of the site I'm driving to. I just booked a trip that will book me in the area of Chac Mool soon. I'll see what I can find.

By far the most thorough book on the Ancient Maya I have ever seen. It covers all the history and gives a great deal of arceological information. There is also a lot of information on the religious, social, and economic life of the Maya. The book covers in great deal the history of each Mayan polity and it is very well organized. If there is anything you want to know about the Maya it will be in this book.

This is by far the most comprehensive book about the ancient Maya. There are several excellent shorter ones; this is the go-to book for thorough reference. It has become almost as "classic" as Maya civilization. Sharer reminisces about being "hooked on" Maya studies by the third edition (by Morley and Brainerd, 1956); so was I, back when it was newly minted. How much has changed since. Scholars can now read Maya. We now can match written history, sculptured portrayals, and archaeological findings to identify the actual skeletons of some of the greatest and most famous Maya kings, such as Yax K'uk' Mo' of Palenque. We have entire dynastic lists covering centuries, for many of the major cities. We can use bone chemistry to find out what the Maya ate. All of this was almost beyond the wildest dreams of the 1950s.
The Maya turn out to have been as brilliant, original and creative as anyone ever thought, a truly homemade civilization, one of the few in a tropical forest environment. They are said to have "collapsed" due to ecological maladjustment, but this book notes that modern research shows the civilization lasted well over 1,000 years before the "collapse" around 900 AD, and it was a fairly local phenomenon. This local collapse was due to drought, warfare, and some ecological overshoot--too many people doing too much (including burning too many trees to make lime for stucco and cement). The Maya kept on. They took on the Spanish and often won. The last independent state held out till 1697, and Maya continued holding out in remote backlands; in 1846 the Mexican Maya rebelled again, and created an independent state, finally reconquered after 1900 and turned into the Mexican state of Quintana Roo. As for what has happened since, suffice it to say that 3 days ago I saw an election sign painted in huge letters on a wall in central Quintana Roo: "PRESERVE YOUR PRIDE IN BEING MAYA!"
There are very few errors in this book, but some need correcting in the 7th edition. Most are in the very early sections, and are often left over from previous editions. Page 5, 16th-century Europeans are said to be "secure in the knowledge that they alone represented civilized life...." No, they revered China, and knew plenty about India, Persia and Arabia. P. 9, coffee is said to have come "soon" with the Europeans; not till the 19th century, at least as a major crop. 23, Nahuatl loanwords reflecting rise of central Mexico in the Postclassic: Well, a lot of those Nahuatl loanwords came with the Spanish (who had Nahuatl soldiers with them). Page 33, caiman: The book confuses the animal called "caiman" in English, an alligator-like creature not found within hundreds of miles of Mayaland, with the crocodile, which is called "caiman" in Mexican Spanish; also, pythons are claimed as native to Mayaland! The nearest they get is Africa; evidently "boa constrictors" are meant. Then nothing till page 640, where a typo (apparently two decimal places missed) has given us a preposterous yield figure for beans (in the table at the top of the page). The yields of maize are also pretty high, though not ridiculous. There are a few other errors in the book, but nothing of consequence that I can pick up.
The book uses the "new" transcription system for Maya languages, but sometimes slips and uses the "old" system, and sometimes mixes them up in the same word (e.g. "dz'onot" on p. 52). One related annoyance--not Sharer's fault; alas, it is becoming standard--is respelling "Yucatec" in the new transcription system. "Yucatec" is a SPANISH word, with no excuse in Maya, and should not be respelled. (For the record, the Spanish coined "Yucatec" from a misunderstood Maya phrase and a Nahuatl ending. They also popularized some Nahuatl ethnic names for Maya peoples. These names, like Huastec and Aguacatec, should be spelled in whatever system in now standard for Nahuatl--not in a Maya system. Better yet, they should be replaced with the actual Mayan names, like Teenek for Huastec.)
The one place I would respectfully disagree with this book is on ancient Maya population. Sharer has "tens of millions" of Maya in the 700s AD and around then. On the basis of some years of field experience with (mostly modern) Maya agriculture, I don't think this is possible. Granted that the old myth of purely-swidden agriculture is long dead, "tens of millions" would require agricultural intensity of a sort found, in preindustrial times, only in the wet-rice lands of east and southeast Asia. Mayaland is small, and only some of it is at all fertile. Sharer's evidence is a couple of surveys showing high densities of settlement in particularly favored areas; not only are they atypical, there is no guarantee the houses discovered were all occupied at once. I would guess the peak total for Mayaland was between 5 and 10 million; at least, the agriculture I know would support that many, if it had some additional intensification of the sort well documented. Beyond that, all is speculative.
One more thought. The Maya were supposed to be "peaceful" back in my student days. Then, with reading the Classic Period texts, scholars found they were pretty warlike. This led to some exaggeration the other way. Fortunately, Sharer is far too careful and comprehensive a scholar to fall for either the "peaceful" or the "warlike" view. The "warlike" view was justified by the big monuments in the Maya city squares. These commemorated wars and victories, just as do those in town squares in the midwestern US. Alas, we lack the ordinary writings--the equivalent of midwestern newspapers, with their record of marriages, births, corn and hog prices, store openings, and the like. Surely the Maya had their equivalents. What interests me here is the incredibly long life spans of Maya kings. Many lived, and even reigned, for 50, 60, even 70 years. Compare that with the Roman or Chinese emperors or the kings of France. Clearly, Mayaland in its glory days was a pretty peaceful, healthy place--though, indeed, not the paradise dreamed by romantic archaeologists of the early 20th century!
The ancient Maya are still a pretty mysterious lot in many ways, and there is a huge amount to learn. We had better do it soon. Sharer provides a long, excellent, very disturbing account of the looting that has destroyed much of the Maya heritage and will destroy all of it (at least in Guatemala) if a massive effort isn't mounted soon.
On the other hand, nothing is more heartening than the number of Maya who are becoming archaeologists and ethnographers, and studying their own past. More power to them.

Quick, name the ten top novelists from Nicaragua. Give Up? Well extend it then to the top ten from anywhere in Latin America.

After reading this book you will almost certainly put Gioconca Belli on this list. The Inhabited Woman is Lavinia, a modern woman of our time, she becomes 'inhabited' by the spirit of an Indian woman warrior and she joins the revolution against a violent dictator.

At least semi-biographical, Ms. Belli joined the revolutionary Nicaraguan FSLN in 1970 until forced to leave the country in 1975. After Somoza was ousted and th Sandinistas came to power she entered Government service to 1986 when she resigned in to write full time.

Una escritora increible para una historia verdaderamente emocionante donde el presente con su guerra civil en Nicaragua y el pasado con su Conquista espan~ola tienen aspectos en comun, se unen, se cruzan, se mezclan, pero todo tiene siempre sentido. Es una de las novelas mas intensas que haya leido de toda la literatura hispano americana. Lo aconsejo a todos los latinos.

This is a book that is a must because it helps to understand (or at least to have another point of view) about latin american "guerrillas", but also about the subtle and not so subtle differences between men and women, that havent changed so much in hundred years. Going back to the past (to the spaniard invasion)and forward to our days, Belli knits a unique beautiful story of two eras distant in time, but very close in their needs. Not perfect in its "literary structure", but an original, passionate and enlighten story.

As a retired English teacher longing for a "good read". I was delighted from the first chapter of Inhabited Woman. The concept of one woman from one period/culture being a factor in another woman's life sent a tingle through me. As I read on, I was excited in the insights gained by the main character. As she struggled with choices, I found myself rethinking my life and values. The characters are well drawn and the plot complex enough to be interesting. Furthermore, the author's use of langauge and images is sometimes almost poetry. BRAVO!!

Gioconda Belli is one of Nicaragua's most highly regarded writers. Her poetry and fiction have been published in Spain, Mexico, Germany, Denmark, Holland, Finland, Greece and Turkey. She currently lives in Los Angeles. THE INHABITED WOMAN was awarded "Best Literary Work of the Year" by the Union of German Publishers and Editors.

"[It] is a passionate story of love, courage, solidarity and death, where reality and legend blend harmoniously. The lives of the characters are intertwined with the destiny of a country and the struggle of a people for dignity. There is so much truth in this book, that it is impossible for the reader to remain indifferent. This is a story that needed to be told and Belli does it with talent." --Isabel Allende

"THE INHABITED WOMAN is engrossing, reading like an action adventure...[it] opens on a stunning, magical note..." --The Daily News

"THE INHABITED WOMAN revitalizes two literary genres that in recent years seemed to have lost their grips on the imagination of new writers and, as a matter of course, readers-magic realism and social realism." --The Hartford Courant

This book is a charming joy. The authors' successful search for a modest summer home in France will take the reader on their own dreamy journey, exploring what it would be like to live in a French country village and to succeed in making friends with the villagers. Great insights into what rural French folks are really like, and how to make them your friends. The book also underscores the importance of finding what is truly important to you in your life.

I bought this book while we were looking for our own house in the Dordogne (most wonderful spot on earth -- go, see it for yourself!), and found it both comforting and helpful (as well as funny, touching and insightful). We found our own house a short time later (in Aubeterre sur Dronne, a village in the Charente just across the border from the Dordogne), and are giving this book to friends and family to help explain the experience and the lure of southwestern France.

very entertaining book about buying a vacation home in France. I love sw france--the food, the villages, the people. This book is about an American couple from Wisconsin--looking for a house in SW France-- buying a house and then living there for the summers. They become friendly with the residents of the small village. They tell of how they were invited to dinner parties ---the food that was served-- the people the conversations etc......Its great! I really enjoyed it.

The title might lead the reader to think that this book is about how to buy real estate in France. It does provide some very helpful tips in that regard, but the book goes well beyond buying real estate. The authors provide insight into how cultures can interreact. The book is an absolute must for anyone interested in the nuances of the French as well as getting eyewitness tour of the Dordogne region. The book is educational, poignant at times, funny at times and always a joy to read.

Like Mayle's YEAR in PROVENCE and Mayes' UNDER the TUSCAN SUN, this title follows a couple through the pleasures and pitfalls of buying a vacation home in a lovely, exotic locale. Draine and Hinden, both professors at UW Madison, purchase a home in southwest France. Much more low-key than the Mayle and Mayes books mentioned, CASTLE in the BACKYARD has considerably fewer pages devoted to construction pitfalls and perils as well as a cast of much less colorful characters. All in all, CASTLE seems like a much more realistic story than other tales of buying a dream home in a dream location, which in my opinion, made this tale a bit less compelling a read.