Central America Books

Ron Paul is bipartisan in his book, leaving political affiliations at home. The book is an overview of contemporary U.S. policy, well written for the beginner, he doesn't get to technical with his explanations. He covers many important policy areas that the majority of Americans are left in the dark about. Not only does he identify the problems facing America but gives solutions that would be manageable if people would just come together. Some of the problems identified are; Federal Reserve, Inflation, Civil Liberties, America's War Machine, Health Care, Humanitarian Aid, and various other policies that pertain to every American. Well worth reading, especially considering it is an election year.

This is a book that every American should read. We need to make a stand now before we have everything taken away from us.We have lost to much freedom and can never get it back. This is a great country run by miss directed people. Our government is getting out of hand and way to big.

The U.S. has a terminal disease and it takes a heavy dose of limiting the scope of our government to survive. Dr. Paul is the man with the prescription. The question is whether the country will take the medicine and recover or continue to ignore the symptoms and let the disease progress.

This book pulls no punches when confronting the popular social/political/economic "views" of the state-run media outlets. This was my first time reading any of Ron Paul's books, and I had only known of him through his campaign for Republican nominee for the upcoming Presidential election.

I have never rated a book on Amazon before, but I consider myself an avid reader. I hope many of my fellow Americans will read this book and be changed by it; I am recommending it to all my friends, family, and coworkers. I wish this could be a more insightful review, but I realize that the more I know, the more I realize how much I don't know. But this book has made me want to know more, and I think it may have the same effect on you. Wake up America, turn off the T.V., and pick up this book.

J. D. Seagraves review says what I would have written so I feel foolish repeating what was already said so well. PLEASE read his review.

What the book says that needs to be stressed is this is supposed to be a country of 'we the people', 'one person one vote', with an elected congress that has read the Constitution and knows what the Founding Fathers wanted.

Deep down I think Ron Paul has started a revolution and like the original one, it may be slow starting, but it will grow and we all will owe a big thanks to Ron Paul.

Am getting extra copies for my local library and have recommended it as a teaching tool for all the homeschoolers I know. We are a third generation homeschooling, libertarian minded clan. Who also has a Ron Paul bumper sticker on the car.

Chasing Ghosts is a gripping first hand account of the horror of Iraq from a Lieutenant who has served, honorably with sacrifice and true heroism. After reading his grueling account of Bagdad and the complete failure of our President and his so called leaders to understand the complexities of this war, I know this war is wrong. Rieckoff does an excellent job in helping the reader understand the complexities of a nation that is battered from years of torture, and embraces the reality that it will take generations of peace before these people can emerge from the abuse. Our presence does nothing but contain the pain and heighten the fear.
Not only does Reickoff so successfully capture the tragic feeling of war from all sided, he presents a bipartisan account of the failures of our government in its mission there. He paints a weary account of John Kerry's reluctance to listen to Veterans, the President's incredible stupididy, and the medias insensitivity to the soldiers who risk their lives every day.
I saw Paul Rieckoff on Tavis Smiley's PBS show and was impressed with him there, so I knew I had to purchase this book. It was well worth the price of admission.

This story speaks for thousands of us who have been deployed to the quagmire in Iraq. It clearly explains the path our leaders chose for us in the early parts of the war, which explains why we're where we are (still!) today.

With my brother and sister currently serving in Iraq, and my husband and brother-in-law on their way there this year, I am very interested in the reality of what is going on there. Not the filtered and slanted stories that are being reported on the network news stations, or in political addresses, but the service members true daily experiences. Paul Reickhoff gave me what I was looking for through this book. While the realities of this war can be disturbing and upsetting, our service members and the innocent Iraqi civilians are living them everyday! One's opinion on the war itself or the reasons we are fighting it should not detract from supporting our Troops and our Vets! Great read, very engaging and detailed book.

This book is a must read for anyone looking for both an accurate account of the early days of the Iraq War and anyone needing a reminder of what happened back in 2003. Paul Rieckhoff tells it as only someone who was there can. This is a brutally candid story of a Soldier and a leader, shouldering the burdens of command. He brings you so close to the action that you can smell the carbon and feel the rifle's recoil as the rounds are flying. Intermixed with the fascinating tale is a cleaver wit. This book is a masterful use of language with a side order of sardonic humor that anyone (especially those who have served) will appreciate. If the book stopped after Rieckhoff's return from war, it would still be an excellent read. However, the reader is treated to the author's return from Iraq and the events that followed him. In a display of literary courage, he talks about what it was like to re-connect with a society that had largely forgotten about the war. He gives the reader a behind the scenes account of how he and a group of like-minded patriots took action to advocate for those who had served in harm's way in Afghanistan and Iraq. Regardless of one's opinion on the military actions taken after 9/11 especially in Iraq, this book is a compelling tale of someone who was there. Please be prepared to read this cover to cover (a great beach book) and if you start in on your train, you may miss your stop. It is that good.

Chasing Ghosts is a gripping, on-the-ground, cold bucket of water in the face view of the Iraq war. It tracks Rieckhoff's path from Manhattan on 9/11 to patrolling the streets of Baghdad to re-adjusting to life at home. His writing is lucid and sophisticated, raw and unbridled. Its a story of true patriotism, the active defense of American ideals through military sacrifice followed by the courage to challenge the mis-management - from flawed foreign policy to equipment shortages to inciting, empty rhetoric by the administration - of that sacrifice, which he experienced firsthand. He captures the sacrifice and heroism of not just his brothers in arms, but also the Iraqis helping the American effort or merely trying to survive the maelstrom. This is a great read.

The author obviously knows what he is talking about and presents a fascinating glimpse into some of the systems, scenarios, and processes for US domestic intelligence. Interesting plot and characters, but the real power comes from the "inside" technical knowledge. On par with Clancy's debut (Hunt for Red October), I hope the author keeps at it - his technical abilities are great; more story, character, and plot development and he could be as good as Clancy!

Government eavesdropping systems like Echelon, Carnivore, and Magic Lantern as well as the potential implications of the USA Patriot Act have been in the news of late and everyone has an opinion. People either agree strongly that after 9/11 such programs are important tools in assuring that such a tragedy can never happen again or they strongly disagree worrying that such programs are merely a way to harass innocent people and take away their privacy.

Whatever your opinion, Echelon, Somebody's Listening will likely interest you. This political thriller takes a deeper look at the perimeters and potential uses of these programs through the life of fictional CIA agent Michael Stone. Stone is in charge of several investigations in which eavesdropping brings greater clarity to the facts at hand. To add even greater drama and meaning to this story, the author has these fictional events take place in the weeks following 9/11.

Unfortunately, the suspense and rapid movement of events in the book kept me up, reading late at night to find out how the drama would unfold I also found the book very informative in the area of modern communication monitoring. It's a good read.

Fiction or not, a fasinating look at government agencies in today's world. An interesting read.

Wow, I couldn't put this one down!

Mr. O'Neill does an outstanding job presenting an insiders view on how technology is being used to bring the work of the intelligence community a little closer together. It's also amazing to see some of the inner workings on electronic eavesdropping that are being applied by the intel community.

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading a good thriller, especially ones that are relevant to what's happening in today's world. I am looking forward to reading more adventures of Michael Stone.

A very deep map indeed, the second of Heat-Moon's three literary tours-de-force is the story of a county in Kansas. In his first excursion, the best-selling BLUE HIGHWAYS, the author reported on a ten thousand mile sojourn along the old Federal Highways (blue on most maps). PRAIRYERTH grew out of three years of hiking, conversation and archival research in Chase County, Kansas and the result is a living history of both the particular locale and the European invasion of the west. From Knute Rockne's death in a commercial plane crash to Sam Wood's murder to Native medicine, dream walking to newspaper accounts of life on the prairie, and fossils to legends to The Land Institute where Wes Jackson explores the looming demise of the liquid fuel era, this volume casts a wide net. Heat-Moon is clear eyed enough to see the facts and then see beyond the facts to the life between the lines of old courthouse documents and pioneer diaries. He is open to less tangible subtlety as well, admitting susceptibility to hunch, daydream or the message from another's Ouija board. He tells a tale of hawks, buffalo, cowboys and beef, notes the profound damage wrought on the American prairie by McBurger mania and the possibility of recovery in a place of vast flatness and endless wind and sky. He lunches with the dead in old cemeteries and stakes out to observe life in a dying town where nothing happens. There are midnight moonlight hikes and journalistic experiments, pertinent quotes by the truckload and poignant still lifes of moments of love and loss. Such a deep map makes for a long read, but well worth the effort as pieces click into place in later chapters and a pastiche emerges, a hologram in which you can walk between the hills and dip a cupful from a clear flowing spring.

In Blue Highways the inimitable William Least Heat Moon drove across the backroads of America. In River Horse this courageous, spiritually-venerable man floated in a barge across this nation's waterways. In Prairy Erth, he does his exploration mostly on foot. Confining himself to a microcosmic canvas, Least Heat Moon spends over 600-pages describing how he spent months delving into a single county in the heart of Kansas. Packed with maps of Chase County, its hills, waterways, roads and farmsteads, the author tells a sometimes dry but often rich story of one remote but improbably charming spot on planet earth. He meets many of the county's 3,000 residents, hears and tells of the folklore, the history, the textured layers to life in such a location. By the book's end an unknowingly begun spiritual journey reaches its conclusion, which is the way with all of William Least Heat Moon's writings. If you have the time to put into Prairy Erth, it is a compelling book that challenges the nature of individual outlook.

New to William Least Heat Moon, I wasn`t quite sure what to expect with Prairyerth. Having heard about the critical acclaim of Blue Highways, I thought a lesser known work would be the place to start. And I am glad I chose Praityerth.

With Prairyearth, William Least Heat Moon has dug down to the heart of a specific place, in this case, the Flint Hill country of Chase County, Kansas. Not unlike Thoreau`s Walden, Prairyerth is an exhaustive chronicle of one man`s journey to the bottom--historically, geologically and geographically speaking--of one particular and rather insignificant place in the American landscape. Prairyerth, like Walden, is impossible to lump into one clean-cut literary category. Neither pure history, nor pure geology, nor `storytelling` per say, it is rather a brilliant concoction of all three. It is, as the author pens it, a `deep map` of one tiny piece of the New World. And deep it is. Least Heat Moon delves into every square inch, every prehistoric layer of his subject. The result is a stirring and fascinating ride through the discovery, settling, exploitation and ultimate destruction of the American prairie. Half Native American himself, Least Heat Moon walks through the tall grass of the American Sea with much the same spirit of his ancestors. Here was not emptiness as thought the first Europeans, but rather a vast ocean of endless natural wealth. Home to the once vast bison herds, the tall-grassed hills of Chase County were once giant mountains of the Kansas range that were slowly worn down into the Flint Hills of today. Least Heat Moon follows the tracks of the Osage and the Kansa, `people of the wind,` who traversed this area long before Zebulon Pike and John Fremont made their tentative forays across the prairie towards more secure landscapes. The author vividly captures the reverence that the Osage and Kansa held for the `prairie.` Tracking down the stories of the few remaining pure-blood Kansa, Least Heat Moon paints a metaphor for what looms in the future for us, lest we ignore the lessons of the past. Not only does the author richly expose the layer of Native Americana within Chase County, but he does justice to the natural elements of the place as well. Some of the most fascinating parts of Prairyerth are the sections on two of the county`s most enduring denizens, the Osage Orange tree/bush and the Wood Rat, aka Pack/Trade Rat. Least Heat Moon has an ultra sharp eye for interesting detail and oddity and knows how to bring such things to life.

The structure of the work is as ambitious as it is groundbreaking. Every other chapter covers another quadrant of the county. Least Heat Moon spends most of his time analyzing the present inhabitants of the county, trying to distill the essence of `Kansasness.` He chats with the weathered old farmers and ranchers who`ve survived every tornado and flash flood over the last half-century and who entertain no thoughts on living anywhere else. Every voice in the county gets its chance. Feminist cattle ranchers give him the lowdown on castrating bulls, local high schoolers divulge their dreams and the regulars of the Emma Chase Cafe unload gossip unaware of who`s writing it all down. Kansasness, according to the author, is a baffling mix of progressive politics and constrictive convention. A place of often violent contrasts. Kansas was the first state born out of the fires of abolition, first to stimulate integration (Board of Education vs Topeka), yet the `n word` is still commonplace all over the county. The forefather of the county, Samuel Wood, was one of the most eloquent voices among the abolitionists, yet he stopped short of pushing for full integration. Kansas was a place where all people had freedom of opportunity (especially to better oneself economically), as long as everybody kept to his/her own. One of the first states to allow women`s suffrage, it was also one of the first to embrace Prohibition. It also kept its archaic and puritan sex laws on the books until the recent Supreme Court ruling overturned such laws.

In between his quadrant explorations of the county, Least Heat Moon has interspersed chapters comprised of nothing but various epigrams and short passages regarding the state. Coming from sources as disparate as Horace Greeley and Black Elk to graffiti found at the KU library, these chapters are some of the most entertaining and enriching of the book.

William Least Heat Moon is one of the greatest prose stylists I have ever encountered in modern American letters. His writing is rich with metaphor and digression, begging second and third readings of certain passages. While sometimes he expands profusely, Faulkner-like, for paragraphs, clarity is rarely forsaken. It just means reading carefully and slowly. Prairyerth is definitely a book that needs digesting. I took me almost six months to finally devour it up and when I did, I had the distinct feeling of having consumed something grand and very nutritious, albeit a bit heavy. In fact, those without persistent natures would best choose something else to read. Prairyerth is meat and potatoes and requires a lot of chewing. And perhaps that is where the work falls a tad short of its possible ancestor. Whereas one can open Thoreau`s Walden anywhere and revel in the beauty and wisdom (albeit often cryptic) found therein, Prairyerth is nothing if not taken in its entirety. Its just too dense, with too much stuff packed into its innards. In fact, a little editing could have helped the book. Some chapters are a bit superfluous and leaving them out would have only helped the work as a whole. Moreover, Least Heat Moon`s astute observations serve his examination of the natural world far better than they support his delving into the human realm. Somehow a lot of the `characters` of Chase County never fully come to life in Prairyerth. Rather, they seem two-dimensional and oddly trapped on the page. Yet, taken as a whole and for what it is, a grand archaeological and sociological dig through the layers of New World settlement, Prairyerth succeeds grandly. Never has one tiny and often ignored section of the American quilt come to life so vividly and richly as does Chase County, Kansas in Prairyerth. A place so seemingly devoid of life, is, in actuality, overflowing with the past, present and future. All you have to do is look,look carefully. The author himself says it best: `A traveler(who cannot even remotely detect the thousand-mile-an-hour spinning of the planet he rides through space at sixty-seven thousand miles an hour, to say nothing of its solar and galactic movements and its precession) writes in his notebook, ~nothing is happening~. Man muses, God guffaws.` Next time you feel that nothing has ever happened or is happening now or will happen where you`re at, pick up Prairyerth and be amazed.

If only every county in the United States had as passionate and articulate a chronicler as William Least Heat-Moon.

I came to "PrairyErth" after having read and loved "Blue Highways." This tome--though longer and less expansive, geographically--possesses many of the qualities I admired in Heat-Moon's earlier work: the narrative tone (there's none of that stuffy, impersonal, third-person prose one finds in some travelogues; the author is himself part of the story), the occasional dips into philosophy and history; the candid interviews with "locals"; and the intense search for meaning in the most ordinary of places.

I have never been to Chase County, Kansas, but after spending a month or so accompanying Heat-Moon through the pages of his book, I feel as though I have. The book is subtitled "a deep map," and that is indeed what the author provides here. Square mile by square mile, the reader is introduced to the prairie, its topography and history, its residents and its wildlife. Heat-Moon correctly understands that the essence of a place is often best captured through anecdote and observation. There is nothing sweeping or grand about his narrative, and that's what makes "PrairyErth" such a delight. It's a detailed, intimate read; one almost has the feeling of looking over the author's shoulder (and back through history) as he ambles and rambles about the quadrangles of Chase County.

If there's one criticism I would offer, it's that Heat-Moon sometimes lapses into needless digressions about himself and the challenges he faced while writing the book. It struck me as a bit self-absorbed--as did the occasional Faulknerian stream-of-conscious, punctuationless prose. These stylistic excesses add little to what is otherwise a magnificent and fascinating travelogue.

If you want to experience Kansas, with its excruitatingly boring places that slowly creep up on you and leave you blissfully satisfied and in awe of beauty; if you're willing to read long passages of flat text just to discover the beauty of burning fields; I highly recommend PrairyErth.

I grew up in Kansas, about 2 hours from Chase county and was always facinated by the hills, the people, and just the auroa that came from Strong City and Cottonwood falls. After reading "PrairyErth" I am even more mesmorized by the locale.

I have been out of the state for 2 years now, and long to go back. Many friends have complained about the long drives through Kansas, the flat scenery, and boring people. PrairyErth brings to life these flat lands and opens up new worlds of community and life.

For me, reading Moon's book was much like experiencing life in Kansas. I did find some of the chapters long, dry, and dull.. but, that's how some Kansas life is. Moon always concludes these sections with a gorgeous snapshot of the land. He shows us what it is like to be in relationship with the land just as we are in relationship with one another.

He concludes the book with a beautiful journey down the Kaw Trail.
"How do you know when the Prairy is in you?"
"When you see a tree as an eyesore."

I read this book in Spanish, in condensed form, when I was fourteen years old. (1987, to be exact) Twenty-one years later, I still think about it. It made an anti-Communist out of me, and made me absolutely abhor what Fidel and Raul have done to such a beautiful island as Cuba, and to its people, for almost fifty years.

Sure, you might say they have "free health care". Trust me: they have paid a terrible price for "free."

It should be a must-read, together with Vaclav Havel's essays, for those who need to know what Communism really is: the rottenness of the soul, and an ideology borne out of the bowels of hell itself. Nothing else can describe it.

Viva Cuba Libre! (And this from a boricua.)

A beautiful and terrifying memoir of Castro's Cuba. This man suffered unspeakable injustices at the hands of Castro's servants. The honesty and heartfelt memories of this man persecuted by the Communists is one of the best memoirs I have ever read. Wonderful testimony to the bravery and courage of the human spirit in the face of horrible odds.

I read this book, translated to the portuguese, here in Brazil, some years ago.It's a book about the decades, who this Castro's victim was under prision in Cuba.A nightmare's life and for more then two decades.
The failures of this book really exists.At first, the author don't tells you nothing about cuban revolution.In fact, never there existed a battle in cuban revolution.Fulgencio Batista simple scaped, without a single shoot.A mafia's man, whithout a single drop of moral or courage.This was really the true Fulgencio Batista.
At second he doesn't tells you nothing about the sucess of castrism in latin America and the catholic church "liberation theology".Having nothing of liberation and nothing of theology, the catholic church in latin America became a marxist organization.

Another Amazon reviewer got it right when he wrote that this book should be given to all one's deluded friends sporting hip "Che" T-shirts. This eye-opening, stomach-churning account of the author's 22 years in Cuban prisons, the conditions of which make Shawshank seem like a Club Med, demolishes the romanticized memory of "freedom fighters" like Che and exposes the lie that Castro's Revolution created a socialist paradise. And it highlights Communism's inability to understand or erase one of the most important traits of human nature: our hunger for individual freedom and personal dignity.

Valladares wastes no time plunging us into a hell Dante himself could barely have imagined - on page one he is abducted in the middle of the night by the political police on trumped-up charges (having been denounced, he feels, by a jealous coworker for his disapproval of Castro's embrace of Communism), and before his prison odyssey is over, he endures and observes the worst extremes of totalitarian repression. The tension and the drama never let up, and often reach the breaking point. The litany of sadistic human rights abuses goes on page after page, every page; the degree of physical and psychological cruelty is so incomprehensible as to nearly defy belief. And yet Valladares and others maintain an almost superhuman strength of character and will to live that are inspirational and humbling. Amazingly, there are even flashes of humor and an ultimate triumph in this maddening and disturbing memoir.

Against All Hope is one of the most gripping books you will ever read. It has a compelling social conscience and an inspirational message of hope, faith, courage, determination, and even love, and it will leave you with a changed perspective on yourself and the world.

Give a copy of this book to all your friends wearing Che t-shirts. After so many descriptions of beatings and hunger strikes, you become numb to the next ones. I recall the AI campaigns in the 70s-80s to send letters and postcards to the Cuban and Soviet embassies just to remind them that the world was watching. Sadly today AI has degenerated into just another wacko outfit. The UN comes in for a beating of its own in this book, as it just sat back and closed its eyes, passing resolutions against Israel and other nonsense instead of putting pressure on Cuba. This continues today with Zimbabwe, NK, and others.

Take a look at "The Aquariums of Pyongyang" for a look at the same song, different verse.

I love this book!! could not put it down,it went everywhere i go,well written(i kept my dictionary close by)love the language,the playing with words,how the author made the characters come alive and made u feel like you were a part of the struggle,i went through different emotions reading this book and had to remind myself that this is modern time and what in the past is in the past.Now i am in the research phase buying products from amazon,and investigation how i can visit.
I raise my hat to you Kim,well done.
Montgomery Croker

MacQuarrie is a great story teller, and he pulls you right in.

He makes these historical events read like a novel. Part of the appeal is his presentation of Manco Inca and the Pizarro brothers. The author helps you understand the characters and once you do, you become absorbed in their times and troubles. Even the battle scenes, from which I normally cringe, are compellingly written. The contrasts in technology, religion, customs and values of the Spanish and Inca culture are marvelously described.

The "Last Days" parts stand in contrast to the beginning and the ending which are about the exploration of the areas and the re-discovery of the sites. While these are interesting tales, they pale before the story, which MacQuarrie tells so well, of the last days of the Incas.

I do not have much to add to what previous reviewers have said. I loved this book for its colloquial style and flowing narrative. The author did a great job detailing the life and deeds of Manco Inca, though, somewhat anti-climatically, he cut short the account of Gonzalo Pizzarro's (a major arch-villain) defeat and death. I personally recommend reading this book AFTER reading Prescott's account, in that it elucidates and magnifies the interwoven sories that make up this tragedy.
P.S. I STILL do not understand how could the Spanish have survived if 50,000 warriors would have just rushed them (rushing like a crowd in a burning movie theater) or thrown SIMULTANEOUSLY stones and javelins at them. I just don't get it.......

There are now three great English histories of the clash between the Spanish and the Inca in Peru. William H. Prescott published his History of the Conquest of Peru (1847) four years after his wonderful History of the Conquest of Mexico. Prescott's history remained the basic English text until 1970 when John Hemming published The Conquest of the Incas, still the definitive scholarly account (revised 2003) in English. Now Kim MacQuarrie has written a lively and dramatic version of the story without sacrificing historical accuracy, at least insofar as this general reader could discover by reading the three texts.

Pizarro was in his early 50s when he landed in "Viru" or "Biru,"; "eventually, the name of this tribe would be transmogrified and would come to refer to ... Peru -- home to the largest native empire the New World would ever know." Pizarro was the son of a respected soldier and a "common maid" who was "stigmatized by the fact that his father had never married his mother." He "had received little if any schooling and thus remained illiterate for his entire life," but he "instinctively understood both power and politics."

Pizarro brought Western inventions, institutions and religion to Peru which in the long run provided some benefits to the area. On the other hand the conquistadors slaughtered civilians and soldiers, pillaged treasures, murdered Inca leaders, destroyed many monuments and art works, and established a repressive political, cultural and economic system that persists today.

MacQuarrie writes that Prescott's "tale of Pizarro and a handful of Spanish heroes defying the odds against hordes of barbaric native savages not coincidentally mirrored the ideas and conceits of the Victorian Age and of American Manifest Destiny. No doubt this volume also reflects the prevailing attitudes of our time." MacQuarrie (and Hemming) clearly value the accomplishments of the Inca more than Prescott did, and have written a more balanced account.

MacQuarrie points out that historical accounts were written years after the events by people who either were not there or with failing memories. MacQuarrie finds many of those accounts closer to fiction than fact. And, from time to time MacQuarrie imagines events: "Hernando Pizarro, his horse snorting, presumably looked down his lines, then directly at Orgonez across the plain from him. Not taking his eyes from him, he then raised his sword on high, held it aloft for a moment, then quickly brought it down." MacQuarrie's cinematic training enlivens the story, but does not (in my opinion) contradict the historic record.

The basic elements of the story are clear. Pizarro established a base on the coast and then attacked the Inca Empire with 167 conquistadors, facing "an Inca army of perhaps eighty thousand warriors." He captured Atahualpa, the Inca emperor, then captured Cuzco, "the royal hub of the empire, a city that was purposely meant to display the ostentation of state power." He held Atahualpa hostage and executed him under the false impression that Atahualpa had ordered an attack on the Spaniards.

Atahualpa was "the equivalent of the king, the pope, and Jesus Christ all rolled into one." His execution established a pattern: Gonzalo Pizarro abducted the wife of Atahualpa's successor, Manco Inca; Manco was murdered by Spaniards, and Tupac Amaru -- the last of the emperors -- was captured and executed. "[T]he marauding Spaniards made no distinction between men, women, and children" as the slaughter continued.

In 1536, Manco Inca organized "a force of between 100,000 and 200,000 warriors -- a stupendous feat of logistical organization". The Spanish had enormous technological advantages including horses -- "animals that could carry a fully armored Spaniard and still outrun the fastest native" -- "steel helmets, armor, and chain mail," and "they could communicate much more efficiently through writing, thus being able to send and receive complex information between their often divided forces." Inca weapons "were designed for hand-to-hand combat with other similarly armed foot soldiers and consisted of an assortment of clubs." Eventually the Inca were able to devise strategies to offset Spanish advantages but but by then their forces were greatly reduced and the strategies unavailing.

MacQuarrie carries the story forward through the establishment of a stable Spanish government, and through the centuries as more and more of the accomplishments of the Inca were discovered. This extract captures the tone of MacQuarrie's history; here Hiram Bingham is on the verge of discovering Machu Picchu:

"'Picchu,' Arteaga had said, when they had first visited him the day before. The words were difficult to make out, filtering as they did past the thick gruel of coca leaves. 'Chu Picchu,' it sounded like the second time. Finally, the short peasant had firmly grabbed the American's arm and, pointing up at a massive peak looming above them, he uttered two words: 'Machu Picchu'--Quechua for 'old peak.' Arteaga turned and squinted into the intense brown eyes of the American explorer, then turned toward the mountain. 'Up in the clouds, at Machu Picchu--that is where you will find the ruins.' For the price of a shiny new silver American dollar, Arteaga had agreed to guide Bingham up to the peak. Now, high on its flank, the three men looked back down at the valley floor, where far below them tumbled the Urubamba River, white and rapids-strewn in stretches, then almost turquoise in others, fed as it was by Andean glaciers."

MacQuarrie has done a wonderful job of creating an exciting narrative from the major historical predecessors. He adds recent discoveries to the narrative. This is an essential book for anyone planning a trip to Peru, and a fascinating book for anyone interested in the history of the Inca.

Robert C. Ross 2008

12 years ago, motivated by a pictorial in National Geographic, I traveled to distant Peru. It was a fascinating journey, but after reading this book, I wished that I had it before I went (impossible, of course). I took it as a reverse travelogue, making sense of the places I had gone to and where they figured into the historical and exploratory narrative.

This book reads like a novel. In fact, I'd be surprised if it isn't ultimately converted into an HBO mini-series or the like. Interesting characters, from the puppet-turned-rebel Manco Inca, to the brash and vindicative Hernando Pizzaro, fill these pages and make them come to life. Revealed is an extra-ordinary account of the amazing conquest of a large and prosperous Empire by a small band of greedy Spanish outcasts.

Written in lucid prose, with numerous quotes, from Incas, Spaniards, and even outside philosophers, Kim MacQuarries does an excellent job of reaching out to the reader and creating a fascinating historical account. Well organized, the book even concludes with a complete description of the archeological work of the modern period associated with the recounted events and makes those almost as fascinating as the events themselves.

I couldn't recommend this book more highly.

Excellent recordings and presentation make learning bird songs easy. Highly reccomend. Combined with excellent service from Amazon made this a satisfying purchase.

I'm a new birder, and I have found this series really helpful. I even recognized a few birds by sound before seeing them, thanks to this series. I also gave a copy to a friend who is visually impaired, and she's enjoying it too.

This program is logically thought out and executed unlike another disk I bought (Bird Song Ear Training Guide by John Feith). Bird calls are classed by types, e.g. the most common woodpeckers are grouped together, and then explained. After the explanation, the bird call is repeated again so one can analyze the key elements of the calls. This was not done in the Feith CD.
I live next to a park that is a large tract of land that is untouched. When a tree goes down, it stays down and rots, as would happen in nature. This is not a manicured park. There are a wealth of bird calls within the park and although I can't see them, I can certainly hear them. I wanted to identify them by their calls and I will be able to with these disks. I bought another CD that I thought would help that is mentioned above, but was sorely disappointed.
If you are like me and want to be able to recognize birds by their calls, then this is the work for you.

ASIN:0618225900 Birding by Ear: Eastern and Central North America (Peterson Field Guides(R)
I've always enjoyed watching and listening to our feathered friends however my identification was limited to visual. I'm a learner by repetition and this audio series makes that possible. I have a substantial commute to work and can listen as I ride. I'm not only being taught but it is very relaxing! This audio series is an excellent way to learn and remember bird songs. Looking forward to spring and putting what I've learned to use out in the field!

Great item. Good for listening to in your car. My wife loves it and we have used it to learn our birds in Alabama.

This book is well written and easy to read and understand. The literary quality is not lost in the scientific terminology. A must read prior to a trip to the tropics. A good written explanation of why we should save the tropical forests.

I just loved this book. I have always been fascinated by tropical forests, and this book did a great job of presenting lots of factual information about them and at the same time giving a really good feeling for the aesthetic pleasure of being in one. Forsyth and Miyata are excellent writers, among the best pop science writers I've come across.

I just wish I had read this book before before or during my recent Costa Rica vacation. it would have made it all that much more enjoyable.

It's much more readable than a textbook but still provides a lot of detail. It's probably an excellent way to actually gain some understanding of tropical nature, and the many types of inter-relationships. I'm a biologist by training, but knowing nothing about tropical nature I wanted to learn about it before going on a tour in Panama & Costa Rica. It's easy to read a chapter at a time. I recommend it if you're really interested in nature or if you're going there or been there.

I first read this book when I was on a jungle trek in Ecuador - it was available in our lodge. This book perfectly reflected our experience of life and death of the rain forest. It's an essential first read for someone who wants to truly understand the basic concepts of the rain forest. I happily read it over again whenever I return to the rain forest whether it's in Borneo, Peru or Costa Rica.

Still in print and selling well 23 years after its first publication, this is a classic book about the beauty and importance of rain forests and their many inhabitants, both plant and animal. I read this book for an undergraduate class that included a trip to Costa Rica. It's an interesting blend of history, organismal biology, and plea for conservation. It also contains practical information about how to hike around in a rain forest. Overall, a very pleasant read told in a conversational manner. Author of Adjust Your Brain: A Practical Theory for Maximizing Mental Health.

Stepping Off the Edge: Learning & Living Spiritual Practice

MY OLDER DAUGHTER'S MIDDLE NAME IS GABRIELA BECAUSE OF THIS BOOK. In 1925, the Brazilian town of Ilheus burst into prosperity & modernity as cacao plantations gobbled up the land. Cacao barons built nouveau riche monstrosities and cultivated fine airs. The filthy, starving mulatto girl, Gabriela, wandered into town, escaping famine in the North. Just as Nacib the Arab lost his cook. What would his Cafe do with no cook? Nacib is so desperate he hires the waif. And Gabriela, bathed and clothed, is a beauty who has every man in town panting. Also-- she's a great cook. The Cafe is hopping and Nacib is a mess. Can he hold on to her? A melange of political bosses, concubines, proper wives and daughters. Cheating wives and scandal. The beautiful Gabriela and her food moves through it like a smile. A beloved classic in Brazil.

The book arrived in perfect shape.
It's a great book. Jorge Armado is a great Brazilian writer.
Good choice!!!

This was the first book I read from Jorge Amado, and it's one of the best books I ever read. I won't give away the plot here, but the novel roughly chronicles the modernization of a small South American township and the politics and drama with it's everyday citizens, primarily the free spirited Gabriela of whom most of the town residents are not quite ready for.A fascinating book on the culture of Brazil.

Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon is another one of Jorge Amado great accomplishments. If you've never read a great work by a Brazilian author, you don't know what you're missing. I've already read Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands, also by Jorge Amado, and I plan on reading every one of his books.

Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon

Gabriela Clove and Cinnamon is a more than delicious and delightful novel that takes place in the Brazilian town of Ilheus in the mid 1920's. The plot centers on the romance between Nacib, the Arab, and the graceful Gabriela, a mullato beauty that is willing to work for next to nothing as she is running away from famine. This takes time and place when and where the cacao prosperity is changing every aspect of the political and social lives at Ilheus. I chose this book since I had already read Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands, also by Jorge Amado, and absolutely loved it. By no chance was I disappointed. This is just another masterpiece by the late Jorge Amado that I just could not put down until I finished and, besides, made me laugh and feel great all throughout the book. I won't give away the plot, but I am telling you, it is one of the finest novels by a Latin-American author that I have ever read.

This is a sweet story but I found the narration by Jimmy B. and his daughter a little lacking. I'm a Jimmy Buffet fan no doubt. I just don't think voice overs are his thing. It is cool to hear him doing something with his daughter though. Like I said, it's sweet but I don't think we will pull this one off the shelf very often.

When I read the initial literary review, I had to laugh. The story is not weakened by the Jolly Mon's lack of efforts! Hah! The story is about the Jolly Mon's total surrender to his own destiny. He sings, the fish jump out of the sea, a musical instrument comes his way, he tries to play and makes a discovery. He trusts nature. He takes the opportunites that come his way with faith and grace. He uses the gifts he was given to the best and highest purpose. He does as he is asked to do. The book is a metaphor of faith and surrender. Besides that, it is beautifully illustrated, the music is lovely and my 2 1/2 year old son asks for it again and again. And, yes we are all parrotheads...

Anyone who is familiar with Jimmy Buffett understands ~ fantasy and fun are important parts of life.

This book & CD get the dream underway...

When I ordered this book I didn't realize it was a children's book. But when it arrived I read it then mailed it to my grand daughters. So it didn't go to waste and it was at least read/heard by three people in my family. I have loved the other Jimmy Buffett books and songs.

The quality of the printing, the beautiful 'semi-true story', the bright and well done colorful pictures and the bonus CD of Jimmy Buffett's song, aka The Jolly Mon, make this an excellent purchase for anyone with young children in their lives. It can lead to laughter, clapping, dancing and giggles!