Central America Books

"What's in a name? History! The African American community has their community in Harlem; the Dominicans are beginning to carve out a space for their people...Spanish Harlem is the soul and heartbeat of the Puerto Rican people...groups survive by controlling space and maintaining a viable and visible presence..." (p. 73). This statement, made by an activist and poet during a debate on the use of the term "El Barrio" to reference East Harlem, touches on one of the main issues that Arlene Davila so brilliantly expresses in her book, Barrio Dreams: Puerto Ricans, Latinos, and the Neoliberal City. This rich ethnography focuses on the issue of space, particularly in the neighborhoods of El Barrio, or Spanish Harlem, located in the East Harlem district. She brings to light the cultural politics involved in the definition of space and its subsequent appropriation, as well as the commodification and marketability of ethnicity and race. Through extensive research, that includes interviews with local neighborhood residents, observations and participations at community meetings and organizations, and public hearings, Davila is able to put together a magnificent work that documents the complex effects of culture, space, commodification, representation and gentrification of space and the residents in El Barrio. In doing so, she is able to call "attention to the symbolic and representational processes that have tied race, ethnicity, and place in East Harlem within the public imagination...account[ing] for the value of these representations in the symbolic economy of contemporary cities" (p. 24).
El Barrio, a growing urban, Latino community is the foreground for Davila's examination of the politics of culture, urban space, gentrification of neighborhoods, and "the neoliberal policies that favor privatization and consumption" (p.2). Davila raises important questions in her work by focusing on the increasing attempts to create social change in urban communities through the introductions of new developments, businesses, museums, charter schools and tourist sites. In the chapters in her book, she devotes much time analyzing the complexities surrounding such gentrification issues, brining in to play the resistance of the local residents against developers. One particular impressive aspect of Davila's work, touches on the difficulties local residents face when they buy into the developer's ideas of programs that include home ownership and museums. Many residents agree that the image of Spanish Harlem as "poor, crime-ridden, and underdeveloped" sheds a negative light on their community (p.115). Developers, craftily pointing to the lack of value and marketability of Puerto Rican heritage or "Puerto Ricanness" reinforce the existing stereotyped image on El Barrio as unpopular (p.114).
Yet as Davila shows, the support of local residents of new projects can sometimes in fact lend a helping hand to the process of gentrification, resulting in residents jeopardizing their stake and claim in their own neighborhoods. In other words, "by supporting consumption and entertainment projects, such as museums and home-ownership programs, residents are furthering gentrification and increasing prices in East Harlem, thereby hindering their own future claims to the area" (p. 4). The Edison Project that Davila describes in her fourth chapter highlights the attempts of private organizations to claim stake in the urban communities of El Barrio, telling residents that "the project would educate residents about their own common heritage" while creating avenues "that would provide jobs and place the neighborhood on the map" (p. 129). But the price of these incentives was not free. Developers used culture as "the bait for a larger project for privatizing social services and further commodifying place in El Barrio" (p.129). Arlene Davila does an excellent job in bringing to light the complexities involved in the processes of gentrification and culture consumption and the desires of residents to reclaim their neighborhoods through highlighting their cultural values.
Another fascinating aspect of Davila's work touches on the issues of the relationships between the Puerto Rican residents of El Barrio and African Americans. Davila points out that both African Americans and Puerto Ricans share a common history, yet the introduction of a cultural space and the desire for "local control of resources" and "local electoral politics...has polarized the groups' relationship since the start of urban renewal projects and still mediates debates over space and development in the area" (p. 19). The advancement of African Americans in the political sphere is another point of tension between the two groups, as well as the dominant leadership roles of blacks in the urban development sectors. Additionally, Davila describes the tensions that exist between Puerto Ricans and Mexicans. The rapid growth of the Mexican population in El Barrio is causing the "rapid transformations in the area's demographics and landscapes" resulting in "tensions between Mexican and Puerto Rican populations, raced to their different histories, citizenship status, and/or self-conception as residents, racialized minorities, or temporary immigrants" (p. 21). While illuminating, the relationships and tensions that arise between the Puerto Ricans, African Americans and Mexicans alike can sometimes be messy. Their fight for control over space and their commonalities as minorities, whose culture is being commodified by developers and outside organizations, all tie in and relate to one another in a complex web of defining space and cultural values. As a results, the neighborhoods in which they all reside are slowly changing, reflecting the backdrops of multiculturalism, neoliberalism and globalization that form a common thread between the various issues and projects that Davila discusses in her work.
Barrio Dreams is an exceptional piece of work that illuminates the debates and issues surrounding the ever increasing urbanization and gentrification of one of New York's most well known neighborhoods. Arlene Davila is truly a genius at work!

Various historical points reveal where the redefinition of culture took place due to economically driven motives, which have proven pivotal for empowering as well as defining cultures. From the Pledge of Allegiance to the current war in Iraq, the lines drawn around the essence of one's culture have been exploited by money-driven entrepreneurs and politicians. Arlene Dávila exposes this phenomenon in East Harlem, and more specifically in el Barrio, in her new book Barrio Dreams: Puerto Ricans, Latinos, and the Neoliberal City. She is "concerned mostly with the specificity of current racial, ethnic, and spatial conflicts in the area" which, "become exacerbated by the cultural bases of many contemporary development initiatives at the very time that intraethnic and racial alliances among minorities are most impending and most needed." (5) Her book displays the reality of the struggle in El Barrio where "ethnic" groups have been battling for a place at the same time the "Latin" community as a whole has been fighting for a political position in order to gain control of the definition of their culture.
Culture, contrary to Dávila's belief that there was a time "when cultural demands commanded economic resources and political valence," (2) has almost always been advanced for economic reasons. Countries in the Arabian Gulf have attracted workers from all around the world to work in the oil and gas fields to an extent where now the citizen is a minority due to the influx of these workers-citizens of these countries have yet to object to the increasing number of workers. Surely when one's culture becomes the minority culture it will have a great impact on the shape it takes.
Dávila, author of Sponsored Identities: Culture, Politics in Puerto Rico and Latinos, Inc.: The Marketing and Making of a People, has done extensive study on the issue of politics in the marketing of the "Latin" identity. The use of "Latin" or "Latinidad" implies homogeneity-it is a remarkable how the author is sucked into this normative stereotypes constructed for categorization purposes. The author herself argues that the "Latin" community is not homogenous in any way, thus "these groups differ in mission and objective." (157) Hence we have El Barrio as an area where various groups are fighting for various ends-using the word "Latin" inevitably hinders our vision concerning the diversity of the "Latino" culture.
Nevertheless, it is not simply about homogeneity among the Puerto Ricans, Mexicans and Dominicans. It's about hierarchies within hierarchies; "the relations are mediated by existing racial and ethnic hierarchies that are shaped by racialist processes in the United States and in Latin America and also have particular manifestations that are historically and regionally situated" (171). Hence the "ethnic" groups are placed into hierarchies according to the basic social class and political participation in the United States, which finds El Barrio (in general) in the lower middle-class. But hierarchies exist within this hierarchy, which leads to the divide between the "Latino" groups. Their stance in this category revolves around several classifications such as devotion to work, crime rate, longevity in the community and other such ingredients. The "stereotypes of Mexicans as less educated or unsophisticated" (173) have been a catalyst for Mexicans to attempt to present themselves in a picture they believe suite their community most and thus they have considered themselves as "hard working, and ethical Mexicans" (173). But other than the competition between the "Latino" groups, in the one specific group there is a hierarchy. The example of Puerto Ricans "with a longer history in El Barrio, criticized Puerto Rican newcomers just as forcefully, despite their Puerto Rican nationality and pro-Puerto Rican leanings." (79) The complexity of these levels and allegiances causes conflict in the group, which ultimately leads to the dismantling of the "greater community"-the "Latin" one.
How does Dávila define culture? She states that culture is an "ethnic or racial identity" as well as an "object of entertainment." (10) Culture is almost always associated with tradition and history and it is ironic how modern means can reshape our concept of culture in addition to molding the minds of `outsiders' in regards to their perception of a community's culture. Culture is man-made and it is "imagined." It is interesting to note the use of Benedict Anderson's "imagined community" in Dávila's study of El Barrio. She throws it in on page 65 whilst talking about Puerto Ricans and their creation of their community. It is a shame that this notion of "imagined community" is not introduced earlier in her work. That is the foundational base of conflict in any society where various communities live and fight for elements of their own culture so as to proclaim its exclusivity to them.
But what is especially ironic is the fact that culture is not tangible and Dávila seems to miss a step between providing us with her definition of culture and the various problems that have taken shape in El Barrio due to gentrification, which ultimately means the exclusion of some communities-the exclusion from political representation in New York City is center to Dávila's study. She argues that the "Latin" communities are losing grip of the fate of El Barrio due to the lack or representation in organizations that decide the final outcome of El Barrio. Her argument is clear and impressive because of the depth of her research in the politics of representing a community; the author provides us with several examples of how tenants are defined by race and social class, and thus reshape the community.
Overall, the study is extremely interesting in seeing the impact of marketing and politics on culture and vice versa. El Barrio is not a unified force and culture-Dávila proclaims, "sure El Barrio continues to be "de todos." Which is obviously a partial todos." (96) The complexities that the author examines is impressive and brings to light the power of marketing and advertising that are politically motivated in a society. She is an anthropologist and it is a study that presents us with extensive examples and theories but leaves the door open, as anthropologists tend to observe and not interfere.

It is no secret that our society continues to thrive and grow out of the economic structure of capitalism. Globalization provides more opportunities for free trade, and in the process our economy becomes increasingly privatized. These concepts of neo-liberalism, which require less government intervention, have been expressed through policies that deregulate 'big business' and further the gap between the affluent and the impoverished. Although many are bearing the fruits of this growing interconnection of trade and exchange, it comes at the expense of those who remain indefinitely at the bottom of the economic pyramid. Through her book Barrio Dreams, Arlene Davila uncovers many repercussions concerning the growing competitive housing development market in El Barrio or East/Spanish Harlem. Davila discusses the process of gentrification that has resulted in a pauperized community within New York City. The book aims to characterize the cultural and political interactions between different groups of Latinos as well as between those within the greater community. Their attempts to shape the future of their barrio while understanding their own cultural capital are also constantly revealed. Davila portrays the politics of marketing ethnicity as culture, and how it is treated as industry to further the process of gentrification. This book highlights the increasingly significant role of Latinos in American society and their struggles to gain power and authority in their communities.
In areas such as New York City, where property value only has the ability to grow with time, impoverished neighborhoods such as East Harlem are susceptible to development from outside private companies. Government policies have further contributed to the gentrification in the Empowerment Zone in NYC and have opened the door for private development. Davila states, "Since the 1980's, similar policies involving tax incentives to the private sector, as in today's EZs, have consistently replaced publicly financed community-based development strategies as the dominant urban development strategy (pg 9)." In compliance with the philosophies of neo-liberalism, governmental organizations have shifted the responsibility of social housing onto private development organizations, which are solely driven by profitability. Unfortunately, this has rapidly decreased the amount of affordable housing in East Harlem. Local businesses and residents have been displaced and neglected as a result of this rapid gentrification. "East Harlem's real estate is not advertised in El Diario or other Latino and local newspapers...many believe, (they) intend to keep Latinos out of the area (pg 54)," said one the area's residents. This process is a result of the lack of representation from Latinos and residents of the community. Even those Latinos from the area who have shown upward mobility have been consequently displaced outside of East Harlem and thus do not intend to return. Spanish Harlem symbolizes the romanticized version of Latino culture and will unlikely relinquish its reputation of being underprivileged. Roberto, a union leader Davila interviewed, describes why he can not live in El Barrio: "I saw a lot of brutality...El Barrio will always be El Barrio, not the Puerto Rican Barrio, but the barrio of immigrants and the poor (pg 38)." Roberto's comments shine light on the fact that this neighborhood is not able to develop without providing outlets for upward mobility and representation.
Part of reshaping the marginalized perception of El Barrio is being provided by activists in order to "secure the identity of (their) place (pg 24)." The current commercialization and outside marketing contradicts attempts and assertions that are being made to redefine the associations to the Latino identity. Many of the residents that reside in East Harlem are not a homogenous culture or ethnicity. Specifically, Puerto Ricans have struggled to assert their identity as a community in American society. As a group, they have attempted to downplay the stereotypes and negative associations that are being exaggerated by cultural marketers. In attempting to understand the own accurate identity, Puerto Ricans must be able to understand their significance in El Barrio. Puerto Ricans have been commonly linked with other ethnic groups such as African-Americans, who reside in West Harlem. Davila discusses the movement of Puerto Ricans to differentiate themselves as a functioning and successful ethnic group. Mexicans, who are the fastest growing immigrant population in the United States, experience similar struggles of re-signification in East Harlem. They have tried to establish themselves as "worthy and hard-working immigrants," and separate themselves from the marginalized reputation of other Latinos in the area (pg 156). Davila cites one man who commented, "We Mexicans are hard workers and don't depend on welfare as do Dominicans...many Mexicans are deported because they are illegal. Each month, Dominicans are deported because they've been jailed for selling drugs, committing robberies, crimes and fraud (pg 172)." The US depends on Mexicans to fill the lowest positions in the workforce - those jobs that require extensive manual labor for very little pay - but our government and policies prevent these immigrants from gaining rights and representation in their communities. The Mexican Day Parade was one example of a culturally-specific event that was marketed and organized by non-Mexicans for corporate interests. Davila emphasizes that the control of such cultural events by marketers who do not represent the Mexican community actually undermines the purpose of such ethnic celebrations. Further, she stated that the outrage of Mexicans in such situations "asserted ethnicity over industry and challenged the inequities in the production and consumption of ethnic events (pg 167)."
Artists have become catalysts for publicly marketing the real Latino identity with images that represent both the past and present. This initiative contradicts the growing commercialization of Latino culture geared toward economic gains in the EZ. The author adds, "Heritage is ancillary to tourism, put in the service viable tourist districts containing cultural, entertainment, dining, and recreational attractions (98)." The various cultural projects in East Harlem that would further allow the appropriate exposure of Latino heritage, such as el Museo del Barrio and the Edison Project, were centered around tourism, economic interests, and employment. This only furthered the process of gentrification in East Harlem. To inhibit this process, artists began to show an effort to represent Latino aspirations and dreams through non-profitable murals and graffiti. Their actions signify that ethnicity is more than just a business venture. Davila posits, "The fact is that current ethnic and cultural identifications are being concurrently fueled by a variety of political and commercial interests, and are thus not about to fade, as long as they are profitable, politically marketable, and viable (pg 214)." Thus, the need for further artistic expression of the actual Latino ethnicity is vital.
Through her book, Arlene Davila clearly represents the position and role of many Latinos in American society today. Neoliberal policies further prevent these groups from taking hold of their community and ethnicity, and allowing private companies to consolidate affordable housing. This book can only shine light on the rapid gentrification of all cities around the country. It is difficult not to think of the re-urbanization process going on in Durham over the last five years, and in doing so I hope those involved think of places like East Harlem. Many of the same efforts to improve the image are fueled by economic interests, however without considering the history and diversity of this culturally-rich city, the future of Downtown Durham will continue to be tainted.

Arlene Davila's BARRIO DREAMS is simply amazing. It grapples with the diversification of New York's Latino population, asking important questions about community solidarity and alliances. The final chapter on Mexican immigration to El Barrio is especially informative. Professor Davila is a stellar scholar whose ground-breaking work is helping shape the future of Latino/a studies. A must-have book indeed!

As a frequent traveler to Belize I found this book a wonderful guide to all the natural beauty of Belize.

I actually saw this book while travelling in Belize and wanted it to help me identify all the great animals we were seeing, but it was rather expensive. I got it on Amazon when we got home and it really helped identify some of the things I had taken pictures of. Next time I visit Belize I will be taking it with me. Nice colour photos and descriptions with some interesting information about the natural history.

From Planeta journal:

An impressive first edition, not as much a tourist's guidebook as a naturalist's handbook. Color illustrations document native birds, mammals and reptiles. The author provides a brief eco-history of the region as well as background on environmental threats and conservation. Excellent!

Great book, but where's the picture of the red footed booby?

The nomenclature "Bebop" referring to an extension of American jazz development is, in itself somewhat unfortunate. It is not surprising that many of the musicians at the core of the movement hated the phrase "Bebop" themselves. The jokey sound of the word tends to trivialize the significance and the integrity of the music to which is referring. We tend to think of Bebop as an amusing, but irrelevant, phase of the urban jazz scene. The contribution of Bebop to musical development is both pervasive and irreversible.

Scott DeVeaux's book, "The Birth of Bebop" takes on squarely the issue of the Bebop's place in American music and in America's cultural development of the middle of the 20th-century. He has made excellent use of first-hand accounts, anecdotes, and obscure or original recordings to bring this story to life. He has applied an academic's discipline to documentation of his source material with a high degree of integrity. He achieves a remarkable balance between understanding and dealing with the details of the musical construction in the context of the "race" environments of the 1930s and '40s

This was an important era of American history. In a sense, we would like to forget the gross cultural inequities of the time. There are not many tangible reminders around, although the cultural imprint is still here and not likely disappear in the near future. Fortunately, the music of the era, Bebop, is still accessible through CD re-issues and is continuing to influence modern musical performance right through to a saxophone-toting Lisa Simpson. A key value of "The Birth of Bebop" is to remind us of this continuing connection. This book helps us appreciate the courage and commitment of the proponent musicians exploring this new medium, particularly in the context of nearly-overwhelming daily obstacles in the form of American cultural "Jim Crow" mores and laws.

In a perfect World, this book would come with a companion CD filled with aural samples of the music Mr. DeVeaux discusses organized to illustrate his musical points. This short-coming means that the fullest appreciation of the author's points is only available to those with access to fabulous recording collections of the era or, even more remotely, those with sufficient age and musical memory to bring the musical notation to life.

I am a music major at the University of Virginia, particularly interested in jazz studies, and have had the pleasure of taking several classes under DeVeaux, in particular, one based on this book. DeVeaux's humor, in combination with his musical genius when it comes to the topic of jazz, is expemplified by this book. He explains the hayday of jazz as well as the transition from the swing era into the bop era with incredible detail. Special features in the book are vignettes into the lives of the great artists such as Hawkins and Parker. He compares the styles of several of the pioneers which causes further investigation on the part of the reader to trail the modern jazz progression from the 1940's and 50's on into today. If you've ever wanted to know why the cats play the way the do and how jazz moved from big band swing clubs into bebop jam sessions, this is the author you're looking for.

A 500-page history of bebop that takes 400 pages to get up to the "Groovin' High" Bird & Diz recording session? Whose first 164 pages are all about Coleman Hawkins? Unusual, to say the least, but DeVaux shows how it all makes sense. Hawkins is portrayed as the central motif around which everything else turns: Hawk welcomed progress and a new style, played on the first bop record date (done for Asch in 1944), and opened at Billy Berg's in Los Angeles before Bird & Diz got there. DeVaux is a very good writer, thorough and judicious. Highly recommended.

It's hard to explain the excitement a 13 year old had on first hearing Dizzy Gillespie's THINGS TO COME on Side A and TWO BASS HIT on Side B. Or for that matter, as a 25 year old, on hearing KUSH from AN ELECTRIFYING EVENING WITH DIZZY GILLESPIE relayed on the VOICE OF AMERICA by Willis Conover. Undoubtedly there was something electrifying about the music which Mr Deveaux suggests had a "sense of frustration embedded in its core" p.446. Certainly, it was a musical world away from that of the great Thomas Fats Waller for example whose genius was usually sublimated beneath jumping and jive. It was SERIOUS music and demanded attention. This fine book by Mr Devaux puts the evolution of this revolutionary music in context and inspires one to revisit many of the records including those who inspired the great John Coltrane - Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five. It is also of interest to musicians, musicologists, sociologists, historians but as a general reader who loves America's classical music - called jazz - it is a very fine read indeed and about the best book I own on Bebop.

What a great collection of essays! An excellent book to have around and read when you're a Nuyorican looking for some grounding!

Collaboratively compiled and edited by the team of Gabriel Haslip-Viera (Director of the Program in Latin American and Latino Studies, City College, CUNY), Angelo Falcon (Senior Policy Executive for the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund), and Felix Matos Rodriguez (Director of the Center for Puerto Rican Policy, Hunter College), Boricuas In Gotham: Puerto Ricans In The Making Of Modern New York City anthologizes essays reinterpreting and updating the history of New York's Puerto Rican community and its leadership from the beginnings of the great migration in the 1940s down to the present day. Organized in chronological order and including chapters by noted historians, sociologists, and political scientists, Boricuas In Gotham covers diverse issues of culture, demography, language, economic status, politics, and community organization. Also available in a hardcover edition (1558763554, $69.95), Boricuas In Gotham is a seminal work of impressive scholarship and a welcome contribution to Latino Studies supplemental reading lists as well as 20th Century American History reference collections.

CHOICE Magazin: January 2005

"Collaboratively compiled and edited by the team of Gabriel Haslip-Viera (Director of the Program in Latin American and Latino Studies, City College, CUNY), Angelo Falcon (Senior Policy Executive for the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund), and Felix Matos Rodriguez (Director of the Center for Puerto Rican Policy, Hunter College), Boricuas In Gotham: Puerto Ricans In The Making Of Modern New York City anthologizes essays reinterpreting and updating the history of New York's Puerto Rican community and its leadership from the beginnings of the great migration in the 1940s down to the present day. Organized in chronological order and including chapters by noted historians, sociologists, and political scientists, Boricuas In Gotham covers diverse issues of culture, demography, language, economic status, politics, and community organization. Also available in a hardcover edition (1558763554, $69.95), Boricuas In Gotham is a seminal work of impressive scholarship and a welcome contribution to Latino Studies supplemental reading lists as well as 20th Century American History reference collections."

This new and very important collection of essays reinterprets and updates the history of New York's Puerto Rican community and its leaders from the beginnings of the great migration in the 1940s to the present time. The collection also honors the memory of the late Dr. Antonia Pantoja, who was perhaps the community's most important and influential activist and institution builder during this period.
The book is organized in chronological order and includes chapters by noted historians, sociologists, and political scientists, such as Virginia Sánchez Korrol, Ana Celia Zentella, José Cruz, Francisco Rivera Batiz, and Gabriel Haslip-Viera. These chapters focus on issues of culture, demography, language, economic status, politics, and community organization.
Eminently useful in college-level courses that deal with Latinos and other ethnic groups in U.S. society, the book ends with essays by Angelo Falcón and Clara E. Rodríguez that assess the legacy, current status, and future prospects of the Puerto Rican community in New York.

Gabriel Haslip-Viera, City College, CUNY, is the editor of Taíno Revival: Critical Perspectives on Puerto Rican Identity and Cultural Politics. Angelo Falcón, Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund, is the author of numerous articles on Puerto Rican/Latino politics. Félix V. Matos-Rodríguez, Hunter College, is the author of Women in San Juan: 1820-1868.

This is a fun book and all Scouts should own one. We see how some things change, but we also see how some things don't. Truths remain true and common sense and good remain so as well. Pick one up!

This is a great book showing the scout perspective. The other half is the Handbook For Scout Masters 1914 recently reprinted. The two show both sides of the picture and are both funny from their angle.

Lot of info is out of date here, such as their dietary and first aid, but that is what makes it fun.

Superb book. In the world we live in there is constant change, this book demonstrates that somethings are timeless.

I was a Cub Scout, Weblo, and Boy Scout for years. Some of my fondest memories are of times spent with my fellow scouts around the campfire, telling stories, jokes, and just being BOYS. This edition reminds me of the pre-PC and pre-secular Boy Scouts, when scouting was almost a calling for teenage boys, and certainly contributed to their moral and ethical upbringings. In this day of anti-God, anti-anything-as-long-as-it's-secular-humanism, it's refreshing to read a handbook with advice on serving one's God, and that it should be a regular part of one's life. Kudos to the publisher for re-introducing a classic.

Canada's First Nations is a solid piece of scholarship detailed enough to satisfy advanced historians and well written in order to please a greater audience.

Make no mistake, this is a vast topic covering 15.000 years in history and pre-history that had to be shrunk to 560 pages only. Of course there are a few omissions, of course there needed to be some sort of selection of incidents and sources. Most of the author's choice regarding her focus can be understood easily and makes the book a good read.

The only grave criticism of which the author cannot be spared is that at some places Dickason does not sufficiently question her ancient written sources, but rather takes for granted what has been said about amerindian behavioural patterns in the 16th and 17th century.

While this can be attributed to the vast undertaking itsself, it nonetheless may be one wrong approach to sources leading to a perhaps distorted picture of amerindian ancient culture.

One example: "All Iroquoians practised torture and cannibalism"...[56].
While the first can be regarded as proven, sources related to the alledged latter behaviour are definetely not to be taken at face value, as Heidi Peter-Röcher (Kannibalismus in der Prähistorischen Forschung, Studien zu einer paradigmatischen Deutung und ihren Grundlagen.) in her doctoral thesis of 1994 (University FU Berlin) quite convincingly points out.

In fact, as Peter-Röcher succeeded to show, remarks related to cannibalism have to be taken with utmost care. Peter-Röcher goes as far as questioning the existence of such a practise in history at all and relates that there is not one single case in history when such a practise has been positively witnessed, that is neurotic missionaries - themselves living under a constant threat of getting slain - made up these stories of "Gog and Magog" in order to illustrate their braveness among the barbarians, to put it short.

Despite these flaws Canada's First Nations is a solid piece of work well worth the time it takes to read it.

This book is a wonderful synthesis of Canadian aboriginal history. I was impressed by the author's detailed and well-balanced approach. It is neither a moral fable nor a panegyric of conquerors' exploits, but rather history as it should be told. The only downside is the book's episodic style but that is necessitated by its ambitious goal. Olive Dickason did an especially good job highlighting the different histories of Canada's natives both pre- and post-contact.

This is an excellent book, which can be used as an encyclopedia for the history, traditional names, and geographical location of the Canadian Native peoples. The author has used numerous primary sources and maps and her style is very readable. Dickason gave also the aboriginal perspective of many events but in a very balanced account. The book can grasp the attention not only to professional historians dealing with Native history but also to all readers who have some general interest in the past of Canada's Amerindians.

Oliva Dickason, the Canadian doyenne of academic Amerindian history, delivers an excellent university introduction textbook to the history of the First Nations of North America, concentrating on those of Canada.

She deals with four periods: the pre-colonial era, the colonial, the 19th & mid-20th century, and the end of 20th century.

Her pre-colonial history is often speculative, since there are no written records, but much can be determined from oral tradition and archeological finds. For instance, the Iroquois confederacy was established shortly before the French landed in the mid-16th century; North America housed a diversity of distinct nations; many Amerindians cultures lived in permanent settlements; west coast nations had developed explicit property rights and had a system of land entitlement.

The colonial era was one of co-operation and alliances between the Ameridians and the Europeans settlers and soldiers. The Europeans brought their wars and diseases with them, while the First Nations brought their wars too. The partnership was equal and the First Nations on the winning side benefitted, at least until the 19th century.

From the 19th century onwards however, White rule has much to answer for. The diseases of the colonial era were brought inadvertently, but not so the 19th century land grab, or the disastrous assimilation attempts of the 20th century.

The end of the 20th century has seen a revival of Amerindian self-government. The First Nations have begun using Western institutions to their advantage. In the 1980's Elijah Harper, then member of Manitoba's provincial parliament, single-handedly, and rather heroically, derailed a Canadian constitutional accord (Lake Meech) which failed to address First Nations concerns. Earlier in the 1970s, the First Nations successfully negotiated with Hydro Quebec and created the precedent that their agreement was needed for development on their lands.

Overall, an excellent reference.

A Caribbean Journey from A to Y (Read and Discover What Happened to the Z) is an ABC picturebook that leads the reader through the Caribbean islands as well as through the alphabet. From Aruba to Trinidad and alligator to yam, A Caribbean Journey from A to Y is filled with fun facts about life, cuisine, fun, and culture in island nations! "What words begin with Z? Zoo begins with Z, but we'd rather use it for zebra. We don't have zebras in the Caribbean (except at the zoo), but that doesn't matter. We will take our Z to Africa, where zebras are really from, and where they still run free." Simple, color illustrations in the style of a child's drawing enliven this wonderfully educational picturebook.

This is an alphabet book for children like no other. The words, carefully chosen, educate children in a way that is not just fun, but entertaining as well. The illustrations jump off the page and makes this book a journey like no other. Surprising, as you can tell from the title, is how Z is used at the end. This book is filled with suspense, history, knowledge and fun. This is a great book to read aloud, in a classroom, on the plane, etc. As a father, I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for more than an alphabet book, but a book that will leave the reader wanting to learn more about the caribbean islands and a better understanding about how the caribbean came to be.

This is a wonderful book filled with bright and beautiful illustrations and provides great information about the caribbean islands and their abundance of unique flora and fauna. The story is entertaining and easy to read, with a great discovery in what happened to the Z. I read this book to my son even though he is only 2 and he loves trying to find all the items listed on the page, provides fun and education. A rare find! A one of a kind ABC book!!

Mario Picayo's A Caribbean Journey from A to Y creates a sincere, helpful template for readers as they navigate the Caribbean Islands using the alphabet as their guide from letters A to Y (leaving the reader in suspense wondering where the Z has gone to). Each letter serves as a looking glass into Caribbean culture by representing its rich vegetation, diverse array of animals, and, most importantly the great people that inhabit these islands. While the alphabet guides the reader, Earleen Griswold's illustrations supplement the text with their lush, vivid colors that are diverse as the Caribbean itself. Bright hues of vibrant blues skies, colorful fish, and hot orange suns catch the eyes as well as the imagination. The story supplies the reader with factual and historical insight in addition to instilling a sense of great pride by uniting the Caribbean Islands by way of highlighting their origins to their African roots. I highly recommend this book especially for reading to children. The striking illustrations and enriching text are perfect for showing the little ones. A great read for children and grown-ups alike.

Chocolate: Riches from the Rainforest is one of the most attractive books I've come across in some while. This is far more than a picture book though. Chock full of chocolate history, kids of nearly any age will find this book enticing.

I'd like to first point out that I gave this book 5 stars. Second...Amazon is selling this book at only $3.39 at this writing. This is a REALLY good deal and I'm going to buy the book. Now for my review:

I saw this book on display in the children's section of my local library. It has a very appealing cover to it and the word "Chocolate" written in it's title so...I HAD to check it out.

When I brought it home I thought it would be way to advanced for my 5 year old to be interested in but I wanted to read it myself. It is written for children maybe twice her age but she was VERY interested in the history of her favorite food and remained attentive to the whole book.

There were words and situations I had to give her a background on--such as what an African slave was/is. Unfortuneatly, slaves are still sometimes used in the production of chocolate to this day according to the author Robert Burleigh.

We loved the looks of this book...the lay-out, the yummy chocolate colors, photos, and illustrations are very eye appealing.

We now know a lot about the rainforest cacao (ca-COW) trees, the pods, the seeds and the complicated process that it goes through to become the chocolate we so love. Good thing we live in today's world. We also learned of chocolate's ancient infancy which at times was violent. Cacao was once only for royality and the very rich--not for 5 year old chocolate freaks like the one that lives in my home. We learned a lot and we loved this book!

Most of us carry out an intense love affair with chocolate. To some, it is a fundamental part of our love affair with another human and to a few, it ignites the passion in their life. This book describes the history of chocolate, and like some foods, one wonders how it was first discovered. Until I read this book, I did not realize how chocolate is made. It is derived from the seeds inside the fruit of the tree and requires a great deal of processing before it reaches the form that we love. This was an interesting book to read, well illustrate it is a concise, yet thorough introduction to the history of one of my favorite foods.

Chocolate: Riches from the Rainforest tells the story of chocolate. The book begins by discussing where chocolate comes from and who discovered it. It goes on to describe how the ancient Maya and Aztecs drank chocolate regularly and offered it to their gods, and how the Spanish added sugar to chocolate to give it the sweet taste. The book also describes how chocolate making has changed over time and how it is made today. In addition, the book includes a glossary of terms used in the book and an author's note about some of the things he learned while writing the book.

I would recommend this book for ages 10 and 11. Children these ages will enjoy learning about the history of chocolate. I do not feel that this book would be appropriate for younger children due to the discussions of human sacrifices and slavery. I would recommend using this book during the summer as part of a fun segment on chocolate. Having chocolate available for the kids to eat would be ideal because it is difficult to get through this book without craving it. The book is filled with wonderful photographs and illustrations. These pictures add to the story by showing children the plant that chocolate comes from and some of the items that the Maya and Aztecs used to make and consume chocolate. There are also step-by-step photographs detailing how chocolate is made today.

I read this book this past week. I could NOT put it down. It's the true story of two men hiking the Darien Gap and getting kidnapped by "FARC-ish" geurrillas... The sadness in this book is greatly overturned by the comedy that results from things like lacy underwear, AK-47's, injuries, orchids, worms, and even the occasional fart joke.

I definitely would recommend this book to just about everyone.

This book fell into my possession while I was backpacking around South America, no less. It is, at the very least, a cautionary tale about the foolishness of attempting to cross the Darien Gap. As a middle class white male westerner I could relate to the boredom with conventional travel and recklessness which motivated the writers to try and cross the Gap. The book itself is an insight into a part of the world outside conventional view. It is a window into the life and experiences of Guerillas who own this strip of no-mans land.

I enjoyed the authors style and story, I loved Columbia on my visit and this book reminded me why - the natural beauty, the lawlessness, the adventure. Of course, the authors experience is overlayed with the sense of possible death which they live under. But it is treated with typical English gallows humour.

A great read.

I received this book as a gift, and have found it to be an excellent read. Conversational in style, you feel like your sitting in the pub listening to them tell their story. Their colorful language allows you to share their experience in the jungle - slogging through swamps, sitting in the rain, or even sharing the excitement when Tom discovers new orchids. I laughed and cried and feared right along with Tom and Paul. A great book!

The Cloud Garden is a must read for anyone who likes orchids, adventure, or travel! The authors Tom Hart Dyke and Paul Winder made you actually feel like you were in the jungle with them going through despair as well as outright comedy with the FARC guerrilas. Essentially the book is about botanist/traveller Tom Hart Dyke and adventure traveller Paul Winder (both strangers to each other) and how they meet up and decide to cross the Darien Gap on the border of Panama and Columbia. Six days into their journey they are kidnapped by FARC guerrilas and held hostage for nine months. The authors provide a very descriptive detail of their environment, kidnappers, and impossible situations that had to be overcomed. Highly recommended!

The seller sold the book in the condition which described. It arrived in a timely manner and enabled me to save money, and not waste time!

If you are a novice in the study of colonial Latin America, this book is a good place to start. Burkholder and Johnson have covered just about every aspect of society and politics in colonial Latin America from pre-Columbian cultures to the struggles for independence in the 1800's. The book covers religion, slavery, the environmental impact of Europeans, government structures, gender roles, racial issues, economics, and family history as well as developments back in Europe that had reverberations in Latin America. One very helpful aspect of the book is that unfamiliar Spanish terms are in italics and a glossary of all such italicized words can be found in the back of the book. Most people have heard of Cortes, Montezuma, and Pizarro, but Burkholder and Johnson are especially strong on the less familiar story of what happened once the Spanish and Portuguese had taken control in the New World. This book covers only Spanish and Portuguese America, so if you are interested in the French, Dutch, or English enclaves in the Caribbean, you will need to look elsewhere. Specialists will be familiar with all the themes in this book, but for beginners it is an excellent introduction to the subject. Burkholder and Johnson periodically update the book so as to keep it on the cutting edge of current scholarship. Anyone interested in doing more research will also benefit from up-to-date bibliographies at the end of each chapter.

Latin America is a fascinating area of study. My recent grad class in the subject exposed me to much new material such as this book (our basic text)

Burkholder and Johnson have done an exhausative study of both poltical and cultural history of Spanish & Portuguese colonial America. They covered the various periods of the colonies under expansionism, Imperial neglience, Bourbon reforms,and the rebellions that gave the region its freedom from the mother country.

The detail is impressive. Shipping numbers, industrial production, political reform, the lives of the majority Indians and Metizo commoners...it's all here. Slavery in all it's permutations is covered as well as the absurd attempts to name the various racial combinations that resulted in a multi cultural society.

For both the novice and the dedicated historian, this book cannot come highly recommended enough.

I have to give this book a good review because I got an A in Dr. Lyman Johnson's (the book's co-author with Mark Burkholder) Colonial Latin America class at UNC Charlotte - of course he made us buy this book as the required textbook! Johnson was a fasinating storyteller and quite a funny lecturer, and he really knows his stuff. He's one of the best professors on the UNC-Charlotte faculty.

The book is full of information with a simple and concise organization. Latin America's colonial period was long and complex yet simple at the same time, and this book explains it well. The Spanish conquest of Mexico has to be one of the most interesting events in human history.

My complaint is that Dr. Johnson was such a joy in the classroom, but the humor and wit did not translate to the book.