Central America Books

An incredibly good book. McAlister dissects and analyzes the representations of the Middle East in various media -- movies, news, plays, books, etc. -- and their relationships to the projection of US global power and the shaping of US cultural identity since the end of World War II. As she puts it, her goal is to address the absence of culture from discussions of the history of US imperialism, the absence of empire from discussions of US culture, and the absence of the US from discussions of postcolonial imperialism.

Among her subjects, all of which she treats deftly and with attentive detail, are: Amiri Baraka's "A Black Mass," the Israeli military raid on Entebbe, the 1977 John Frankenheimer movie "Black Friday," the tour of King Tutankhamen's artifacts through the United States during 1977-1978, Hal Lindsey's "The Late Great Planet Earth," the rise of the Moral Majority, the Iran hostage crisis of 1979-1980 and its obsessive coverage in the US media, the prevalence of military revenge movies in the 1980s like "Navy Seals" and "Delta Force," Betty Mahmoody's book "Not without My Daughter," and the Gulf War.

I found particularly compelling her discussion of 1950s biblical epics, such as "Ben-Hur" and "The Ten Commandments." The recent controversy over "The Passion of the Christ" is put into definite context when you see how "The Ten Commandments" was received (and what purposes it served) when it was released in 1956.

Mr. Enterline has written an important book, a book that looks at the maps themselves and the evidence therein. This is a refreshing change from the baseless conjectures, theories, and "trendy" interpretations that have sometimes siezed hold of the history of cartography. Enterline's interpretations will open up new debate on these early maps of the arctic regions, but it is this kind of debate that is sorely needed. Most important, however, is that Enterline has shown a true understanding of the context in which early maps were made, and how sources (earlier maps, explorers' reports, etc.) were integrated in a complex and agglutinative manner, a manner that we, as historians, must now "de-code". This book is a fine place to begin that process...

This book is amazing. The breakdown and writing is clear, concise, and very interesting. Recommend to anyone that wants a quick historic rundown of history of immigration in the U.S.

I picked this book just as a fun read, because it was new at the time and written by a major author on the subject. It was really well done and it seemed more or a picture book than written book. Perfect for my first archeology casual read.

This is not really meant to be a complaint, just an observation. Parts of it was hard to read because there was a lot of information about who came from where. Of course that had to be a part of it, but when you're trying to read it, it all runs together. xyz came from xzy and on and on. Since the nouns of the different peoples and locations are all from another language, it was really hard to follow. There were plenty of maps but still hard to follow.

The other thing I noticed about reading it was how many other questions I still had, which wasn't answered. For example, it comes to mind that I would have liked to know more about Cortez. But then, that wasn't the focus of the book. This book is about the everyday life. I guess I'll read another book.

All in all a very well done book about---the title says it all. Some of the information was amazing and fascinating.

Written by the founder of the Lake Michigan Federation and the Executive Director at the Canadian Environmental Law Association, Evolution Of The Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement is a scholarly discussion of the Canadian- American partnership regarding the Great Lakes, the negotiation behind the Great Lakes Agreement and its evolution, the transformation of the Great Lakes Regime, and more. In addition to the detailed and heavily researched survey of history that forms the main text, the entire Great Lakes Agreement of 1972 and its 1978 revision, along with copious notes, round out this down-to-earth environmental history. An excellent reference, as accessible to lay readers as well as students and professionals in environmental studies.

After the end of the Second World War, a number of African Americans, including many of our most talented intellectuals, decided that America was just not a sufficiently hospitable home. Those who could left for Europe. Many, landed in Paris, which provided a far more civilized society.

Literary giants like James Baldwin, Richard Wright and other intellectuals found a place where their worth was determined by things more significant than skin color. This is the story of their experiences.

Another book worth searching for.

I purchased this for a friend who is a teacher of Upper 2nd grade whose grade is studying South America. She was amazed-- said everything in the book is exactly what she needs as a study guide. Nothing even in her teacher resourses was as good! I am so glad I found this book for her!

In "Exploring the Southeast", book 4 of the Maverick Series, Elaine and Rodger Seavey enjoy boating, hiking, biking, and camping RV style; while at the same time, they search out local history and savor the special spirit that is "America".

Here is a taste of what Elaine shares with her readers:

America's beauty: the grandeur of the Great Smokies National Park in Tennessee, the haunting beauty of the Everglades National Park in Florida, and the spring pleasures of Knob Noster State Park in Missouri...

America's unique color and diversity: an arts fair at the Miccosukee Indian Village in Florida; little Amish girls roller-blading in an empty parking lot in Intercourse, Pennsylvania; Nashville; New Orleans; and tours of the Tabasco Factory in Louisiana, and the Jack Daniels' Distillery in Tennessee...

America's food: café' au lait and fresh beignets in New Orleans in 1986; Stone Crab from the Gulf of Mexico, grapefruit and freshly squeezed orange juice in Florida, Texas pecans, Ozark bacon and ham, and Louisiana Boudin sausage...

America's history: the Alamo in Texas, Andersonville Prison in Georgia, and Abraham Lincoln's Birthplace in Kentucky...

With the 4th of July only days away as I write this, I am happy that Elaine Seavey has given me a snapshot of America, which delights my imagination and stirs my national pride.

The Eyes of the Jaguar (Gateways to the Sun) is an absolute delight. The illustrations are wonderful, the text very readable. The thing that pleased me most about this book, however, is that it is well balanced. Most of what I have seen for some while concerning the Europeans in the early Americas has completely villainized all European culture as barbaric, uncivilized and out for nothing more than gold and conquest. Alma Flor Ada does a superb job of providing information on many of the various cultures that have contributed to the culture of the "Latin" world in a balanced and non-judgemental way. We'll be adding all of the Gateways to the Sun books to our library.

Note: While the publisher categorizes this book as ages 4-8, I would find that age range a little bit young. Four is a little young for the subject matter while at the same time the book would be perfectly acceptable as a "survey" for students through Grade 4 or even early Grade 5.

In this collection of works, Westra and Wenz present some of the shocking realities of enviromental racism in today's global environment and force the reader to explore the existence of environmental racism, even in our own back yards. Further, this collection forces the reader to examine the fundamental moral issues behind the prinicpal of enviromental racism.

The examples given expose large corporations and how these big businesses exploit poor minority groups and the neighbourhoods in which they live.

An excellent read about the moral and ethical issues of global justice.