California Books

Jae-eui Lee, Kwangju Diary: Beyond Death, Beyond the Darkness of the Age (UCLA, 1999)

How much do you know about modern Korean history? Unless you studied it in school, probably not a great deal. Especially if you're younger than I am; I was alive and old enough to be politically aware during the Kwangju uprising. I don't remember hearing about it on the news at all. Not once. In other words, don't blame yourself for your ignorance. You live in America; your lazy, apathetic media will not educate you. You must do it yourself.

When you do, however, always remember to take everything with a grain of salt. It should be relatively obvious to the average reader of Kwangju Diary that you're not dealing with a fair, objective account of the uprising. (Asking such of the author--who was actually involved in the proceedings, unlike the disinterested-reporter news media--would be far too much.) But still, hearing anything about an event of this magnitude that went all but unreported during its time period (and has been followed up on only sketchily afterwards; the afterword is penned by a journalist who covered the incident, and notes that the New York Times, who gave the incident a great deal [relatively] of coverage as it was happening, has completely ignored follow-ups that strongly implicate the American government in the proceedings). Besides, even allowing for a bit of hyperbole and the emotional state of the author when writing, this is a devastating indictment of the Korean government's actions in Kwangju in May 1980 (and, by implication, an indictment of the American government in May 1980 who allowed it to happen--if only, as the afterword seems to imply, as a sin of omission).

In any case, for those unaware of the incident itself: Kwangju, a city in southwestern Korea, was under martial law, and the citizens didn't like it. It started with student rallies, peaceful demonstrations calling for the end of martial law; it escalated when paratroopers were called in to aid the police in quelling what the government considered riots. Who exactly committed the atrocities is uncertain (though Lee lays the blame for most, if not all, of them at the feet of the paratroopers, which is probably accurate), and the overall death toll is not clear, but it's reasonable to say hundreds of Korean civilians were killed, a number of those tortured beforehand. It's probably not too unreasonable to increase that to "thousands." At one point before the final crackdown, Lee tells of a committee overseeing the tallying of the dead, and the number two thousand is mentioned. The death toll itself, though, is not the true indicator of the depths of depravity here; Lee speaks of shallow graves, some unfilled when the military retreated before it had time to bury the bodies. He speaks of bodies left in basements and alleyways, of bodies too destroyed for there to be any identification (in one particularly ugly scene, Lee relates a story, later backed up by other witnesses, of paratroopers attacking a school bus full of activists, killing all but one high school girl).

All that said, Kwangju Diary is not just a list of atrocities; the other, and more important, part is the days of liberation between the day the rebel militia ousted the paratroopers, police, and government and the final paratrooper crackdown that brought the city to heel. Once again, one has to make allowances for the emotional state of the author at the time, which make the waxing poetic on the utopia brought on by communism (though anarchy, being post-state communism, would be a better description) somewhat excusable. The middle section of the book is a paean to the triumph of the risen oppressed over their oppressors, but in no way does it ever seem to veer off into fantasyland; there are still skirmishes at the borders, impromptu leaders who need to rise and figure out how to ration scarce items like auto fuel, and much planning to be done to try and keep the liberated city from falling back into the hands of a despotic government. There is infighting, there is intrigue, there may even be foreign spies. (Lee discounts the idea that North Korean infiltrators were in the city, but let's face it, government agents did infiltrate the city, and wouldn't the North Koreans have been likely to use civil unrest as a basis for infiltration? Whether the idea that North Korean infiltrators would have been a bad thing or not, from Lee's perspective, is a topic which will remain unaddressed in this review.) A spontaneously-generated communist state born of strife and revolution, Lee wants us to know, has its share of difficulties as well.

Perhaps even more important is Lee's quick, and seemingly unconscious, treatise on how media spin can make even the most sanguine outlook an entirely different beast. Lee repeatedly reports that the media, both Korean and international, refer to the spontaneous demonstrations and victorious uprising as the actions of a mob minority (one wonders how many people actually live in the city, given that the numbers of demonstrators on some days swelled as high as an estimated one hundred fifty thousand). He also stresses that, during the period of liberation, crime in Kwangju was at an all-time low, hardly an indication of mob mentality. Even allowing for the heat of the moment from some of the international journalists, referring to the citizens of Kwangju as a mob is a move calculated to bring the rest of the world's opinions on the citizens of Kwangju to the lowest state possible. Disinterested observers indeed.

This is important stuff. If you don't know about it, you should. *** ½

This detailed, almost moment-by-moment account of the Kwangju rebellion is a fascinating read. A student protest leads to a vicious government crackdown so extreme - using elite paratroop forces against simple protesters - that the people of the city give up their lives and eventually take up arms to take their city back. The introduction provides a capsule history of South Korea, and the afterward an account of the American government's cowardly behavior before, during and after the rebellion. It's a fast read but will leave a lasting impression.

This book leaves the reader forever changed. It tells the story of the Kwangju uprising--one of the most important events in the history of the struggle for freedom in the latter part of the 20th century. Beyond a history of Korea, this book and its story is of utmost importance to all human beings.

This is an important book for anyone interested in Korea, human rights, or political movements. An excellent introduction by Bruce Cumings establishes the context; an equally excellent afterward by Tim Shorrock addresses the incident from the viewpoint of US foreign policy. But it is the diary itself that is truly unforgettable.

This book is clear, well-written and very readable. For the first time, I understand the hope my parents must have had when they migrated to Los Angeles in 1957.

Recently, I was speaking to 20-somethings about my mom's yearning to attend high school since here Louisiana hometown did not have a school for her. Slack-jawed, they marveled that someone still alive would have experienced these acts that they thought were in the distant past.

This should be required reading for all Californians.

_L.A. City Limits_ documents the history of black migration to Southern California, starting from the 1920's. Blacks, fleeing racism in the South and other parts of the US, believed that California would be free of these problems.

Although free from the Jim Crow of the South (people could sit anywhere they wanted to on the bus, or be served in most stores without problems), the three big problems blacks ran into in Southern California were:

1. Employment discrimination. Blacks weren't hired, or if they were, were stuck in the most menial, undesirable jobs. White co-workers, and unions were often more of an obstacle to black employment than the companies themselves.

2. Housing discrimination. With few exceptions, blacks were only allowed to move into South Central LA and Watts. A variety of legal and illegal means were used to keep them out of other parts of Los Angeles, or the suburbs. Even nearby cities like Compton and Lynwood would not see that many blacks until later....

(Related to the above was transportation availability--as the suburbs developed, jobs moved there. People in Watts without a car were at a clear disadvantage, as the bus service was inadequate for reaching these suburbs)

3. in Los Angeles, unlike the South or Midwest, Mexicans competed with blacks for the lower level jobs. The level of discrimination they faced, as compared with that faced by blacks, varied (sometimes much less, sometimes a lot more). Throughout the time scale of the book, the author compares the Mexican experience with the African-American one.

The book provides good coverage of the 1920's and 30's, the war years, and all the way up through the 1965 Watts riots and their aftermath. It tends to lose steam, though, when describing events after the mid-70's.

This is a great book. A special book. Here's why:

Josh Sides has given Los Angeles the kind of racial history that Mike Davis brought to bear on our popular image of the city and the kind of countervailing narrative that Chester Himes might have appreciated. This book's detailed look at Los Angeles shows us how the city's racial texture has changed, but it is also concerned to challenge how lazy we have all become in habitually characterizing racial LA as a city that can be reduced to the Watts Riots, OJ, gang violence, and Rodney King. As Sides tells the story, Los Angeles presents with a genuinely American paradox. Its racial story is a narrative of strife and difficulty, but it is also one of success and hope that rivals any other city's in the United States.

This book is perfectly readable, and it leaves you wondering how we can all think more carefully about what is actually happening in America, beneath easy stereotypes and lazy, stock media representations of race.

Well researched, written, accessible, and informative.
Useful to anyone interested in LA history, African-American history, and urban studies. A good book for undergrads, too.

"Land in California" is an excellent primer for those looking to get a grasp on how California was settled. It offers a clear description of who the players were in the settling of the state and offers great leads for other fields of inquiry into state history. A "must-have" for any California history buff.

This is an engrossing, thoroughly researched book about California land grants and ranchos during the period 1769-1846. Lists all such grants for the entire state. A "must read" for anyone researching the history of California.

This was an excellent book full of information not often found in other books on the California Ranchos. The author actually includes a chapter on Indian land ownership that is hard to find anywhere else. Some of the smaller ranchos were left out, which is why I gave this a 4 star reading, but well worth your time.

When W. W. Robinson wrote this history of land titles in California he was employed by Title Insurance and Trust Company in Los Angeles. He was what was referred to as a Titleman, a person trained to research and interpret land ownership and land titles. As a fellow Titleman for over 40 years I have purchased at least 100 copies of this book, which I use as a training aid in the title insurance industry. It is easily the best introduction to the history of California land ownership and titles and the origins of such legal rights. As a history book, a training aid, or just as a pleasure to read, this narrative would be an excellent choice.

A GREAT illustrated discussion of the San Andreas fault [and allies] by a master storyteller and photographer. [Declaration: Michael is a former student]

The San Andreas Fault traverses much of California from the Mexican border to far in the north. Those who have never seen it sometimes picture this tectonic feature as a lurking menace ready to swallow whole towns at a second's whim. This highly accurate book dispels such misimpressions and passes along a good deal of valid scientific information in an interesting, understandable way.

The book shows in colored diagrams and easily read narrative how plate tectonics has worked to create this piece of California that is moving inexorably northwest. The writers clearly explain how and why earthquake-producing stresses build up in and along the fault. Brief, but spectacular, histories show what happens when these stresses are released.

The book is exceptional in that it discusses rather esoteric scientific concepts in a non-patronizing way. The text is neither dry, nor overly simplistic. Any person with a limited scientific background and a high school education can grasp the concepts being examined.

The photographs of such things as offset streams, scarps, trees with interrupted growth, and sag ponds are carefully selected, and beautifully crafted. These follow the text well, avoiding the liability of having to probe through the book to match the picture with the explanation. They will call you to come to California.

Two excellent features are discussion segments with geologists who work on solving the fault's mysteries, and a section on parklands in which San Andreas Fault features may be found.

I highly recommend this wonderful book to anyone planning a trip to California, anyone who has an interest in the Earth and its processes, and anyone who just likes a darn good read.

Michael Collier has beautifully written and photographed the geological history of the San Andreas Fault. In what COULD have been an extremely dry subject he has captured my imagination with the most gorgeous photos and his plain-speaking explanations of geology. It's literally a page turner, too, with the flip-page diagram, showing the movement of the tectonic plates. A beautiful book worthy of the coffee table and a wonderful addition to my reference library.

Nice book. Fast reading. Excellent pictures. This book really hits home for Californians. Decent explanation of how the earth is moving.

Customers please note that the title of this book is correct (Bats of Eastern U.S) but the reviews are all for another book totally.

Gershon Shafir published this book in 1996 through University of California Press. Certainly it is a major contribution to undersatnding the fundamental problems of any attempt at a settlemen in Israel/Palestine. Working in the same vein as Benny Morris, Tom Segev, Ilan Pape, and other "new" historians (the name is used in both praise and derision), Shafir crafted an impressive work that attempted to cut through Zionist and Palestinian myths and examine what truly happened from 1882-1914. However, after all his impressive research, readers feel like there may be more to the story than written.

After a comparison and contrast of different styles of colonialism (he asserts that Zionism can best be understood as a form of colonialism), he reviews Zionist land policies. For Shafir, agriculture and the land is the root of Israeli-Palestinian conflict. While this is certainly a hugely important issue, he neglects the urban roots of conflict in favor of his agricultural theories. Ironically, this only furthers the myth of Israelis returning to the land, whereas most future Israelis lived in cities. Without examining the urban aspects of the conflict, he only tells part of the story. Also, his work is Ashkenazi-centric (European Jewish). True, the leaders of Zionism were mostly Central/Eastern European during this period, but he virtually marginalizes the story of other Zionists.

Nevertheless, Shafir's contribution to the academic literature as it offers a glimpse into the agricultural roots that contributed to the modern conflict.

This is an excellent examination of the economic forces that have shaped the conflict in Palestine/Israel.

This is an example of a revisionist argument at its best. Gershon Shafir uses the same primary sources the major Middle-East historians have used for decades and offers up an economic, non-religious, and elegantly simple explanation of the conflict as it exists today.

The novel opens with an introduction to Sgt. Randall Blackburn of the SFPD as he finishes his night shift rounds in the early morning hours of April 18, 1906. Before he can return to the station house, it strikes - the great earthquake . . . and then the fires. What follows is a description of the carnage so vivid that you'd swear the author had witnessed it himself.

Against the backdrop of the resulting chaos, operates a serial killer known as "The Surgeon." During a particularly gruesome murder of the Nightingale family, we are introduced to twelve-year-old Shane Nightingale, unseen witness of the torture and murder of his recently adopted mother and sisters.

After reading of an unrelated murder in the paper, Shane instinctively knows who the murderer is and sends a note to Sgt. Blackburn. Based on that note, Sgt. Blackburn is able to break down the suspect and get a confession. Impressed by Shane's insights, Sgt. Blackburn seeks him out and the heart of the novel unfolds - the bond that forms between the widower, Blackburn, and the orphan, Shane.

Once "The Surgeon" learns that there is a surviving Nightingale, he devotes his efforts to eliminating that "loose end," which leads to the novel's suspenseful conclusion.

My only complaint is that the "ride" is over too soon. I'm eagerly awaiting the second installment in January.

Just over 100 years ago--1906--the Great Earthquake nearly destroyed San Francisco. Amidst the destruction and carnage, the Nightingale family was murdered, although the police observation at the scene attributed the deaths to the earthquake. Hidden in the house undetected was Shane, an adopted son, who heard the perpetrator talking to his victims as he slew them. When the carnage was over, Shane--the last Nightingale of the title--left the house and took refuge at the Mission Dolores, where he was given a job caretaking the cemetery, and a shed in which to live.

A larger-than-life police sergeant, Randall Blackburn, makes Shane's acquaintance when the boy writes him a note suggesting a motive for the murder of a prominent citizen for which Blackburne was assigned the investigation. Impressed with Shane's intuitive abilities, the policeman befriends the boy and tries to get him to assist in capturing a serial killer. Other relationships among the main characters develop, to a rousing conclusion.

The descriptions of the havoc caused by the earthquake are graphic, and the characterizations excellent. Written at a fast pace, the novel grips the reader from cover to cover. The book is among the first issued under the new Mortalis imprint.

Less than two days after picking up the book I was done--would've been quicker, but sleep and work got in the way.

Of course I live 12 miles from San Francisco and loved the setting--made me want to learn more about this traumatic time in my local history.

If you don't mind a raw and gripping read, then Flacco delivers. However, he does owe me a couple hours sleep and may end up owing you the same.

Ron

Flacco takes a fresh approach to a crisis situation such as the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake.

How many of us have found ourselves suddenly bonded and dependent on people we otherwise may never have known or been close to?

The backdrop and story of the earthquake are known, but the finely honed look underneath the rubble is what makes this book so compelling.

Flacco does a great 360 on each charater, major and minor. What struck me as unusually sensitive and frustrating at the same time is Shane's, the adopted boy, terror and resultant inability to speak after a terrifying "witness" to his families slaughter.

I can guarantee a great read.

This is the finest book I have seen produced that catalogs the greats of the Hackamore and Stock horse industry. Its got them all. The photos are stunning and the description of this kind of training is first class. Great book!

This book is excellent for both the novice and veteran horseperson. There are a few mistakes that the editor didn't catch (some spelling errors of people mentioned in the text), but overall a very attractive and informative book. This book has a deep personal meaning for me because in the late 1970's I was fortunate to have been a "student" of Bobby's at his ranch in Pleasant Grove, CA. Even as a young girl I admired Bobby's talent with horses and one should especially take note of how he uses his hands when he rides. As a horseperson I also tried to immitate his light touch on a horses' mouth. It's very fitting that the cover photograph is a picture of Bobby's hands!

Bobby Ingersoll has written not only the perfect training manual for starting young horses, but a beautifully illustrated and informative coffee table book as well. He has given credit to the talented artists who braid these hackamores and what is unfortunately becoming a lost art. His soft and gentle style of starting the young colt through feel rather than demanding submission through force will benefit everyone who truly loves horses and strives to be a real horseman. His tribute to the true horsemen and horsewomen of past and present makes you want to just stand up and cheer. Bravo, Bobby Ingersoll!

Beautiful!! Beautiful!!


The Mexican Traditions on starting green horses has been handed down from generation to generation. The Jaquima came first, with it the colt was taught to handle himself to perfection and bridling is the last step.

Training horses is a serious business..., the Bible of training colt with Hackamore is Ed Connell book, but if you want to tune some details of your training with the hackamore, this it is the book that you need.

The legendary California Hackamore and the stocke Horse is another great book with enormous tips and knowledge, beautiful pictures!!.

Right Now I'm looking for the Benny Guitron DVD, the Master on training horses with Jaquima.

El Vaquero Mexicano "El Charro" ---- The American Cowboy "The Gentleman".

¡Hermoso! ¡Hermoso!

Al Hakma --- Jaquima --- Hackamore

Las tradiciones mexicanas en iniciar caballos verdes son de generación en generación dentro de la tradicion oral. El Jaquima vino primero, el potro educado para llegar a la perfección por ultimo se embridaba.

El entrenamiento de caballos es un negocio serio..., la biblia del entrenamiento de potros con Jaquima, es libro del Ed Connell, pero si usted desea afinar algunos detalles de su entrenamiento con la Jaquima, esto es el libro que usted necesita.

Ahora estoy buscando el benny Guitron DVD, el amo en caballos del entrenamiento con Jaquima.

"The Legendary California Hackamore and the stock horse", es otro gran libro con enormes consejos y conocimientos asi como hermosas fotografias!!.

EL Vaquero Mexicano es "EL Charro" --- El vaquero Americano es "El Caballero".

Wow! He's almost as smart as his son

Uelmen writes as few can, a legal professor and scholar who himself was part of defense team of this trial.

He provides healthy, worthy set of lessons to be taken from this experience. This is more vital than disputing the outcome, for it must be all about a legal system with the best chance for a true and fair outcome for all parties, including society.

Agree with the author that biggest lesson is that trials as this are flashpoints for what is really on culture's mind at the time, here race, decreasing attention spans and bias without basis, spousal abuse, etc.

Further, we learned that tv and courtroom don't mix well. That massive DNA data without certifiable collection/preservation. Uelmen also contends that this trial was an aberration of the real, normal trial system.

Well done, and fascinating, insightful read.

Professor Uelmen is doubly blessed. First, he has one of the finest legal minds in the country and, second, he writes in such a clear, cogent style that one need not be a lawyer to understand him. Despite knowing the outcome from the start, this book is a real page-turner. One cannot help but think that if the prosecution had a lawyer nearly as capable as Uelmen they might have won instead of the defense. But the best part of all is the insider's view: no other book on the trial comes close to explaining how the defense won a case that seemed at the outset to be unwinnable. Whether or not you agreed with the defense, this book demonstrates their superior lawyering.

Gerald F. Uelmen is a professor and former dean of the School of Law at Santa Clara University. He was part of O. J. Simpson's defense team from the beginning, and can speak with authority about this trial. The sixteen chapters contain the lessons that readers may learn. There is no index. You should be familiar with this case or have read some other books before reading this overview of a Trial of the Century. After the jury verdict there was an abundance of proposed solutions which were thoughtless and wrong (p.1). A knowledge of history would correct these errors for those "unhappy with the verdict" (p.3). These proposals have led California to intellectual, fiscal, and moral bankruptcy in the criminal system, which is weighted heavily in favor of the prosecution (p.4). Many innocents have been convicted because of mistaken identification, police perjury, or simple incompetence by a defense lawyer (p.5). The foolish call for reforms have occurred in the past (p.7). The first lesson from this trial was how the Corporate Media fooled the people and fueled this controversy (p.8). [Joe Bosco said the trial he witnessed was different from the trial broadcast by the media.]

The media blitz led by DA Garcetti affected public opinion. But this allowed the defense to bypass the grand jury and go to a preliminary hearings (p.23). The double-dealing of the prosecution's grand jury is described on page 25. Fuhrman and Vannatter "contradicted each other on many key points" (p.35). Page 39 tells of the effect of the exclusionary rule, and why judges won't do anything. Do judges lack "moral courage" (p.45)? The "narcissistic personality disorder" (p.47) is defined as "a grandiose sense of self-importance, a need for excessive admiration, and fantasies of unlimited power and brilliance". [Does this remind you of some of your managers?] Uelmen shows his wisdom on page 65, unlike the critics. The need for press interviews by defense lawyers is explained (pp.69-70).

Their concern about evidence tampering and forging is explained (p.72). California law allows a lawyer to protect his client from prejudicial publicity (p.75). The foolish actions of "knee-jerk" politicians is described on page 77. The "National Enquirer" is more honest than "TIME" (p.78). A juror's race is part of their life experience, which affects judgments (p.81). Uelmen explains the death penalty (pp.82-83), and why selecting jurors is very important (pp.88-89). Video recording of trials could be a good teaching tool, but television allows reporters to comment as if they knew what happened (p.94)! The bias of commentators is explained on page 95. They had no idea! Television helped to find witnesses (p.99). But TV is for entertainment, not justice (p.101).

The murders of Nicole and Ron had nothing to do with domestic violence, based on the evidence; it was smear tactics (p.103)! The problems with the blood evidence and its collections are on page 122. The prosecution delayed the defense's testing of the samples (pp.123-4). The flip-flop testimony about OJ's blood sample is on page 126. The Fuhrman tapes were "the most devastating evidence" to completely destroy the credibility of this police officer (p.129). Fuhrman had been extolled as a model officer. When the Prosecutors learned of these tapes, they tried to get a mistrial (p.145)! I think the original intent of the Fifth Amendment was to prevent torture by forcing a person to testify against himself (p.155). "Third degree" methods were still used in the early 20th century. The Prosecutors would do anything to convict (p.165). A defendant can be convicted on the basis of circumstantial evidence only if no other conclusion is possible (p.167). Were the threats to Cochran meant to force him to accept guards (p.171)? The jury quickly said "not guilty", there was "something wrong" with the prosecution's case (p.180). Watching a trial on TV gives the illusion of actually being there (p.182). Uelmen explains the difference between a criminal trial and a civil trial (p.195). [The example of Lizzie Borden shows flawed research (p.196).] A trial isn't a search for truth, but to have a vision of truth prevail 9p.199). Civil liberties in America are documented in the criminal courtrooms, where the Government infringes on the individual's rights for the weak and powerless (p.205). Chapter 16 summarizes the lessons from this trial.

Gary Kern is the Dostoevsky of the Inland Empire! If you've lived in Riverside, California, or even if you haven't, these stories will draw you in with the urgency of an accounting of life as we really experience it, with its true smells and textures, without any sugar coating. Kern has a way with words, and keeps the pages turning as we follow his various encounters with the tormented, the damned, and the merely strange. Yet his narrative never descends into a freakshow, as freakish as many of the characters and situations may be. (This is a trap Joan Didion falls into in her otherwise entertaining essay "Some Dreamers of the Golden Dream," about a 1964 murder trial in San Bernardino).
Highly recommended. It made my morning and evening public transportation commute pass by like a dream.

The other reviewers are right about this book's readability.

But I would also like to alert readers who love their books in short, encapsulated chapters to this book as well.

Each transcribed letter ties into others, but the characters are painted memorably enough to allow lapses of days between readings.

A great book for vacation or business travel.

It is a true story of a Princeton scholar who moved to California and soon lost all he had - his professorship, his family, his career - as told through transcriptions of letters sent to friends on audio cassette. Kern's style is masterful, verging on magical: I cannot otherwise explain why this book is so captivating. There is no plot, since it is a series of letters, and being a dean in an institution of higher education, I can certainly identify with the vagaries of the Academy and it's disregard for the individual, as visited on Mr. Kern. Yet none of this explains how or why this book gets under the skin. My only conclusion is that through an intelligent yet accessible style, Kern presents himself as a modern day Everyman and the story of his life is a morality play of the nineties. In this story he encounters a series of strange individuals (too bizarre to have been made up!), searches for work, searches for love, and ultimately, finds the woman who takes him away from the human swamp known as Dwight street, from which his letters are sent. One can only hope that, if visited with similar circumstances, one would respond as rationally, and ultimately publish a book about it! I am giving copies of this book to intelligent and insightful friends who I know will appreciate it.

- Dan Angelo

This is an incredibly interesting series of letters written by an ex-professor of Russian who, through a series of misfortunes, finds himself forced to live in a ghetto in Riverside, CA, along with an incredible parade of oddballs and freaks too unbelievable to have been made up. This book is both serious and hilarious. I couldn't put it down! When I finished I passed it along to my wife and friends, all of whom reported that, they too, could not put it down.

Madam Calderon de la Barca was a young woman from the east coast USA who was a natural born writer. She kept a wonderful personal journal about her life in Mexico after she married the Spanish ambassador. They travel by ship to Havanna then on to Veracruz where she encounters mangos and other New World delights. After a long hard road via stage coach to Mexico City they settle into their new home in the Mint on the Zocalo in the heart of downtown. Senora Calderon de la Barca has an eye for detail and a wonderul understated humor she uses to describe life in Mexico in the early 1700's. She visits haciendas, nunneries, great ballrooms, corner tortilla and lace makers, drinks pulque and she notes it all down with a most deliciously transporting pen. Enjoy.

This would have to be required reading for anybody with even a slight interest in Mexican history. It is a fascinating glimpse of life in Mexico, especially the capital, in the 1840s, after the separation of Texas from Mexico and before the U.S.-Mexican War. The book originated as personal correspondence, written in English, from the author to friends of hers. She was a well educated Scottish-born American woman married to a Spanish diplomat. It is essentially a sequence of anecdotes, most of them indescribable and unforgettable.

Francis Erskine Inglis was a Scotswoman emigrated to Boston, where she met and married an older Spanish diplomat, Angel Calderon de la Barca. Soon after they got married, he was appointed the first Ambassador of Spain in Mexico (after this country's Independence). They were in Mexico from late 1839 to early 1842. During that time, Fanny wrote many letters to her family, of which 54 were edited and published. Together they form one of the best books ever written about Mexico by a foreigner. Fanny had great power of observation, an ironic but endearing sense of humor, as well as education and cultivation. Her feminine perspective gives the book an interesting domestic touch (she reports in detail about the women's dresses, hairdoes and so). Although of course political and economic issues are present, her chronicle focuses more on everyday life.

After a stay in Havana, the travellers reach the dirty and disordered port of Veracruz (nowadays a beautiful city), from where they set out to Mexico City, having previously visited Santa Anna, 11 times president of Mexico and the victor at El Alamo, at his hacienda. The Mexico portrayed by the Madame is extremely beautiful in natural landscapes, extremely varied in them, but it's also a sparsely populated country, in bad order, infested by criminals. In spite of a few cosmopolitan and sophisticated people, Mexico was basically parochial and backwards, not without a certain charm for a Bostonian. In one of the most lucid passages, Fanny compares Mexican towns with New England towns. The Mexican are solid, full of history, always looking at the past. The New English are temporary, focused in the present and the future. Naturally, the Calderons get in touch with the "best society" in Mexico, including many interesting characters. Something that both fascinates and terrifies Fanny is the absolute power of the Catholic Church. A Church that is totally Medieval, rigid, cruel and obscurantist. Mexico City is at the same time full of convents and destitutes.

Fanny decides to take advantage of her adventure and does many things, which form the bulk of the book. She goes to bull fights, cock fights, shows of equestrian prowess, and she drinks the horrid "pulque", a beverage she ends up loving. The couple survive two revolutions (nothing too serious) and three long journeys through Mexico's inland. The first one was to the state of Hidalgo, full of silver mines and wonderful estates and towns (very recommendable little trip if you can do it). A second and longer trip takes them to Cuernavaca, and Guerrero, where they visit several sugarcane haciendas and the impressive caves of Cacahuamilpa, returning through a long detour towards Puebla. In their last trip, they travel West to Michoacan.

This is simply a delicious book even if you've never been in Mexico, but of course you can picture everything more clearly if you've visited. If you are Mexican or live there, it is a wonderful book and many things are explained by watching its past. Fanny is ironic and a harsh critic of many things, but she truly shows affection for the country where she was so happy. Much recommended.

At age 33 Frances Erskine, a Scotswoman living in New York, married Sr. Calderon de la Barca, a Spanish diplomat. Her husband was then sent to Mexico City as the first Spanish ambassador to Mexico after Independence. The book consists of about 50 letters that she sent to her friends in the USA, describing their 2.5 years there, 1840-42.

The book includes her experience of two revolutions (one failed, one successful), three long journeys by horseback and carriage (one to the silver mines in Hidalgo, one south to Cuernavaca and environs, one west to Michoacan), and innumerable social events in Mexico City. What emerges is a sharp, detailed picture of a long-gone Mexico, a very poor country with a very wealthy upper class, still underpopulated and filled with natural beauty (even around Mexico City), beset by weak and unstable governments, tremendously influenced in daily life by the Catholic Church, in sum a country in many ways not out of the 18th century (or the 17th or 16th either).

I recommend this book for lovers of social history and lovers of Mexico. There are 500 pages of text, so you get your money's worth. I gave it only 4 stars because I thought it needed footnotes to explain the historical events and customs of the time. Only someone with a deep knowledge of 19th century Mexican history and customs, especially religious customs, would capture all the references. I know I missed many of them.