Florida Books

ALLIGATORS, SHARKS & PANTHERS by Charles Sobczak was one of those books that reads like a great thriller/horror novel: you are so fascinated you can't put it down, yet you have nightmares from reading it.

The focus of the nonfiction book is on Florida's predators and their relationship to man. Alligators get the most coverage, followed by sharks (specifically bull sharks and great whites), with panthers getting the least amount of writing time. I have to say I learned a lot about all three animals and their attack patterns, which was delightfully surprising because I love watching Shark Week and other predator TV specials on Animal Planet, etc.

I also found myself sharing a lot of this info with my friends and family, especially warning them not to go swimming with dogs at the beach or elsewhere.

The most riveting moments of the book have to do with the numerous descriptions of actual attacks. Here, the victims become "real people" and their last moments on earth are described in brutal detail. It is hard not to get sucked into these stories.

The parts I found most depressing related to the chapters on extinction, over-harvesting, and the deliberate extermination of animal populations. I can't imagine my children or grandchildren growing up in a world without animals like sharks, big cats, and alligators, all of which fascinate and inspire, and all of which are essential to a healthy ecosystem.

The only problems I had with the book were the small amount of redundancy (the same exact info seemed to be repeated here or there), as well as the unexpected alligator story thrown into the shark or panther sections. These stories were interesting, but seemed to be located in the wrong chapter.

Otherwise, I thought this book remarkably interesting and easy to read and would definitely recommend it to animal lovers or to anyone planning on visiting Florida any time soon. I also recommend MONSTER OF GOD by David Quammen, a similarly-themed book that looks at Africa's crocodiles, India's lions, Siberia's tigers, and Romania's bears. For those interested in big cat reserves, JAGUAR by Alan Rabinowitz deals with efforts to study and protect jaguars in Belize.

This book has soared to the top of my favorite "Non-Fiction" list.
Mr. Sobczak has really grabbed for the 'gut' with an alternate perspective of Nature and our role in it. The call to consider the other side of the 'predator' coin, combined with backed up research makes this book a must read. It contains an educational quality that would suffice to make it a 'required' read in the Nation's school systems.

Susan Haley, Author
Rainy Day People
Fibers In The Web

"A fascinating (if sometimes horrifying) and well-written look at the critters which sometimes turn the tables on the planet's dominant predator, us. It balances their sometimes less-than-friendly treatment of Homo sapiens with accounts of the grim impact people have had on them. A good book to read if you care about our environment and don't want to end up as dinner."

Paul R. Ehrlich, PhD Stanford University /author of The Population Explosion and One with Nineveh

Offshore fisherman and avid conservationist Charles Sobczak presents Alligators, Sharks & Panthers: Deadly Encounters with Florida's Top Predator - Man, an evenhanded discussion of four deadly species: alligators, who have committed nearly four hundred attacks in Florida since 1948; panthers, whose rare assaults have been historically authenticated; sharks, whose notoriety needs no explanation; and man, who has slaughtered thousands and millions of these dangerous yet endangered animal predators. Alligators, Sharks & Panthers teaches the reader about animal predators' behavior with instructions for avoiding danger and protecting oneself; explores the often strained history of man's interaction with these species; and urges personal efforts to improve conservation for the sake of humans and animals alike. Highly recommended.

I found this book, in first edition and excellent condition, at the Oakland Library book sale. I paid $3.60 for it and consider it one of the best bargains I've gotten in terms of value. This book needs to be read by anyone attempting to understand black culture, the effects of commercialism and the Disneyfication of our cultural heritage.

Told in a very personal way by a journalist who became fascinated by stories of an enclave of black upper-middle-class families and the society that grew around them in the days before desegregation, it also speaks volumes about our heritage as
Americans, white or Black.

If I got nothing else out of this book -- and I assure you, I did -- Rymer managed to explain as I had never heard it the reasons for the antagonistic, in-your-face angry Black youth that are the
hip-hop nation. In his view, white consumerism created them in search of something "authentic" to grind up and feed into he maw of the commercial pop exploitation machine. He likens them to
the minstrels of old, acceptable, even desirable, stereotypes to keep us from noticing that, at the core, we are all really very much alike.

I can't recommend this book enough. There are passages that may bring tears to your eyes, as they did to mine, eyes jaded by years as a white police officer usually working in non-white
neighborhoods. This is a book that will change the way I look at culture, history and America. May it do the same for you.

I have very mixed feelings about this book.

On one hand the book is very well written by an author who is obviously very intelligent. (He had me feeling intellectually challenged from time to time, and I consider myself to be a pretty bright person.) He presents, again and again, extremely thought-provoking ideas and profound comments about modern society. And in presenting his biting analysis of today's society he provides glimmers of hope that things can be changed for the better.

On the other hand, I found this book to be very depressing. The descriptions of the sins of the past, in the form of slavery and racial segregation and violence against blacks, are chilling. Today's problems, with lingering discrimination and the commercialization of American society, are also saddening. Sometimes I took a break from reading because the book made me so unhappy.

"American Beach" is a collection of four stories, three short ones and one quite long one. All but the last story are based on Amelia Island on the east coast of Florida next to the Georgia border, where the towns of Fernandina Beach and American Beach are. (The last story is based in Eatonville on the outskirts of Orlando, Florida.) And all but the first of the four stories has racial conflicts as a primary theme.

But Mr. Rymer makes it clear that today's racial problems, serious as they are, are not the biggest problems faced by blacks or by American society in general. He sees big business and it's influence on everything to be a greater source of apathy and alienation and disenfranchisement and environmental destruction.

In the view of Mr. Rymer, unbridled capitalism and the "culture of the corporation" are breaking down the values that the founding fathers stood for and that many generations of Americans up until WW II fought for, such as democracy. As an example he tells about the Disney-owned town of Celebration which proclaims itself to be the reincarnation of the old-fashioned American town, but which requires residents to sign a contract in which they let Disney operate the town without them, the residents, having any significant influence!

One of the author's claims is that cultural poverty can be worse than economic poverty. Blacks are especially hard hit by cultural poverty, having lost their roots when they were abducted from Africa. Black attempts to create their own culture often resulted in their best creations being usurped by the dominant white society and their less fortunate attempts being ridiculed by the whites.

But American society in general lacks roots, being a melting pot society. Added to this is the rise in the power of the corporations, who can transform functioning towns into ghettos on the edge of holiday resorts for the rich, and can commercialize and thus de-fang every kind of cultural protest. Bob Dylan becomes Muzak and street gangs and gun-toting rappers become movie fodder and hit entertainers.

Consumer capitalism has turned culture and even history into proprietary products, merchandise for the masses. And very few, other than Mr. Rymer and a few of the people he writes about in "American Beach", have even noticed the danger.

Highly recommended.

PS. I read the hardcover book, which has the subtitle "A Saga of Race, Wealth, and Memory". The paperback edition has the subtitle "How Progress Robbed a Black Town--And Nation--Of History, Wealth, and Power". I'm guessing both subtitles were dreamed up by the publishers' marketing departments in attempts to sell the book to people who want to read about American race conflicts. Shame on them.

Rennie Petersen

Having just finished "Slaves in the Family" by Edward Ball when I came across this book, I was struck by a completely different slice of black history and the black condition. Here is the story of the great-granddaughter of a black millionaire who leads a very privileged life, attends Oberlin college, has a fairly short but successful career as an opera singer in Europe, and then returns home to see her mother die, the family fortune dissipate and her world fall apart. It is also a plea for historical preservation and environmental protection. A very poignant and yet inspiring true story. I sang with Marvyne Betsch in the College Choir at Oberlin, and can still hear the unique dark timbre of her voice after forty years!

I bought this book because I grew up hearing stories about the "black" beach near Jacksonville and about the beach lady, MaVynee Betsch, and because I attended Spelman College under the extraordinary leadership of Johnetta Betsch Cole and could never believe "the beach lady" was her sister. Their family history is amazing, and timeless. My mother's side of the family is native to northeastern Florida. Rymer's undertaking to expose the world to the richness of these people is laudable. I learned so much about my history and the history of the place where I'm from that I'd never known. I took the book home with me (FL) for the holidays and my family was so deligted to learn so much about home, and to get reacquainted with the familiar things once known, that we had to go out and get additional copies of the book. It will be a standard in our family for years to come. In short, it is compelling and quite informative. To read this book is to get a true appreciation of a people and their glorious,on-going struggle. I highly recommend American Beach.

Anna Madgigine Jai was a teenager (and possibly a Senegalese princess) when she was captured in her homeland and sold into slavery during a civil war in 1806. She was later purchased in Cuba by Zephaniah Kingsley, Jr., and taken to his St. Johns River plantation in northeast Florida where she became his household manager, his wife, and eventually the mother of four of his children. Her husband emancipated her in 1811, and she became the owner of her own farm and twelve slaves. The latter is not surprising since, under Spanish control, slavery was considered neither a permanent condition nor the God-given role of black people. Slaves had opportunities to buy their freedom, or owners could liberate them without penalty; free black persons were an accepted part of the caste system, able to acquire wealth and property and pass it along to their children.

While Florida was under Spanish control, Anna lived a relatively tranquil life for 25 years as a free black woman. But when Florida came under American control - which brought the racist demand that blacks should only be slaves, not free, and which outlawed interracial marriages - she and her children migrated to a colony in Haiti established by her husband as a refuge for free blacks. Despite spiraling racial tensions of the antebellum period, Anna returned to north Florida where she bought and sold land, sued white people in the courts, and became a central figure in a free black community. Kingsley Plantation at Fort George Island is now undergoing restoration by the National Park Service.

This fascinating history of one remarkable woman provides an eye-opening exploration of larger issues, in particular the complexities of slavery. To reconstruct her story - which meant deconstructing some legends, the author draws upon a wide variety of sources, both in Africa and the New World. This book will be of interest to Florida history buffs as well as African American studies.

Every now and then, a history comes along that not only offers a fascinating look at a past era, but also manages to hold the reader's interest and entertain. Books like David McCullough's 1776 urge a reader along much like a good novel will do. Daniel L. Schafer's Anna Madgigine Jai Kingsley has the same effect.

Schafer establishes the time period based on narratives and first hand research. Documents such as an emancipation notice for a plantation owner's slave Flora Hannahan provide an unvarnished look at the perception of African-Americans in the decades before the civil war: "On the emancipation notice, she is described as 'a mulatto-colored woman of twenty years of age, a native of Florida...about five feet high.'" (pg. 59)

These descriptives are enhanced by photographs of slave quarters as well as descendants of Anna Kingsley.

This book is a solid addition to the personal library, and it would be an excellent classroom resource for teachers of history or language arts. Author Schafer writes with an objective, even-handed approach, and accurately depicts the slave trade in all its characteristics and nuances, including the African natives who colluded with Spanish and English traders and also the elite American plantation owners who enjoyed the benefits of low-cost captive labor.

Aside from its educational value, the book is a good read for anyone interested in Southern culture or Florida history. I don't know Dr. Schafer, but I certainly admire his scholarship and his ability to tell a fascinating story.

Can't recommend more highly. This is fascinating history which is well-written and meticulously researched.

Dr. Daniel Schafer, the preeminent scholar of the Kingsley's of Northeast Florida, has written a riveting book exploring Anna, the African Princess turned Slave turned Plantation Owner. Anna is without a doubt one of the most interesting people of Florida's history. She has long been overlooked by historians, but now her story is told. Anna's story sounds like a movie script. Schafer has filled in one of the important blanks of Florida's history.

A purchased this book thinking I needed it for a class, but I didn't so when I asked the seller if I could cancel my order they canceled it without a problem.

Antinomy: A Union of Mind is an extraordinary blend of fiction and philosophy. Antinomy revolves around two characters without names: the Other, who experiences difference, rejection, and learning through suffering; and the One, who experiences understanding, bliss, and cultivates a firm and holistic character. Act Two observes the descent of One and experience with human needs. The final act reveals the Divine Mind through a conversation between the One and the Other, who both understand their mutual dependence. An impressive and thought-provoking debut novel of complementary states of mind and being from a philosophy and literature student of eighteen years' experience.

This book is full of philosophical mystery. In its second half it personifies the One and the Other of Plato's Unwritten Doctrins and uses them to enact a dialogue that embodies the antimonies at the heart of the so-called 'crisis of the West'.
The book strikes me as very Heraclitean in its play with opposites. It seems as though the author is attempting to overcome (or perhaps incorporate?) nihilism by meditating on the fundamental tensions that structure huamn existence and understanding their hidden harmonies. It takes one to another realm, a realm of verbal music and thought. Read it if you're ready to go for a ride.

I found the book to be most interesting. The book has to distinct parts: The first part is both riveting and heart pounding. The second part thought provoking and challenging. Both parts are forceful and well written. I recommend this book to any readers of this genre.

Although I did not arrive to South Florida until 1977, Around Boynton Beach is a delicious collection of images which have truly sparked the imagination of being there. It is a time capsule which portrays how simple life must have been, yet brings many hopes for the future. It has brought me a perspective of greater appreciation for life today. I believe that it will have a similar effect for readers of all ages.

Boynton Beach was such a great place to live and grow up in the 50's, 60's and 70's and Janet DeVries has captured the special feeling of the time very well with her unique depiction of history through post cards. I learned more history of my home town through her book than any other way I can imagine. It was obvious reading her captions on pictures that she had done a great deal of research and that she actually likes the place she is writing about. Her passion for Florida small town history is showing on every page. Read it, put it on your coffee table and enjoy.

This book is one of the most enjoyable and informative works of nonfiction I have ever read. Since I am also a resident of Boynton Beach, it is a fun book to read, and a treat to see some of the local landmarks that were demolished, refurbished, and built. Author Janet DeVries has captured the essence of Boynton Beach with her first (co-authored) book: Boynton Beach (FL) (Images of America), and has delivered another great book and captured the hearts of Boynton Beach locals with "Around Boynton Beach." [...].

My family vacationed in South Florida from the 60's to the 80's and moved to Boynton Beach in 1984. This book brought back so many great memories of staying at roadside motor courts and deep sea fishing on The Two Georges. It was also great fun to learn more about this ever-changing tropical town. The postcard captions were very well written and interesting.

From front jacket:

"From Christine Vaussard in Paris to David Howard in New York City and Larisa Skylanskaya in San Francisco, Gretchen Warren profiles ten world-renowned master ballet teachers to capture their philosophies, training methods, and the classroom presence that makes their instruction magical.

Based on extensive interviews and classroom observation, each profile is an entertaining and enlightening mix of personal anecdotes and details about teaching techniques and class content and organization. Warren also includes a section of signature exercises drawn from each teacher. Because of the master teachers' diversity of styles and methods, as well as their occasional disputes with traditional wisdom, the book offers a brisk stimulant for reflecting on the values of developing and holding true to one's own style and beliefs.

Warren combines her years of experience as a dancer and master ballet teacher with her engaging writing style to create a living history of 20th century classical ballet training. Like their legions of students, readers will appreciate not only these teachers' philosophies, the endless curiosity, and their devotion to ballet but also what distinguishes each of them. As Warren observes, 'A great teacher, like a great chef, is a master at presentation, at making something - even something as painstakingly difficult as the study of classical ballet - so palatable that students swallow without hesitation. And do so joyfully!'"

Two years ago, we purchased this book for our son for his 16th birthday for several reasons. The major two were that his own ballet teacher -- Larry Long -- was one of the teachers written about in the book. Also, he had taken classes with the author one summer, loved her as a teacher, and continually referred to her previous book -- Classical Ballet Technique. After we purchased the book, he discovered that several teachers with whom he had either taken classes or about whom he had heard were also covered in the book. He enjoyed the book because of the biographies of each of the teachers and because of the descriptions of their techniques and classes. He assumes that if he ever teaches he will enjoy rereading the book to see the information from a different perspective. We, his parents, have enjoyed it because we have little knowledge of the world of ballet and it gave us more insight into it. Of course, our favorite chapter was the one about his teacher as we learned more of his background, many of the people we knew were mentioned, it gave us greater insight into his teaching style, and the pictures were great. However, the other chapters were very informative and helpful to parents of a serious ballet student. (Since we had no background in ballet, it helped us understand the field a little more.)

This is a wonderful addition to the literature on ballet. The auther makes her apologies in the beginning for not being able to include some noteworthiy teachers, but the ones she was able to cover are great. The information provided gives us valuable insight into the aesthetic principles of these great dancers and teachers. This should be useful to all dancers, whether they teach or not. Some very esoteric facts can be found here as well, such as why Balanchine likes the fingers and hands held the way he does and why many don't like it that way. I had taken some classes with a Mr. Schabel and discovered his claim to fame in these pages. The Great Jean Babilee is even discused. You might also get some good ideas for further reading in this book as I did.

Every ballet teacher must own this book. You will gain enormous insight into how 10 master teachers pass on the art of ballet to their students. You may not be drawn to the teaching styles of each teacher but you will learn something from everybody. Each chapter begins with a short essay in which Ms. Warren weaves what she learned from interviewing the master teachers about how they developed their method of teaching with specific accounts of what she observed in their classes. Each chapter concludes with "Classroom Quotes," the order of exercises in a technique class, and the pedagogical lineage of the master teacher. At the end of the book, Ms. Warren includes several exercises constructed by each of the master teachers. For non-teachers, this book will give you renewed appreciation for the work that goes into making a dancer.

I knew very little about ballet before diving into this book, and while reading it, I didn't feel that I was at a disadvantage. Reading it is like sitting next to a trusted friend at a ballet, having her point out bits of backstory, criticism, and praise. You can tell that Goldner really loves Balanchine's ballets, and without having seen most of these, I loved them too.

Ms. Goldner's response to Balanchine is almost as much a pleasure to read as Balanchine's ballets used to be to watch. She brings forward the intricacies of physical movement musicality and emotional intent inherent in the choreography without missing a single element's importance and depth. She does it succinctly easily and pleasurably, in a kind of way Balanchine himself would have done. He must have been looking over her shoulder.
How she makes me miss dancing these wonderful ballets. For the dancer who knew Balanchine she offers a joyful nostalgia at what in his work is immortal. If you have never seen a Balanchine Ballet read this first. If you go to New York City to see the Company go to the Lincoln Center Performing Arts library as well just so you know what she and I were looking at during the time Balanchine was there.

Writer Wellness: A Writer's Path to Health and Creativity This is a valuable and unique work of dance history from the keen eyes of dance critic Nancy Goldner. While there are many books on the life of Balanchine, this is a first for a book that explores and explains many of his greatest choreographic achievements. Dance students, dance history scholars, all libraries, and any person interested in Balanchine's legacy will appreciate the concise writing and interesting details that Goldner includes.

This book is written and researched with care and detail. The author has a superb degree of observation and understands the subject matter, as well as being familiar with the person for whom the book written.

We recently used this terrific book in exploring some wonderful and little used roads in Pasco County. It's great to have direction to unique Florida locales that aren't centered around Disney World or the beach.

We would like to take mini vacations on Florida's backroads. In reading this book, I can see that it will make planning our trips much easier.

Our family just spent a weekend following the trails of this book. It was so interesting and fun to read along the way. It's great to learn more about Florida -- especially how life was before a/c and the Disney era. Bravo!

What a great guidebook this is to the back roads and the stories that await. Douglas Waitley has presented the Center of Florida in such a way that even those who have lived in these parts for years will find new places worth exploring.

Waitley is an advocate of getting off the interstates as much as possible, which is harder to do in Florida than most places since there simply aren't as many back roads as in other states that have had a couple of centuries more of transportation and travel. Then again, there is plenty to explore if you are willing to slow down and see what is around the next bend.

And around the next bend are places with exotic names like Chassahowitzka Swamp and Lacoochee, Micanopy, Mascotte, Okahumpka, Yalaha, Lake Beauclair and Hontoon Island. In these pages, Calvin Coolidge rubs shoulders with Elvis Presley and you will find everything from horse country and swimming holes to missionaries and the Honky Tonk Freeway.

The guidebook takes you on consecutive journeys of under 50 to about 125 miles each, and there is a lot of history and scenery and lore packed in to each of the tours. With Waitley we travel to places where Desoto wandered, to the dens of alligators and thieves, to early settlements that were so close knit ethnically that when the young moved away they became virtual ghost towns, and more.

We find out about J C Penney's lost utopia and Ma Barker's last stand. We hear about buried and yet to be found treasure and the best places to shop for antiques. Want to see the manatee or a 3000-year old tree? Waitley can get you there. The maps and directions are easy as can be. Suggestions for enjoying nature and for stopping for a meal are included in each of the tours.

The book includes lots of good black and white photos taken by the author on his rambles and travels. The people he met populate the text and make the region come alive for the reader.

David Waitley loves Florida and it shows. By the time you read this book, you will have fallen in love with it, too; with all of its surprise and mystery, its local color and eccentricity. A perfect guidebook for being on the back roads, it is also a great armchair traveler's companion.

If you want to know more about architecture in the Caribbean, you have to read this book!

Through his work at la Marina, Casa de Campo, Gian Franco Fini captures the essence of refined architecture with a perfect air of Caribbean elegance.

This is a book about one of those magical places that once you get there you don't want to leave. It's in the path of boats coming from Miami to the West Indies and is the place to see in the Caribbean before you die. Casa de Campo is the Caribbean most complete resort by far where any possible hobby in the world could practiced at world renowned conditions -besides skiing, except if you change it for water-sky-. The book about the Casa de Campo's Marina is definitely a 5 start in class, quality and content. This is the real thing in Caribbean Elegance and Luxury where you'll be able to find some of the most exclusive houses in the region.

This is the only book available about Marinas from an architectural standpoint. Blueprints, sketches and more than 300 full-color pictures are a never ending source for one of the most luxurious approach to Caribbean Architecture. It's about the renowned Marina at Casa de Campo, La Romana, Dominican Republic and is a must for anyone willing see from the inside out as many options as possible to recreate a tropical paradise despite if it's and apartment or a houses under 2,000 sqf or a masterpiece above 20,000 sqf.
In contrast with W.R. Blain's book for "Marina Developments" -That is an excellent and maybe the only book about Marinas from a structural standpoint- this one is an architectural approach to Marinas and all the elements around it such as Yacht Club, Apartments, Houses, Restaurants and all related services. It's full of details and references in a text that is catchy and easy to read. My only concern was that I thought it was pricy in the first place despite that it was printed and bounded in Italy, but Blain's book is above the $250 and this one is more related to interior design and architecture so it's worth 5 out 5 starts.

Chocolate in Mesoamerica: A Cultural History of Cacao, 2006., edited by Cameron L. McNeil, Gainesville: University Press of Florida (ISBN 0-8130-2953-8) represents the most comprehensive study of cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) published to date. The breadth and scope of this important reference source is impressive. Contributions include research and analysis involving various methodological approaches, anthropology, archaeology, art history, conservation biology, and epigraphy, to explore the role of cacao in ancient and contemporary Mesoamerica and its origins as a domesticate. Scholars from a variety of fields provide new evidence on the domestication of cacao, its ancient use in foods other than beverages, its significance in Mesoamerican religion, and its role in elite feasts. Contributors also discuss: the value of cacao; the artistic conventions concerning cacao and its use; and the archaeological identification of cacao, including the recovery of seeds in archaeological context, residue analysis from ancient ceramics, and the hieroglyphic markings on ancient ceramic containers. These studies pose various questions such as: where beverages made from cacao pulp or only the seeds? Was cacao associated with the ancient elite and consumed primarily as a beverage? Was cacao widely available to individuals and societies of non-elite status? Some researchers study current religious practices involving cacao, especially in Mexico and Guatemala, in order to determine if these practices may provide clues to ancient associations of this plant.
The volume Chocolate in Mesoamerica: A Cultural History of Cacao is divided into four parts: Part I explores the origins of cacao, how was it domesticated, its chemical properties, it biogeography and identification of and its close relatives in other regions of the Neotropics. In Part II, archaeologists, art historians, linguists, and epigraphers document the pre-Columbian uses and importance of cacao how it was consumed and by whom, a truly multidisciplinary perspective. Some contributions explore how cacao became interwoven with later Spanish diet and culture, eventually spreading into the cuisines of most of Europe and the rest of the world. In Part III, ethnohistorians and archaeologists sixteenth-century documents to provide an understanding of the role of the colonial Spanish governments in altering the cultivation practices and consumption of cacao among indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica. Some contributors document the incorporation of cacao into Spanish cuisine. In Part IV, archaeologists, ethnobotanists, and ethnographers record the many uses of cacao and how its continued to be cultivated by Mesoamerican communities in the present. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the history of Chocolate and its role in the foodways of the world, and to students and scholars focused upon its Pre-Columbian past and how remnants of this history continue to the present.

If you are a chocolate lover, this is the book for you! So many books about this topic look at how chocolate developed outside of Mesoamerica. It is nice to read about cacao in its original cultural context. Interesting and well-organized. A nice addition to any chocolate connoisseur's library.

This volume includes papers by a number of experts on chocolate and Mesoamerica. The chapters are well written and form the most complete coverage of this domesticate in a single volume. The papers consider cacao from multiple perspectives including botany, iconography, ritual, politics, and economy. They also cover a broad geographic area including a number of pre-Columbian and modern cultural groups in Mesoamerica.

This book is a great contribution to the field of Mesoamerican studies. When I ordered it I wasn't sure what to expect, but I have really enjoyed it. The interdisciplinary approach allows for a thorough examination of the role of cacao in the cultural life of indigenous Mesoamericans, past and present. I appreciated the diachronic examination of the subject as it allows the reader to better understand how cacao was and is culturally important to Mesoamericans. Additionally, it demonstrates how this seed become significant to the colonial economy as well as the larger world market. The history of cacao's Native American origins is fascinating. Cacao or chocolate has become an important part of many cultures foodways however its Native American origins are largely overlooked in its contemporary context. McNeil's compilation of current scholarly research about cacao nicely demonstrates the origin and development of this Native American resource.