Central America Books

This book is the result of an 1984 fact-finding mission to Nicaragua undertaken by Reed Brody, who is now with Human Rights Watch. It is based on a rigourous methodology involving sworn affadavits of personal eyewitness accounts of atrocities. The witnesses were interviewed with no Nicaraguan government presence or interference.

The book consists of detailed descriptions of numerous attacks on civilians by the Contras. A section is devoted to attacks on coffee pickers; there is one on attacks on farms and villages, and another on attacks on civilian vehicles. Also included are sections on kidnappings and rapes.

When it appeared, this book was considered dangerous enough by the Reagan administration that Brody was publicly denounced by President Reagan who attempted to smear his reputation.

Unfortunately, "Contra Terror in Nicaragua" is accurate. It provides a glimpse into the Reagan administration's policy of directing systematic violence at a civilian peasant population for the purpose of ousting the government of Nicaragua. It will be recalled that this government won internationally certified elections in 1984 and was the choice of the people. The campaign of violence was unremitting and lasted about nine years.

Brody's book is an important historical document on an extremely sad and disturbing episode in American foreign policy. The people in Washington who were responsible for this are rightly regarded as war criminals. This includes John Negroponte, currently US ambassador to Iraq. From 1981-84 he was overseeing operation of the Contras from their bases in Honduras, where he was US ambassador.

We now have a presidential candidate who chants to an old Beach Boys tune Bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran and who twenty years ago voted to bomb Nicaragua. Here we may read the devastating results of that anti-life policy. It is no joke. War is no joke. War is hell.

Every US citizen needs this year to read this book, to remember our taxpayer supported terrorist army which blew up health care clinics, schools and the simple bamboo homes of very poor people.

Reed Brody is the former Assistant Attorney General for the State of New York, and as a skilled prosecutor, knows the rules of evidence in presenting a compelling case beyond any reasonable doubt.

In this book he leaves no room for doubt regarding the crimes against humanity committed by our government against the poor people of Nicaragua twenty years ago. He presents undeniable testimony of incidents of crimes against humanity committed by our mercenary terrorist guerrilla army, inclduing rapes, kidnappings and deadly attacks against civilian vehicles, farms and villages and agricultural workers.

He lays open the case in a compelling introduction, he states in two and half dozen incidents, and concludes with an afterword and with three appendices entitled: Verfication, in which he describes the methodology and adherence to reliable rules of evidence; Who are the contra?, in which he describes at great length the make-up of the leadership as well as their illegal "private" US funding, and closes with a long chronology of contra attacks up to that time.

In this present era of imperial warfare, in which approved journalists are "embedded" within the attacking US army and thus kept from performing their free and independednt function, in which news reports are heavily Redacted by the media monopolies to keep the US public from an informed decision and to cover up our present crimes against humanity, and in which independent reporters of other nations are fired upon by our troops to keep the truth of our barbarous war crimes from emerging, we must remember this time when it was possible for courageous US citizens to travel to the scenes of our terrorist attacks upon civilian populations and report them to us at home, truthfully and undeniably. Let us study carefully these cases of Atty. Reed Brody, examine his methodology, and even if unable to travel to Fallujah and Guantanamo and elsewhere to report back the abuses by our troops, at least we can work so that never again we suffer under another rogue president who commits our nation to A Stupid, Unjust, and Criminal War: Iraq, 2001-2007.

This is an important historical record. Don't expect any lavish prose or entertaining reading. This is "just the facts", documenting case after case of attacks against civilians by lavishly US funded and orchestrated Contra forces in the 1980's.

In the book, you get an introductory explanation of the methods and sources for the information, followed by background information of the political climate. Then you get a number of selected individual cases of attacks on civilians that are thoroughly detailed with names, dates and descriptions. Each of these stories is told over a couple pages each. Lastly are a cronology of Contra attacks on civilians between 1981 and 1984 which seems to list a couple hundred instances with a short description of each, and the source notes.

Many cases are compiled from the reports of groups like America's Watch, Center for Constitutional Rights, Washington Office on Latin America...etc. Many are compiled from eye-witness and victim's affidavits, and from the extensive report of Reed Brody's fact finding team from between 1984-85 in Nicaragua.

What you will see here are the tactics used by the people that the US government was hailing as "freedom fighters", and whom Reagan called "the moral equals of our founding fathers". The overriding point, and what this book shows, is that the attacks against civilians were not random errors, or the acts of a few renegade contras. They were conscious, pervasive and intentional policy of the leadership.

I'm writing this review over 15 years after the publication of this book, but it's very important to know what our government was really doing. And, in the year 2002, When "terrorism" is on everyone's mind, and you hear our leaders repeatedly saying things like: "there's no justification for attacking civilians" or how we must go after any evil "states that sponsor terrorism", it's important to remember the not too distant history, and consider how well our own government would measure up to these principles.

This book is outstanding! It has really easy to use time appropiate recipes that include options that might be easier to find today. This book covers American Indians, The Colonial Period, The Revolutionary War, Westward Expansion, The Civil War, and the last 6 chapters break up the U.S. and give recipes likely to be found in those areas. At the end of each chapter is a great resource of books on the subject with detailed discriptions that are VERY helpful! If you are a Teacher or a Homeschooler this book is a must!

As a homeschooling Mom this has been so fun. I can tie in recipes from the times with the time period they are studying, and it gives extra info. It has been a wonderful resource to ad to our studies.

I first found this book at a Library and instantly fell in love. I knew I had to get one of my own. It is such a treasure trove of information and the recipes are so interesting. In my search for a good resource on Native Americans, I have finally hit the jack pot. I love this book and highly highly recommend it for anyone....especially if your a homeschooler!

Martin Mitchinson's "The Darien Gap" is a wonderful book, a great collection of histories, mythologies, and personal adventures and reflections. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in traveling in Central America, as well as for anyone who loves good, and thoughtful travel writing.

In a place that is infamous for kidnappings, Colombian Guerrillas, and thick jungles, Mitchinson performs the unthinkable act of remaining in the region for a year and a half to gather together Darien's many stories into a book that is a pleasure to read. In a series of wonderfully-crafted vignettes, Mitchinson writes with a very personal voice to bring Darien's jungle to the reader - from the 65 million years of ancient geological formation, to native histories, pirates, eccentrics, and ridiculous canal schemes that are part of Darien's past and present.

This book has just been released, but I've found a handful of early reviews:

"What Mitchinson has produced, with bugs, mud, graces, dangers, superstitions and all... is a wonderfully entertaining book full of close observation and flourishes of poetry."

- Garry Geddes, poet and author of "Kingdom of Ten Thousand Things"
_____________________

"... impressive and compelling..."

"... threading the history of the area, with accounts of its indigenous peoples and early explorations, into a dramatic and involving tapestry. There is much humor here,... passages of genuine suspense, including a harrowing account of a near-drowning in a jungle river..."

- The Vancouver Sun
_____________________

"... the summer's best read."

- The North Island Midweek
_____________________

"...hairy enough to scare even the most intrepid armchair traveler. But the stories that he tells of this wild barrier make his book come doubly alive.

Combining one part history with one part travelogue... escape reading at its best."

-The Sun Times
_____________________

"... personal anecdotes are lush with honesty and sparse with reservation... it sucks you from your reading chair only to plant you in the mangrove swamps of the Darien Gap."

"...intriguing tale connects the reader to Mitchinson, the people of Darien and the Darien province itself."

- Comox Valley Record

The Darien Gap beautifully weaves together the local politics, geological and colonial history with native folklore in a personal voice. Finally, a travel book not focused on some hero conquering a new land. Mitchinson brings honesty and humor at his own discomfort. He offers a well researched story of a patch of jungle that "is the only missing link in what would otherwise be 16000 miles of uninterupted highway from Alaska to Tierra Del Fuego". The book is brilliant!

This is a marvellous read and a marvellous exploration. Author Martin Mitchinson takes us through a remote corner of the Panamanian rainforest on a journey that is paradoxically both leisurely and exhausting. At his side we undergo a full range of jungle miseries, both grim and entertaining, dipping pleasantly all the while into byways of history, geography and legend.
Whether he was enduring perilous hours in a dugout canoe or trekking painfully across the continental divide, Mitchinson held me captivated. By turns I laughed out loud at encounters with endearing characters or was moved by rippling passages of poetry and philosophy.
At its best, and in common with the best of books and journeys, The Darien Gap transforms one's vision of life and of the world. Highly recommended.

This book is for anyone immersed in the human condition, waging a war internally and silently stuggling externally. Galeano's collection of thoughts and essays and stories stirs the emotions of the reader and forces them to consider the entirety of the Latin American canon of literature as a formidable one. It encompasses genres such as autobiography, biography, testimony, prose, and short story. This is poetry of the soul for the soul, and shouldn't be limited to those obscure literature classes dealing with oppression

is as Galeano define "Days and Nights of Love and War". The author open the memory box and let escape the pain and the love, the sadness and the joy. That is not only his box, it's my box too, all latinoamericans' box. So, when we open it we live.

The personal testimony of one of Latin America's foremost contemporary political writers, Eduardo Galeano's Days And Nights Of Love And War blends memoir journaling with an eloquent history to record the lives and struggles of the Latin American people under two decades of unimaginable violence and extreme repression. Galeano combines straight-forward reportage with personal vignettes, interviews, travelogues, and folklore with an impressive and engaging emotional enrichment that includes anger, irony, sadness, and humor. Days And Nights Of Love And War is very highly recommended for students of late 20th century Latin American political history and culture.

Logging in America's Northwest, an industry and occupation which arouses strong passions and polarizing viewpoints.

Jim LeMonds, though not neglecting the emotional and substantive areas of contention, focuses primarily on the human contribution and in some cases sacrifices of the loggers themselves.

This book should be read by anyone with even the vaguest interest in forest management and environmental issues. Although he is from a logging family, I feel that the author has been exceedingly fair in his description of todays industry and what the future holds for this industry and more importantly for logging communities.

To me the efforts and accomplishments of the people featured in this book, and the many thousands like them, are what has made our country great. It is ironic that their contibutions and in some cases sacrifices have not received the recognition that they are rightfully due.

Buy this book, regardless of your political viewpoint on the logging industry, and celebrate the spirit that has enabled all of us to enjoy the many privledges of being Americans.

They say write about what you know...LeMonds knows the soul of the past and modern logger and writes with as unpretentious style as I've seen in a long time. He uses the language (always loggers...never lumberjacks) and shares with the reader the language and techniques of everything from falling, bucking, setting chokers, to trucking the logs. Furthermore, he does it based upon the real-life experiences of his family. You learn how they used to rig a spar tree and what went through the climbers mind as he accomplished this task 150-200 feet in the air. LeMonds also shares the future of forestry (hand-seeding, herbicides, fertilizer & thinning) to move the life span of high-productive crops like Douglas Firs from hundreds of years to perhaps as little as 35 years as well as what the modern equipment does now and probably into the future.. Perhaps you might find the short chronology of the work history of each of his family members in the logging business too detailed but it's more than worth the wonderful stories and perspectives that go with them. LeMonds acknowledges the scars on the landscape of the past but also the enduring scars on these tremendous men who contributed so much to this Country's development of the 20th century. I don't think one could ask for a more balanced view of this industry and have it written with such class. This is the best book I ever expect to read about this subject, which is so dear to my heart having been raised in a nearly identical community in Southern Oregon. Today I ordered a second copy to send to a dear friend still working in the woods.

James Lemonds peels away the Bunyonesque macho image that has been falsely hung on the loggers of the Northwest and shown them as they are; broken down, disabled and discarded by the industry that exacted a terrible toll on both the workers and the forests.
Anyone wanting to research the human cost the industry extracted should start with this book. Death and disabilty rates beyond the range of nightmares were considered standard and acceptable, simply because the carnage took place outside the public view.
The hard work, honest efforts and caring that the workers brought to the job were repaid with lack of respect and now, lowering wages, no job security and disdain from the general public.
As bad as it is in Lemonds description, the list at the end of the book does not include all the co-workers of any current or former loggers that I have talked to who have read this book, nor co-workers of mine, who were killed on the job. The toll suffered by the workforce was at least equal to that suffered by the forests.
Lemonds tells the story in an even-handed, personal way through his extended family and community. This is a must-read book by any student of Northwest culture of the past century.

This little book/dictionary has a brief and succinct account on almost every main event, person, court case, legislation, etc. It even conveniently includes a copy of the US constitution at the end. If you are looking for a quick reference or maybe something to refresh your memory, then this book is perfect for you. However, if you are looking for an in depth analysis on various historical events, people, etc. then I wouldn't recommend this book.

Dictionary of American History, Michael Martin & Leonard Gelber

The authors attempted to provide a reference to events of American history such as economics, finance, labor, law, social welfare, literature, industry, science, religion, commerce, and foreign policy while not skipping political and military events. They carefully selected and edited this range of materials for the widest audience. Biographical items provide the essentials, as determined by the authors' judgments. They used 714 pages in this 1978 edition. You will be rewarded by any random search of the entries. There is an amazing number of facts that will educate and entertain the casual reader, and provide a starting point for more research. [One miscalculation was to list the ERA as Article XXVII.]

"Gas Industry" tells of the use of gas for lighting since 1806 in Newport RI. Baltimore in 1816 became the first city lighted by gas. Boston in 1822, New York in 1823, Philadelphia in 1837, the Capitol in 1847. "Income Tax" tells of its progressive features. It first exempted ordinary people (who earned less than $600 in 1861). By the 20th century most states had income tax laws to raise revenue. "Tenant Farmers" tells how the Bankhead-Jones Act of 1937 provided loans for the purchase of family farms. "Tenement Laws" improved the fire and health hazards of housing with new standards for plumbing, fireproofing, ventilation, and light. Old law tenements still existed in the 1930s until Federal laws allowed their replacement by low rent housing. "Granger Laws" were state laws that regulated railroads, grain elevators, and storage warehouses for the benefit of the midwest farmers. After these laws were declared unconstitutional in 1886 by a Supreme Court influenced by the railroads, Congress passed the Interstate Commerce Act in 1887. Further amendments affected other industries. "Fair trade laws" allowed manufacturers to fix retail prices for their products for every retailer. In 1951 the Supreme Court declared unconstitutional any state law that affected interstate commerce.

"McCulloch vs. Maryland" was the 1819 Supreme Court decision that Congress could not be limited in its power if the end was legitimate and the means used were appropriate. The "Glass-Steagall Act" created the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, restricted Federal Reserve Bank credit from speculation, and banks from dealing in foreign securities and as securities underwriters. [Its modification in the early 1990s allowed Investment Banks to use a perfectly legal form of "pump and dump" to swindle investors in the High Tech stock bubble of the late 1990s.] "Drake, Edwin Laurentine" drilled the first oil well in western Pennsylvania in 1859. The "Social Security Act" of 1935 provided for compulsory savings for wage earners to provide an annuity upon retirement. [Their figure of a "3%" deduction and monetary figures are long out of date.] "Wyoming" produces cattle, coal, oil, wool, and timber. In 1869 it allowed woman suffrage in national elections, and elected the first woman governor in 1925. It was called the "Equality State". "Palmer Raids" arrested and imprisoned thousands of aliens without a legal trial. Accused of violating the Constitution, A. Mitchell Palmer did not win higher political office. The "Yazoo Land Frauds" occurred when the Georgia legislature was bribed to give 35 million acres to a company for $500,000. This was declared unconstitutional and led to a long legal battle.

I'm a French studient and I'm studying English at University. The University library had it and I find it very instructive so I recommand it to the other students.

This is a great book to help children get interested in history. I usually find history boring, but it was fun to read about characters my own age and how their lives were! Culca is young girl who goes on many adventures around the world! I would recommend his book to anyone who likes to read about exciting adventures!

The Diving Bell is an interesting and exciting book written by Todd Strasser. It takes place in a mexican village in the 1500's. It is about a brave and determined young girl named Culca, and her brother Tulone - a courageous young diver. He dives down and gets oysters to get pearls to sell for his family.
It all begins when the Spaniards come and kidnapp all the young men in the village and take them to a ship wreck to dive for treasure. Culca is determined to save her brother and his friends, and she would risk her life to do it. Will she accomplish it? Will she save her people? Read the diving Bell and you will find out!
I've read this book so many times that the cover is falling off. It is adventurous and daring. So if you are a person who likes suspensful stories, read The Diving Bell!

HI, to all the people that have not read this book it is the time to do it!I read a chapter, and then put it down, then I had to pick it back up and read it! I think that Todd should make another book about the main character, Culca. He should make it about her life and about things that happen to her as she goes on with her life. I would go out and get it the day it came out. People may think it is a kids book but,I think anyone could read it if they wanted to read it.I am 10 yr. I love big 300 page books like that for adults. But this book is for anyone to read. I think Culca was so brave for what she did and how far she went to get her brother.I love all the Todd Strasser books! I love the book Help I'm Trapped In My Camp Counselors Body. It is in way two diff. worlds from the book The Diving Bell. I also can't get over how she said she would dive instead of her brother. How when she was climbing up the rope it's like I felt her pain too!So I would get the book the day it came out if he made another one ! Well hope I encouraged you to read this book!

I just receieved this book the other day and I must say I am very impressed by it. The introduction by Marijo Moore says it all--what this book is about. " To eat the fire of truth is to taste the blood of our existence." Such a beautiful line. Also in this book are great stories and testimonies by Charles Eastman, Steve Russell, Vine Deloria Jr, Joseph Dandurand, also a fabulous poem by Marijo Moore herself "Atop Polacca on First Mesa."
Also some great pieces by Susan Shown Harjo, Linda Hogan, and a slew of other amazing writers.
With a great title and great chapter titles this book is a great follow up to GENOCIDE OF THE MIND. This book should be read in classrooms all across the U.S. It is a burning reminder that the Indian voice is still not heard, but we will continue to start the fires, and make your blood boil.

JW

To tell the story, the real story, who better then the current generation of Native American writers. With Marijo Moore as a contributor and editor of Eating Fire, Tasting Blood she has gathered the essays and poems of her peers to tell us what we were never told in school.

With specific references to tribal nations like the Conoy, that are gone but not forgotten and accounts of massacres like Sand Creek and Wounded Knee, these writers bring us up to date and put forth the message that there was a holocaust here too, it just gets no recognition in books or on film.

This anthology hopes to change all of that. With the details brought front and center there is no turning away from what was covered up, taken and not returned, and is still being perpetrated on the survivors. To balance these accounts Moore has included tales of children going back home to learn where they came from, and poems that tantalize the mind and make the spirit soar.

The accomplishment of bringing the likes of Paula Gunn Allen, Vine Deloria, Jr., and Eduardo Galeano in one volume is to say the least, incredible. Read it and learn about the trail, still being walked today.

This book is important in many ways, as the other reviewers have described. I just wanted to mention that the article by David Seals titled "Nicaragua: What's Ward Churchill Got Against You?" was pretty pathetic. It included juvenile insults like calling Churchill "Lurch," which is the same crude name that right-wingers directed toward John Kerry.
No one knows all the details of Churchill's experiences in Nicaragua. But we can all learn many things from his books on FBI counter intelligence programs, the Native American holocaust, the horrible boarding schools Native kids were subjected to, current day ecocidal assaults from mining, timber and massive hydroelectric projects, and many other important topics.
Ward doesn't get it all right, Ward has "issues," - as we all do.
But Churchill has made many important contributions, including having the courage to speak some uncomfortable truths regarding the blowback of September 11.

Regarding the "scandal" over Ward's heritage, I'd just say even Europeans have tribal roots. Unlike Ward, most Europeans do not have a grandfather who is buried in a traditional Indian buriel ground (so, one could understand the roots of Ward's own assumptions about his ancestry). And unlike Ward, most of us have not spent countless hours writing, speaking and teaching about indigenous holocausts - past and present.
Seals' effort to degrade Churchill ultimately speaks more poorly of Seals himself.

In addition to this book, I'd recommend anything by Winona LaDuke and the DVD "Homeland: Four Portraits of Native Action" produced by the Katahdin Foundation.

This book won a book design award by the Association of American University Presses (AAUP) in 1999 in the trade book illustrated category. Book designer: Heidi Haeuser; Publisher: University of Texas Press.

Superb black and white photographs by a premier photographer, displaying the lives of ordinary people and the native customs of various parts of Mexico. A real bargain at the price.

This book contains some of the most extraordinary photographs taken in Mexico. The camera travels through the country capturing images of people, their art, and their environment.

Tio Rico lives in a village in Oaxaca (wah-ha-kah), Mexico. He is a 77 year-old who became a pinata maker when rheumatism made it too difficult to continue his business of making sombreros.

A village boy collects newspapers and concrete sacks for Tio Rico. These he uses to fashion unusual and decorative pinatas. The process is explained by a delightful profusion of photographs which accompany the story. The author, George Ancona, also shows "puppets" which are child-size papier-mache forms worn by young folk dancers. He shows his own version of pinata formed over cardboard or balloons for those of us who cannot buy clay pots at a local market.

Children everywhere will enjoy this colorful book and be eager to try the craft. With luck, they will have patient teachers and learn some Spanish and/or English words, too! My favorite companion book is "Colors of Mexico" (isbn: #1575052164), illustrated by Janice Porter.

"THE PINATA MAKER" is a 5-star book for adults as well as children, and most appropriate for the 2003 church women's study of Mexico. Find a group of children to share this book with, and increase your enjoyment three-fold.

Both my 5 & 3 year-old children LOVE this book. It is a nice combo of something fun (the pinatas, the design, & just the thought of candy...) and reality (photos of Don making pinatas). It is simple enough for them to understand, and captivating enough for even my younger child. We haven't delved much into the spanish text, but will eventually. For now, we're working on making the star for my daughter's sixth birthday party!

The Piñata Maker describes how a Mexican gentleman, Don Ricardo, became a piñata maker. It elaborates on how he makes his beautiful piñatas, while including a description of his way of life. The book is fantastic for individuals who are studying either English or Spanish. I'm using it both to become more familiar with Spanish and to teach English to a Spanish speaking person. It is written on an appropriate level for adults to use in this manner, but it is also an excellent book for children.