Central America Books

I met the Zapps at Craters of the Moon National Park last month and bought 3 of their books from them right there. Knowing that it could only be bought directly from them I was a little saddened I couldnt buy more copies (due to my finances) because I have reccomended it to all my friends and literally have a waiting list growing but now that I have found it on Amazon I can buy more copies! These are truly incredible people and have given me so much inspiration to follow my own dreams. Nearly every page of my book has highlighter markings of the truly wonderful and inspirational things in this book that I look back on occasionally to remind myself of things to be thankful for, dreams to follow, how to love others, take risks, and live for your heart! If you read this Candelaria and Herman, please know how much you have truly inspired me and made a difference in my life. It was a pleasure to meet you and your beautiful family!
Erfellie

I've never written a review here before but I feel compelled to do so for this book! I am only a little over halfway through and I am already buying more copies to give as gifts to friends, and to my mom for her retirement/career change gift. I want everyone I know to read it! It is such an enjoyable read that one could read it for enjoyment alone. But the big thing I am getting out of this is exactly the inspiration that Herman and Candelaria meant when they started writing it: to figure out what I want most out of life and to just go for it and make it happen! My husband and I NEVER read the same books but we both read this one after he bought it from them at a festival last fall. He loves it so much that he gets upset if I leave it somewhere that our 2 year old can get it and bend the pages!

Never before have I read such an inspirational tale. Many others have spoken of the wonderful people these two are ... I could not agree more .. The story inspires me daily .. I thought I would offer another insight in how this book can be used to motivate others

Some nights my near six year old son likes to sleep in my bed with me .. before he falls asleep he asks me to read to him from Candy and Herman's book .. he wants me to read until he is fast asleep .. already he has learned the power of dreams and his own ability to bring his to life ...

I can not say enough about the beauty that lies with in these pages!

Shannon

This book is so inspiring. Anybody who has a dream, which is everybody, will absolutely love this book. It will encourage you to go out and chase your dreams. You won't be able to put it down as you feel you are truly taking part in this wonderful journey.

This story of a couple in love following their dream is an inspiration to everyone. Not only is it a great lesson in how to treat the man or woman you love, it's also a lesson in the ways of the world. When everything you see and read these days is about destruction and chaos this story shows that so many people are truly good and believe in dreams.

I am looking forward to a possible meeting with this fantastic couple. Read this book, it's inspiring, emotional, and well written.

This book and CD are very well done; obviously the author had a real vision for its need and put a lot of love into its creation. As someone who has witnessed the "drift" and "disconnect" that many Latino kids feel when they are in white America, I am excited about this positive cultural connection with their countries of origin. I actually spoke with the author by phone and she is very much involved in educating schoolchildren (of any culture) about Latinamerican Christmas Traditions.

A word about the CD: it actually plays every song TWICE; the second time through, each song is sung in a certain "style", assigned to a country. For example: Marimba style, Guatemala. The result is a richly varigated CD with many different musical instruments used and different moods touched-- you don't start to think "all these songs sound alike because the same people are performing them!"-- not at all.

I hope to see more books/ projects by Charito Calvachi Wakefield in the future!

My mom and I enjoyed reading this book together because the presentation and cover are wonderful and reading about the culture reminded my mom of home. This book captured the real spirit of Christmas.

Es un libro excelente que revive toda la mística navideña de revaloración del espiritu religioso, del amor familiar y de los valores humanistas que todavía de valoran como esenciales en la gente latinoamericana. Muy buena presentación.

Charito Calvacci Wakefield's "Navidad Latino Americana" is a lush compendium of celebration and community. The descriptive thread of food, fellowship and tradition that binds young and old, rich and poor on this most revered of all holidays is accompanied by a CD of Christmas songs. This is the kind of book that becomes part of a family's library, to be taken down each year, appreciated and cherished.

Pasa el tiempo, de generación en generación, vamos cambiando, adoptando nuevas costumbres, olvidamos algunas. En Navidad Latinoamericana encontramos aquellas 'joyas' que relacionamos muchas veces con nuestro pasado, un pasado feliz, inocente, en familia, con la calidez de aquella época navideña, tan llena de misterio, de espectativa y de amor. Un hermoso regalo para aquellos a quienes apreciamos....una ilusión, una fantasía y alegría hechas imagen y sonido.

It's worth picking up a copy, alot of information in there. Good thick book. Glad i bought it.

This book must have taken a life time of research and work. It is the most comprehensive and complete work on the Maya I have read. I was particulary interested in the Maya Calendar history and their methods of working the calendar.

This is by far the most comprehensive book about the ancient Maya. There are several excellent shorter ones; this is the go-to book for thorough reference. It has become almost as "classic" as Maya civilization. Sharer reminisces about being "hooked on" Maya studies by the third edition (by Morley and Brainerd, 1956); so was I, back when it was newly minted. How much has changed since. Scholars can now read Maya. We now can match written history, sculptured portrayals, and archaeological findings to identify the actual skeletons of some of the greatest and most famous Maya kings, such as Yax K'uk' Mo' of Palenque. We have entire dynastic lists covering centuries, for many of the major cities. We can use bone chemistry to find out what the Maya ate. All of this was almost beyond the wildest dreams of the 1950s.
The Maya turn out to have been as brilliant, original and creative as anyone ever thought, a truly homemade civilization, one of the few in a tropical forest environment. They are said to have "collapsed" due to ecological maladjustment, but this book notes that modern research shows the civilization lasted well over 1,000 years before the "collapse" around 900 AD, and it was a fairly local phenomenon. This local collapse was due to drought, warfare, and some ecological overshoot--too many people doing too much (including burning too many trees to make lime for stucco and cement). The Maya kept on. They took on the Spanish and often won. The last independent state held out till 1697, and Maya continued holding out in remote backlands; in 1846 the Mexican Maya rebelled again, and created an independent state, finally reconquered after 1900 and turned into the Mexican state of Quintana Roo. As for what has happened since, suffice it to say that 3 days ago I saw an election sign painted in huge letters on a wall in central Quintana Roo: "PRESERVE YOUR PRIDE IN BEING MAYA!"
There are very few errors in this book, but some need correcting in the 7th edition. Most are in the very early sections, and are often left over from previous editions. Page 5, 16th-century Europeans are said to be "secure in the knowledge that they alone represented civilized life...." No, they revered China, and knew plenty about India, Persia and Arabia. P. 9, coffee is said to have come "soon" with the Europeans; not till the 19th century, at least as a major crop. 23, Nahuatl loanwords reflecting rise of central Mexico in the Postclassic: Well, a lot of those Nahuatl loanwords came with the Spanish (who had Nahuatl soldiers with them). Page 33, caiman: The book confuses the animal called "caiman" in English, an alligator-like creature not found within hundreds of miles of Mayaland, with the crocodile, which is called "caiman" in Mexican Spanish; also, pythons are claimed as native to Mayaland! The nearest they get is Africa; evidently "boa constrictors" are meant. Then nothing till page 640, where a typo (apparently two decimal places missed) has given us a preposterous yield figure for beans (in the table at the top of the page). The yields of maize are also pretty high, though not ridiculous. There are a few other errors in the book, but nothing of consequence that I can pick up.
The book uses the "new" transcription system for Maya languages, but sometimes slips and uses the "old" system, and sometimes mixes them up in the same word (e.g. "dz'onot" on p. 52). One related annoyance--not Sharer's fault; alas, it is becoming standard--is respelling "Yucatec" in the new transcription system. "Yucatec" is a SPANISH word, with no excuse in Maya, and should not be respelled. (For the record, the Spanish coined "Yucatec" from a misunderstood Maya phrase and a Nahuatl ending. They also popularized some Nahuatl ethnic names for Maya peoples. These names, like Huastec and Aguacatec, should be spelled in whatever system in now standard for Nahuatl--not in a Maya system. Better yet, they should be replaced with the actual Mayan names, like Teenek for Huastec.)
The one place I would respectfully disagree with this book is on ancient Maya population. Sharer has "tens of millions" of Maya in the 700s AD and around then. On the basis of some years of field experience with (mostly modern) Maya agriculture, I don't think this is possible. Granted that the old myth of purely-swidden agriculture is long dead, "tens of millions" would require agricultural intensity of a sort found, in preindustrial times, only in the wet-rice lands of east and southeast Asia. Mayaland is small, and only some of it is at all fertile. Sharer's evidence is a couple of surveys showing high densities of settlement in particularly favored areas; not only are they atypical, there is no guarantee the houses discovered were all occupied at once. I would guess the peak total for Mayaland was between 5 and 10 million; at least, the agriculture I know would support that many, if it had some additional intensification of the sort well documented. Beyond that, all is speculative.
One more thought. The Maya were supposed to be "peaceful" back in my student days. Then, with reading the Classic Period texts, scholars found they were pretty warlike. This led to some exaggeration the other way. Fortunately, Sharer is far too careful and comprehensive a scholar to fall for either the "peaceful" or the "warlike" view. The "warlike" view was justified by the big monuments in the Maya city squares. These commemorated wars and victories, just as do those in town squares in the midwestern US. Alas, we lack the ordinary writings--the equivalent of midwestern newspapers, with their record of marriages, births, corn and hog prices, store openings, and the like. Surely the Maya had their equivalents. What interests me here is the incredibly long life spans of Maya kings. Many lived, and even reigned, for 50, 60, even 70 years. Compare that with the Roman or Chinese emperors or the kings of France. Clearly, Mayaland in its glory days was a pretty peaceful, healthy place--though, indeed, not the paradise dreamed by romantic archaeologists of the early 20th century!
The ancient Maya are still a pretty mysterious lot in many ways, and there is a huge amount to learn. We had better do it soon. Sharer provides a long, excellent, very disturbing account of the looting that has destroyed much of the Maya heritage and will destroy all of it (at least in Guatemala) if a massive effort isn't mounted soon.
On the other hand, nothing is more heartening than the number of Maya who are becoming archaeologists and ethnographers, and studying their own past. More power to them.

Had this book been less than half its size readers would end up learning much more about the Maya from it. Unfortunately, there's much too much that belongs in an Archeology 101 class here and by the time you get to some discussion of the Maya, you're half asleep. Those of us who are not reading archeology for the first time will wish the author had just kept his discussion to the Maya, as the title suggests he will, and assumed we understood the basics.

Personally, I'm still looking for a book on the Maya so that as I travel from site to site in Quintanaroo, Yucatan, Guatemala and Honduras, I will have a basic understanding of the site I'm driving to. I just booked a trip that will book me in the area of Chac Mool soon. I'll see what I can find.

By far the most thorough book on the Ancient Maya I have ever seen. It covers all the history and gives a great deal of arceological information. There is also a lot of information on the religious, social, and economic life of the Maya. The book covers in great deal the history of each Mayan polity and it is very well organized. If there is anything you want to know about the Maya it will be in this book.

This is a great anthology on Asian American history that's well worth your time to read!

I am a proud owner of the Big Aiiiieee. It is absolutely refreshing to hear from other voices than the popular writers such as Tan, Kingston, and Hwang. Chin certainly has made many great and valid points. Tan, Kingston, and Hwang, together, represent a body of cultural sensationalism against especially 'Asian American' men. I agree with Chin on many points; however, Tan, Kingston, and Hwang are wholly to be blamed.
First of all, the term "Asian American" should be eradicated. I am not an Asian American. I am a Chinese-Vietnamese American, as specific as that. With that in mind, this anthology is mainly composed of Chinese and Japanese-American perspectives. Where are representational voices of Vietnamese, Cambodian, Laotian, and South Asian people (India, Parkistan, Burma).
Secondly, I agree with Mr. Chin that Tan's and Kingston's portrayal of Chinese culture is primitive and backward. Tan's Joy Luck Club contains lot of images that promote cultural sensationalism and exoticism. For example, An Mei's mother cuts her flesh from her arm and dumps them into her grandmother's soup. The non-asian readers will subsequently thrive on this stereotype and apply it for all "Asians." This is like another form of canibalism. Another example of cultural sensationalism is the uncle eating live, jumping shrimps with his chopsticks (or Did I miss something?). As for Kingston, the Woman Warrior clearly was written with an intention as a feminist piece. Because there is no greatly equal novel to dispute its exaggerated feminism, mainstream readers take this as a true portrayal of Chinese/Asian men -- brutal rapists.
Furthermore and on a positive note, what makes this anthology fresh is the fact that it includes other fresh(not new)but neglected voices such as Louis Chu, John Okana, Monica Sone, Gish Jen, and so on, writers that are not given a fair chance in mainstream publishing.
Finally, I think this is a great anthology. Unfortunately, it does not truly represent me and my Vietnamese American community. What I got from reading this anthology is a sense of freshness as far as perspective is concerned; however, emotionally, I am more identified with Flannery O'connor, Toni Morrison, and Duong Thu Huong.
For those dire fans of Mr. Chin and harsh critics of interracial relationship: He married a caucasian woman, so are some of his colleagues.
Beware of whom you worship!

What gives people like Amy Tan, Maxine Hong Kingston, and David Henry Hwang the right to take my cultural distinctions and cater it to a white audience who want the stereotypical Chinese?! I'm glad Frank Chin exposed these sell-outs in this important book. There are Asians who are far from being these sorts of stereotypes described in the literatures of Tan, Kingston, and Hwang, and these editors prove it. Read this book and you'll find that out yourself.

and I know how much these editors helped my ethnicity in the first Aiiieeeee! These people (Chan, Chin, Inada, and Wong) know their stuff, and they're not ashamed of their cutlure. They are unassimilated, brave, talented, and strong. You would be more proud of your Asian race after reading this book.

Since the publication of this book, it has been criticized for it's "machismo, misogynist" morale. Guess who these criticisms are coming from? White feminists (or those who support them). They cannot look beyond history and textual matter, instead they force and assume their principles and try (and unforunately, they succeeded) to make this a battle of Women's rights. I have read Chin's "Come All Ye Asian American Writers of the Real and of the Fake" and in nowhere is there any misogynistic dictum. Why? Because this isn't a matter of Women's views or MEN'S! It's about history and how it should be interpreted. People like Kingston, Hwang, and Tan want to deconstruct Asian American history. Feminists want to help Kingston's and Tan's deconstructive views by arbitrarily labeling Chin as a misogynist. If Chin or the editors of The Big Aiiieeeee! were misogynist why would they have women writers in this anthology? Just because there aren't that many women writers doesn't mean it's totally and utterly sexist. Could it be because there aren't that many authentic Asian American women writers?! If there are no authentic texts to Asia America, would it hurt to say that stereotypes (or whatever) are actually right?

Quick, name the ten top novelists from Nicaragua. Give Up? Well extend it then to the top ten from anywhere in Latin America.

After reading this book you will almost certainly put Gioconca Belli on this list. The Inhabited Woman is Lavinia, a modern woman of our time, she becomes 'inhabited' by the spirit of an Indian woman warrior and she joins the revolution against a violent dictator.

At least semi-biographical, Ms. Belli joined the revolutionary Nicaraguan FSLN in 1970 until forced to leave the country in 1975. After Somoza was ousted and th Sandinistas came to power she entered Government service to 1986 when she resigned in to write full time.

Una escritora increible para una historia verdaderamente emocionante donde el presente con su guerra civil en Nicaragua y el pasado con su Conquista espan~ola tienen aspectos en comun, se unen, se cruzan, se mezclan, pero todo tiene siempre sentido. Es una de las novelas mas intensas que haya leido de toda la literatura hispano americana. Lo aconsejo a todos los latinos.

This is a book that is a must because it helps to understand (or at least to have another point of view) about latin american "guerrillas", but also about the subtle and not so subtle differences between men and women, that havent changed so much in hundred years. Going back to the past (to the spaniard invasion)and forward to our days, Belli knits a unique beautiful story of two eras distant in time, but very close in their needs. Not perfect in its "literary structure", but an original, passionate and enlighten story.

As a retired English teacher longing for a "good read". I was delighted from the first chapter of Inhabited Woman. The concept of one woman from one period/culture being a factor in another woman's life sent a tingle through me. As I read on, I was excited in the insights gained by the main character. As she struggled with choices, I found myself rethinking my life and values. The characters are well drawn and the plot complex enough to be interesting. Furthermore, the author's use of langauge and images is sometimes almost poetry. BRAVO!!

Gioconda Belli is one of Nicaragua's most highly regarded writers. Her poetry and fiction have been published in Spain, Mexico, Germany, Denmark, Holland, Finland, Greece and Turkey. She currently lives in Los Angeles. THE INHABITED WOMAN was awarded "Best Literary Work of the Year" by the Union of German Publishers and Editors.

"[It] is a passionate story of love, courage, solidarity and death, where reality and legend blend harmoniously. The lives of the characters are intertwined with the destiny of a country and the struggle of a people for dignity. There is so much truth in this book, that it is impossible for the reader to remain indifferent. This is a story that needed to be told and Belli does it with talent." --Isabel Allende

"THE INHABITED WOMAN is engrossing, reading like an action adventure...[it] opens on a stunning, magical note..." --The Daily News

"THE INHABITED WOMAN revitalizes two literary genres that in recent years seemed to have lost their grips on the imagination of new writers and, as a matter of course, readers-magic realism and social realism." --The Hartford Courant

I heard about this book in Brasilia, Brazil earlier this year, from a citizen of Brazil. It is a very good insight into the nation and the "accidental president". I learned a lot about this important country and why it looks to Europe and why the USA is less important to it. I recommend this book highly for persons wanting to learn about Brazil and for those who enjoy politics.

In The Accidental President of Brazil, Fernando Henrique Cardoso provides an entertaining look at his unusual career, from his privileged childhood by the beach in Rio, to his sociology research in the shantytowns, to his exile during the military dictatorship, to his entry into politics and taming of Brazil's runaway inflation. An engaging and personable narrator, Cardoso provides fascinating contextual details of Brazilian history as well as the colorful personalities who have shaped it, like Emperor Dom Pedro II, Getulio Vargas, Janio Quadros, and Lula Da Silva. Throughout the book, Cardoso's love for his country and commitment to the poor are apparent, as is his conviction that sensible leaders, guided by good will and tempered by serious policy debate, actually can solve large problems in large countries.

This is an intriguing and informative political memoir, and I would highly recommend it to anybody interested in recent Brazilian history and politics. First of all, let me share the observation that there really don't seem to be many good books on contemporary Brazil. I am a non-specialist when it comes to Brazil and so I've been searching for some journalistic accounts, travelogues, etc. I was kind of led to this book because it was about the only thing I could find on recent Brazilian politics, but it ended up being a very rewarding read.

There are two primary reasons that Mr. Cardoso's memoir succeeds so well. First, the subject matter, modern Brazilian political history, is intrinsically interesting. Second, and most importantly, however, Mr. Cardoso is a truly engaging and oftentimes humorous writer. This is somewhat of a surprise given his academic background. Mr. Cardoso was a fairly successful sociologist before entering politics, and I half expected that dry academic language to show up now and then in his memoirs, but that is certainly not the case. In fact, Cardoso has a very good sense of humor regarding his academic disposition, and how it has both helped and hindered him in political life.

One point that might be of relevance to those considering whether to read this book: you might be somewhat disappointed if you are only interested in very recent Brazilian history. Practically the first two-thirds of the book detail Mr. Cardoso's life BEFORE he assumed the presidency. Cardoso brings a very interesting perspective to Brazil's turbulent political history, as he was born into a very powerful military family. His grandfather was a leader of the revolt that brought down the monarchy, while his father was an influential figure under the Vargas regime. Cardoso expertly explains the various elite conflicts that kept Brazil in a state of perpetual political instability for much of the 20th century. As a result of a military coup after WWII, Cardoso was forced into exile, as were many other intellectuals. He spent some of this time in Chile, and one episode recalls a party he attended at Pablo Neruda's house, where he met not only the host but future Chilean president Salvador Allende. He was eventually allowed to return, but his dissatisfaction with the military regime that refused to relinquish control induced him to enter the political fray as an opposition figure.

Roughly the last third of the book covers Cardoso's time as president. Cardoso here describes the challenges he faced reforming Brazil's inflation-addled economy (and protecting Brazil from the global financial crises of the late 1990's), fighting corruption, and fixing some of the country's endemic social problems. The latter include the HIV crisis, in which one can reasonably say that Cardoso's administration was successful, and agrarian reform, a problem which still persists to this day. There are also several sections in which he details his troubled and fluctuating relationship with Lula, Brazil's current president. Finally, some of the more interesting episodes recounted in the book are Cardoso's encounters with and impressions of various other world leaders. He had a very close relationship with President Clinton (who, incidentally, writes the preface to this book), and while his praise for the ex-American leader is undoubted sincere, it might to some seem a bit excessive. His impression of George W. Bush is evidently less favorable, and Cardoso even recounts one conversation in which our president asked in surprise, "Do you have blacks down there in Brazil, too?"

In sum, pick this book up if you are interested in Brazil, Latin American politics, or political memoirs more generally.

I picked up this book to begin a lesson in the history of Brazil, of which my boyfriend is a citizen. This is by far the best history book I have ever read. Fernando Henrique does a wonderful job of telling the story of his country intertwined with the story of his family, giving the reader a better understanding of his unique perspective of his country. It is informative and entertaining at the same time. Highly recommended.

I really enjoyed this book. Cardoso tells the story of his rise to power in a very humorous manner and fills the gaps with Brazilian political history. Cardoso comes off as a very likable man and treats opponents with a fair hand. Cardoso was obviously the right man at the right time for Brazil. He beat Lula twice and Brazilians can be happy for that. Cardoso introduced the real, redistributed farm lands to poor families, brought free HIV medicine to Brazil, fought against corruption, and privatized the phone company - allowing hundred of thousands of Brazilians to get connected. By the time Lula was finally elected, he had no choice but to accept Cardoso's policies because they work for Brazil. Cardoso brought Brazil into the modern age. I love Brazil and have gained a great deal of respect for Cardoso. Excellent read.

Don't neeed a thousand words to describe this beautiful map. Great, wonderful and thanks to the publishers for all the information contained.

We have been to Cancun three times now and still find this map and guide invaluable. The information it contains allows even a first time visitor to enjoy all that Cancun has to offer. We will be heading back to Cancun in Jan. of 2001 and this will be the first thing we pack. After that we will order an new one as this one is getting quite worn from all the use. The only thing I have found that I would rate higher is the "Cancun User's Guide" and unfortunately that is only available through the author who has lived in Cancun since 1981.

in making a trip to the Yucatan Penninsula. Excellent coverage of Cancun. The Can-do Maps by the McFarlin family are updated annually and available through Amazon or their www.cancunmap.com website. Maps are available of Cancun, Cozumel, Riviera Maya, Playa de Carmen, and soon Isla Mujeres and Chichen Itza.

I buy new maps yearly, because the changes year to year are so drastic. Get one or all before you go!

This map, along with the others they publish, is the one thing you must have before travelling to Cancun. It will make your trip so much more enjoyable, because you will never be lost.

This map proves very helpful to know where you are and how to find where you are going. The price guide lets you know what to expect to spend once you get there. It also has the locations of the bus stops listed. This is a very easy way to travel and knowing where you can get on and off is very handy. The map made us look like we had been there many times when it was only our first trip. I also know what I missed so I can see those things next trip. You will not be disappointed in the map once you get there. It is amazing how much information is packed on this little map.

This book provides an excellent overview of the arc of Diebenkorn's painting style, from abstract to figurative and then to his final amazing abstracts. This is a good starting point for understanding Diebenkorn's art, with large beautiful color prints of his paintings. And, because it's a paperback edition, it's pretty affordable for an oversized, color fine arts book.

Great reference on Diebenkorn with lots of color plates and in-depth text on the process of his work. It was recommended by my professor and I keep it by my easel!

If you love the Bay Are Figurative movement as much as I do, this book is the definitive volume.

Richard Diebenkorn has finally achieved the status of Modern Master, but his success was only secured later in his life and after his death. Although he was at first an Abstract Expressionist artist who painted as convincingly as Still, Rothko, Kline and Motherwell, he was too much identified with the Bay Area, and therefore he did not have the imprimatur of the New York critics. Then, in the 1950s, he was viewed as having betrayed the New York Abstract Expressionists, when he turned to figurative painting with David Park and Elmer Bischoff. Eventually, until his death, he returned to abstraction with his much-acclaimed "Ocean Park" series. And then the critics finally realized what had eluded them for years: That Diebenkorn painted abstract realism, leaning more to one and then the other, all his life.

Jane Livingston does a fine job of portraying the life of Richard Diebenkorn through his stunning paintings, which exemplify fire beneath the calm. Be sure to read the Norland book as well, since his book is still the seminal book on Diebenkorn.

This is a great collection of Diebenkorn's work through the years. Though it's a paperback, the book is big, sturdy, and will last a long time. The color plates are very true to his original works.

A must read. A great selection of non-fiction material. If you know and like Borges you know you'll be pleased, if this is your first time reading Borges I guarantee that it won't be your last, you'll keep buying all his work. Borges wasn't a man, he was a library, a portal to knowledge and wisdom.

Enjoy

To read Borges, you become Borges. You see yourself in his mirrors, you regard the books you read as the books he reads. You appreciate what he appreciates, loving the literature he has absorbed, finding your way through the complex interweaving of his passions: Romantic English Poetry, Shakespeare, H.G. Well, Edgar Allan Poe, Dante, Icelandic Sagas, German Idealism, the Kabbala, Schopenhauer, Bergson, English Empiricism, Sufism, etc... All literary roads lead to Borges.

He lived a long, rich life. He is the Librarian you might meet in heaven. If only he were still alive to guide the reading public. If only he lived today and had a website, to think of all the books he might recommend. And wouldn't it be wonderful, to learn about his opinions on modern writers.

With the Collected Fictions, this book is a testament to the literary critic/philosphical wanderer in us all. Each essay is a delicate delicacy. This book is for you if you're a gourmand of good writing, great thinking and the pleasure of exploring the vast expanding world of literature. This book is rich, complex and wondrous. His writings on Dante and Shakespeare, his reviews, his philosophical essays... just read the book and become Borges becoming you.

Eliot Weinberger has done a real service to the world of literature by selecting, and translating these pieces. They show the range of interest, the incredible ability to make inventive creative cross- connections of one of Modern Literature's true masters, Borges.
Borges covers worlds in his writing, worlds of Literature , worlds of the Argentinean society he and some of his ancestors grew up in, worlds given in a universal encycopediac reading, which seems to cover all continents and all cultures.
Borges greatest work is considered to be his ' Ficciones'. But his signature is present in all , in a single page of a book- review or a philosphical meditation.
For him worlds mingle and combine, and are retranslated in such a way as to reappear as Literature.
He also in this work reveals himself to be a decent and courageous opponent of Fascism.
He confounds and surprises us at times with these strange mixings of things, but the poetic and parable- like element is so strong in this work that it engages us, and forces us to question our own small pictures of reality.
What a great and interesting writer. What a pleasure to have this work to enrich our minds with.

Because Borges lived and worked in Argentina, few have heard of him in the English-speaking world. Those that have are probably most familiar with his fiction stories. This book of non-fiction essays shows the vast knowledge and wide variation of interests of Borges. Therefore, this collection really does have something for everyone. Unfortunately, there are also many essays that are unreadable, some annoying repititions, and some essays are just plain dull.

So, what does Borges write about? He covers some metaphysical ground on the nature of time and infinity. He defines heaven as an infinite library, and then goes into the nature of infinity. On the more mundane end, he reviews movies and gives capsule biographies of authors - King Kong, Citizen Kane, and more obscure (and not necessarily Hollywood) films. He writes on contemporary (at the time) politics - Nazi Germany, the curators of the national library, etc. He gets intensely personal - there is one essay on the progression of his blindness. But if there is a main theme that permeates these pieces, it's his love of literature in all languages - Spanish, English (old and modern), German. He has an abiding love of the Greek classics (Homer, Virgil) and great admiration for Joyce, Poe, and Chesterton.

Unfortunately, those of us with a less classical education cannot keep up to everything that Borges says - I, for one, will never have the time to learn ancient Greek! - which makes certain essays difficult. There are other essays (especially early on) that are simply unintellegible (this may be the fault of the translators, especially since there are times when two or three essays cover the same ground with increasing degrees of murkiness). But it always happened that a real gem would appear just when I was getting frustrated with a series of uninteresting essays.

On the balance, about a third of the essays are not interesting (or badly translated, or repetitions), a third are interesting if not spectacular, and the final third have at least one moment of sheer brilliance. It's well worth buying, but it's unlikely you'll read it from cover to cover without taking a break - I took many breaks to read other things, and it took me over 1.5 years to complete the whole book. But you know what? - on the balance, I like his non-fiction better than his fiction

Borges claims in one of these articles that he was "more proud of the books he has read than the books he has written." I imagine I would feel the same way, had I written any books! And I think this statement captures the unifying theme of this compendium. Herein Borges will astonish and charm you with the breadth, variety, and whimsy of his literary taste.

The book is a compilation of critical essays, social commentary, reviews of the fledgling film art, and other oddities published in various media from throughout Borges's literary life. Each offers you new horizens for literary pursuit and further reading, and all are executed with Borges's renowned concision.

What I like most of all is that Borges is more interested the kinds of books people really enjoy reading, such as Bradbury, HG Wells, Lord Dunsany, and Kipling, rather than the fossilized academic "classics." One of my favorite features are the several recommended reading lists, in which Borges passes on his own most pleasurable reading experiences. There is also a refreshing eclecticism in Borges's taste--for example, this book lead me to Mathematics and the Imagination, a fun popular math book. Another personal highlight is the essay on Edward Fitzgerald.

This volume is not something one would read from cover to cover in several sittings, but rather a treasure trove to be mined from time to time, like the famous cave discovered by Ali Baba in that book so dear to Borges's heart!

I read this book years ago and it still sticks with me. As a reporter in Vietnam, Halberstam was a thorn in the side of the Johnson and Nixon administration. He was watched by Nixon's plumbers and the FBI; Nixon thought he was a subversive. What he is is an exceptionally perceptive historian. In this book he follows the growth of the media industry from newsprint to magazines, radio and television. He told the Edward R. Murrow story before anybody else and his details on Watergate are even more frightening than Woodward and Bernstein's "All the President's Men." Halberstam seems to have that unique capacity to crawl inside the heads of people like Luce who gave us Time magazine. From their perspective, and those of everyday reporters, we see the struggle to balance grasping for the truth and the glory of the headline. We begin to understand how McCarthy could rise to power by using the deadline to sneak in enuedos about people. The author does a masterful job of showing the frustration of reporters and editors and how they finally overcame McCarthy's sinister power. This is an excellent book, not only for journalist but also for those who wish to understand the power of the media in shaping our world.

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This book is big and thick and it is hard to put down. It opens the reader to the media-the reporters-the owners-the news broadcasters and the men and women behind the scenes. He tells in vivid detail how the reporters all over the world as well as covering wars are supported or not by the publications that put them there. And he vividly relates the love-hate relationship of the above people with the various presidents of the USA. I have recommended this book to everyone who will listen to me. I would go on a book tour to get people to read it.!

David Halberstam proves again what a thorough and engaging journalist/historian he was. He presents a detailed account of the rise of the great media families and individuals of the 20th century without being pedantic or tedious. Anyone who wants to understand The L.A. Times, The Washington Post, Time or CBS should start here. The book unfortunately highlights the huge loss that Halberstam's death represents.

Author David Halberstam takes us behind the scenes as he analyzes U.S. media from the 1940-1970's, showing many factors and internal squabbles that influence the medium. The author shows how a mix of professionalism, sloppiness, arrogance, and favorites affects what the media reports, plus how it reports. We see how the media sometimes kowtows to corporate sponsors, and often allows itself to be manipulated. Consider the 2004 campaign, when the media routinely filmed President Bush before cheering crowds, but never his secret service illegally detaining silent dissenters at rallies. Readers also learn about skilled leaders like Edward R. Murrow, capable if imperfect executives like William Paley (CBS) and Katherine Graham (Washington Post), and shysters like Henry Luce (TIME) that avoid truths when they don't fit the agenda.

This book arrived in 1979, before the advent of Internet and most cable news. Still its lessons remain appropriate, even if media often fails to live up to the hopes of the founding fathers and the First Amendment. Halberstam is a talented observer who capably follows George Selby, Theodore H. White, and many others with a critical eye towards the media. I gave the book just four stars because the prose is a bit thick, but this remains an important read.

Read all the other reviews for the media impacting intent which is only a small part of Halverstam's real message in spite of the title of this epoch. Halberstam's media message ranges from imformative to scarry.

But that which will stick with me forever is the way Halberstam delivers the frailty and fate of America to a mere mortal, the President of the United States. Eisenhower fiddles, Kennedy charms, Johnson screams and Nixon frightens. It took Halberstam seven years to research and write this book and after you read it you will wonder how he did it so fast, a monumental effort.

Fortunately the truth is often downright funny. Nixon's twenty eight year old publicity man making a side comment that Nixon looks like he drops down out of his closet every morning in the same rumbled suit and badly in need of a shave.

Halberstam conveys how power was for the taking and that those who had it developed it primarily in accordance with their own agendas, personal or family politics and use it and us in the process.

No matter that this is now just history ending with Watergate. Halberstam's real message is that the circumstances he describes will remain the same in any generation.

The Powers That Be may change the way you think of power and how it affects you.