Mexico Books

In this superb anthology of six of his short story collections, Moacyr Scliar presents readers with a panoply of themes, such as persecution, exploitation, and how ideologies mold our lives. Many of these themes reflect the times during which Scliar wrote -- a time when literary and other forms of cultural expresson were being surpressed under Brazil's military regime. In the first collection of stories, "The Carnival of Animals," Scliar uses allegory to explore the theme of persecution and exploitation, amongst other things.In his story, "The Cow," Scliar writes of a sailor who, shipwrecked with only a cow for company, comes to rely on that cow for his very survival. Like the loving, maternal tree in the classic, "The Giving Tree," the cow, named Carola, provides the sailor with food, clothing, fuel -- everything.The sailor readily exploits the cow --and ultimately destroys her to save his own life. But though he survives and prospers, the sailor lives a sad, empty life. Thus we are given a brief, anecdotal allegory of how exploitation dooms both the victim and the exploiter. Scliar, a Jew, also writes of Jewish themes, some of which are included in this collection. For example, The Ballad of the False Messiah is an allegory about the Jewish quest for redemption vis a vis a messiah -- and the ultimate futility of that quest. Casting the notorious, historical "false messiah," Shabtai Zvi, as one of his main characters,Scliar uses humor and irony to develop the theme that candidates for the Jewish messiah may come and go, but the Jewish people, with a messiah or without, will prevail. In "The Plagues" readers have an opportunity to see how "the other side fared" during biblical times when God smote the Egyptians with 10 plagues. Here we read of the tribulations of an average, Egyptian family that is arbitrarily being punished for the stubborness of the Pharaoh not to "let the Hebrews go." Again we have allegory, irony, and a true literary gem. Scliar uses biblical parables and elements of that particularly Latin American genre, magical realism, to entertain,enthrall, and enlighten. A wonderful anthology.

This book collects The Carnival of Animals, The Ballad of the False Messiah and The Enigmatic Eye which all are out of print in their English editions with The Tremulous Dwarf, the Dwarf in the Television Set and Van Gogh's Ear which have not to my knowledge been previously available in English. The fact that I would award Moacyr Scliar a Nobel Prize for literature in itself explains why 400 pages of his short stories is just right.

Scliar is a versatile author - Jewish and Brazilean - with a breadth of knowledge of history, medicine, psychology, anthropology and Hebrew scripture that both root his stories in the concrete and give them a universal understanding. He is comfortable in allegory, fantasy, magical realism.

All the traits of his better known novels - The Strange Nation of Rafael Mendes and Centaur in the Garden - are here in minature.

Given my interests, I particularly enjoyed the retelling of the ten plagues of Egypt from the perspective not of the Hebrews but of the Egyptians. However, were I to list all my favorites and explain why I'd exceed the Amazon word limit!

If you aren't up to this thick volume, read Centaur in the Garden ... then you'll want 400 pages more of his masterful writing.

While images of Roosevelt, Dewey and Maine are the most recognized images of the Spanish American War, Geoffrey Hunt provides some very interesting insight into lesser known actions of the war and the subsequent problems of dealing with an insurrection. Further, I found it interesting to see how much the members of the Colorado Volunteers were responsible for sowing the seeds of what would become the largest organization for Veterans, the VFW.

This is an exhaustively researched investigation into the the First Colorado Regiment. These troops enlisted in the army in the aftermath of the descruction of the battleship Main in 1998. They had just finished training and were assembled with other units in San Francisco when Admiral Dewey destroyed the Spanish fleet at Manila in May 1981. Having a shortage of infantry, these units were rushed to the Philippines rather than to Cuba.

At the end of the eighteen hundreds the Americans were beginning to think of building an empire like those of the European powers. The First Colorado was put to fighting in the Philippines to take over the Spanish colony. They then found themselves as conquerors of the Philipine people and were fighting to subject them to American rule.

The Spanish American war occurred at a time when the world was in a period of dramatic change. The American Army was still following the mentality of the Civil War, while the technology of quick firing artillery and machine guns were rapidly changing the battlefield. This new book covers a little reported, little understood part of American history.

COLORS bring optimism into our lives. In this book the first drawings introduce BLANCO with white skeletons & masks, etc., that are used to decorate for a favorite celebration, the Day of the Dead. Those pictures should keep the kids turning the pages!

Then they'll see & read about verde, azul, cafe, amarillo, negro,ojo, oro, purpura. My winner is NARANJA - - ORANGE, even though it's the hardest for me to pronounce. It is illustrated with a boy surrounded by Monarch butterflies. They migrate to the Sierra Madre in the millions. THINK ABOUT IT ! MILLIONS spend their winters there & then return to the North.

Enjoy Janice Lee Porter's COLORS - - her interpretations of this important segment of our sense of SIGHT, and our lives. Look up titles of other books she illustrated & pusue them. She is not stuck in one style by any means & that makes reading & owning any books much more enjoyable. "SERIES" books are not necessarily all 'Blue Ribbons' but everyone can learn to choose what is better & learn what it is that makes books that way!

Reviewer mcHAIKU recommends "THE COLORS OF MEXICO" by Lynn A. Olawsky as a good beginner's introduction to a country our children should continue to study. And we can help geographically deficient kids by setting an example of staying on the path to being as *bright* as Mexico's colors.

My students enjoyed this culturally informative book, but all my Spanish speaking students said in one voice, "MORADO" when I read the entry for P?rpura aloud. Other than this we enjoyed this book.

Compiled and edited by Nasario Garcia (Professor of Languages, New Mexico Highlands University), Comadres: Hispanic Women Of The Rio Puerco Valley is a unique and ground breaking survey of Hispanic-American women and their manifold contributions to the evolving culture of New Mexico, especially during the first ten years of statehood. Ranch life, the evolution of Spanish dialects, the struggles to birth and raise children, and so much more are accessibly covered in this unique anthology of vignettes, anecdotes, and revealing glimpses into New Mexican daily life. Black-and-white photographs enhance this outstanding collection of brief yet personable tales, each of which is rendered in both Spanish and English. Comadres is a very strongly recommended addition to Women's Studies, American History, and Southwest Regional Studies academic reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

Compiled and edited by Nasario Garcia (Professor of Languages, New Mexico Highlands University), Comadres: Hispanic Women Of The Rio Puerco Valley is a unique and ground breaking survey of Hispanic-American women and their manifold contributions to the evolving culture of New Mexico, especially during the first ten years of statehood. Ranch life, the evolution of Spanish dialects, the struggles to birth and raise children, and so much more are accessibly covered in this unique anthology of vignettes, anecdotes, and revealing glimpses into New Mexican daily life. Black-and-white photographs enhance this outstanding collection of brief yet personable tales, each of which is rendered in both Spanish and English. Comadres is a very strongly recommended addition to Women's Studies, American History, and Southwest Regional Studies academic reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

Comida Sabrosa: Home-Style Southwestern Cooking is a spiral bound compendium of outstanding recipes celebrating New Mexico's culinary heritage and traditions. From New Mexican Hot Chocolate; Nana's Green Chile Sauce; Southwestern Tamale Pie; and Beefed-Up Chile Casserole; to Taco Frijoles para los Ninos; Zesty Appetizer Meatballs; Dorito Casserole; and Arroz Dulce (Sweet Rice Pudding), Comida Sabrosa will prove a family favorite of easy to prepare, mouth-watering, appetite satisfying delights. A glossary is included, as are very useful instructions for microwave adaptations.

WIth no previous experience cooking Mexican food, I've become an expert flour tortilla maker - not to mention that my family devoures the cheese enchiladas. Thanks!

Hey amazon! There's a new edition of this book (actually there have been 2.....) The newest comes out in February, with completely updated info and pictures. You should order it!

My husband and I were traveling by motorhome through the Southwest this winter. I bought this guide and it made our trip to New Mexico so much more meaningful. It provides exactly the kind of cultural and historical context I like to have in a very user friendly format. I have used other guides including Insight, Smithsonian, Mobil, etc. If the others in the series are as well done, this will be my guide of choice. It also has beautiful photos and helpful maps.

I received the book much sooner than I had expected, and was very pleased with the book and the shipping time.

Daniel Tyler was a dedicated member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He participated in many of the "critical" events of that Church from it's beginnings. His first person account of the march of the Mormon Battalion is a day by day account of the "longest recorded march in military history." A lengthy introductory by John Taylor, president of the Church, a poem by Eliza R. Snow and a recount of the First General Festival of the Battalion with speeches by Brigham Young and others, makes this a very readable and valuable addition to any history library. Scholars will find numerous mistakes in roosters and some facts. But this is to be expected from someone who didn't have access to anything but diaries and other somewhat less reliable resources. It is a biased account. He was as I have said; a dedicated member of the Church. He most definitely give his views on various people and events. But that is what makes this such a good read. It's not a watered down politically correct account. It was writted by someone who was there. I recommend it without reservation.

Collaboratively compiled and edited by Timothy A. Wise, Hilda Salazar and Laura Carlsen, Confronting Globalization: Economic Integration And Popular Resistance In Mexico presents informed and informative essays from a variety of expert contributors pondering diverse labor, agricultural, and environmental issues within the context of contemporary globalization. Looking at the social and environmental costs that globalization extracts upon Mexico's land and people; exploring grassroots searches for alternate paths; and ranging from sweatshop workers' struggles for basic labor rights to the efforts of corn farmers to keep the influx imported grain from forcing them off their land, Confronting Globalization is very highly recommended reading for students of international economics, social activists, and governmental trade policy makers.

A Review:
Confronting Globalization:
Economic integration and popular resistance in Mexico
Wise, Timothy A., Salazar, Hilda, Carlsen, Laura eds., 248 pages (paper),
Kumarian Press, Bloomfield, CT 2003
....)

Globalization and trade policies such as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) have had disastrous effects on Mexican communities Confronting Globalization is about what some of these communities are doing at the grass-roots political level to defend themselves. The setting is contemporary Mexico. This book provokes discussion of the lessons of the social and environmental costs of the NAFTA. The editors have gathered the real stories of real communities and the community members organized to address conflicts. The book ends with thoughtful guidance for us to ponder as corporations and governments sally along with new hemispheric-wide economic agreements. This kind of guidance is very rare these days as most of us hunt for workable paradigms to guide social justice actions in the future.

The basic premise of the book is that increased trade and investment result from reduced barriers, but these should not be an end in themselves. National governments should go further than global economic integration and judiciously use the fruits of free trade as a means toward an end of improving their own society, environment, and economies. This book not only shows how communities and local democracy have been weakened by globalization, but lessons are examined and recommendations are offered as important considerations for future agreements. The promise that globalization can strengthen us all has proved hollow, and here we see how and why it has failed - and we can see what must be different in our immediate tomorrows.

The editors use nine case studies of actual communities that have been impacted by neo-liberal trade policies. The setting of this book is stories of how these communities are defending themselves from the onslaught of corporate power and stories of how laws have weakened the national ability to protect the people of a country. Locally-based alternative policies can be viable alternatives but they must be protected and nurtured by national and international agreements.

With a focus on environmental, labor, and agricultural issues the book documents how the past ten years of free trade have resulted in an exclusive focus on corporate profits. This book shows how, with detailed citations, these agreements result in a weakening of democratic government, deterioration of the environment, and declining labor conditions. For example, the authors document how rural Mexico, heavily dependent on small-scale agriculture, is in crisis. Grain imports from the United States and reduced supports to small farmers have resulted in four-fifths of the rural Mexican population living in poverty, and half of those people live in extreme poverty. Small farmers just can't compete on such unequal terms. Is this free trade? Who benefits? Who loses?

These authors do an excellent job of supporting their thesis with facts that are annotated. For example, the editors of Confronting Globalization document how Mexican per capita growth was 3.4% from 1960 to 1980. Since 1985 Mexican per capita real growth has been just 1%. Job creation in Mexico does not nearly keep up with the increase of the population. New workers are entering the economy faster than jobs are being created. Manufacturing has seen a net loss of jobs since NAFTA took effect. NAFTA critics predicted American jobs would migrate to Mexico. Some did. But the jobs created in Mexico are not good jobs - manufacturing wages are down 12% under NAFTA, and about 60% of the Mexican workers do not receive any of the benefits legally mandated by their government.

How can this increasing impoverishment of our neighbor be good for the United States? Who gains from international trade agreements and who are the real losers? Read this book and you will come away with a solid grounding in the basic lessons of free trade. Talk of globalization usually means talk of economic conditions, but costs to the environment, agriculture, and worker well-being are ignored. States must include these sectors when considering future agreements such as the Free Trade Area of the Americas.

The student of global trade agreements will be familiar with challenges of national pressures as the regions struggle to integrate. There are many articles and books about trade agreements of the 20th and 21st Centuries but documentation of how these changes have impacted contemporary Mexican civil society, and in turn our society, are not common. Confronting Globalization is important because these stories detail how communities have responded at the grassroots level with a wide diversity of social responses. It should be required reading for the university-level scholar, the politicians who create trade policy, and social activists who seek to ameliorate the harm caused by globalization. The clearly delineated recommendations are essential considerations for future action.

2003-08-15
...

This collection of novels is a beautiful and intellgently written volume, one that is an interesting read. If one wants comparisons, it could be compared to Garcia Marquez's style--very dense, very descriptive, very mysterious. There are copies of it available used... Buy it!

Fuentes revels in language and creating imagery that astounds, intrigues and leaves the reader in a land of limbo that is both magical and real. In this seemingly different collection of short stories or novellas the masterful literary pupeteer Fuentes draws the reader into his web of stories that covers centuries of history over various continents. Whether the stories take place in Spain, the United States or Eastern Europe the end result is a timeless portrait with universal themes with evocative resonance. The five stories in this collection have recurrent themes as in the clever classic novel by Fuentes entitled "Christoper Unborn," which is also highly recomended. Of particualar interest in the collection of novellas is "La Desdichada" where two students steal a manequin and fall in love. The storyline borders on the absurd but in reality it is a poets vechicle of expression for love. After all a woman of wood will be faithful to a man but will a man of flesh and blood prove he is worthy of fidelity ? All of the stories are excellent but of particular note was one I found very interesting entitled "Viva Mi Fama." This is a story that leaps from the present to the past by way of a Goya painting of a matador of fame by the name of Pepe Romero. The journey through Andalusia finds the reader tranported to Goya's Spain traversing the countryside from Bordeaux to Madrid and all lands in between. IMO there is no better story teller in Latin America and surely none as prolific as Carlos Fuentes. This is a beautiful collection of stories that are especially good for the person who is new to the visual , visceral and sometimes erotic literature of Fuentes. Great stuff for new and old readers of the magical world of Carlos Fuentes, one of the preeminent man of letters in Latin America.

This is a wonderful purchase for anyone interested in the African influence in Latin America.

Gleaton's work is gorgeous. These photos are treasures for anyone who calls the Americas home. What's he working on now? Can't wait for the next Gleaton collection!