Oceania Books

This is by far the most interesting and valuable travel guide I've ever come across. It's an incredibly rich source of information for anyone wishing to experience the natural world in Australia.

The book has two basic sections: First, a state-by-state guide to specific places, such as national parks and other outstanding areas to see wildlife. And second, a fairly comprehensive overview of Australia's birds, mammals, and other wild animals. Both sections are packed with useful and fascinating information, augmented with excellent maps and photos.

As a committed nature geek who makes frequent and extended trips to Australia, I can't imagine traveling Down Under without this indispensible book. Thanks so much to the authors for doing a great job, and to Lonely Planet for publishing such a fine book. Very strongly recommended!

This is a great little book. Compact and with great tips of where to see wildlife. Wish I had written it!
Damon Ramsey, BSc. author of "Rainforest of tropical Australia"

This is a great book for someone touring Australia. I would have given five stars had the been more parks listed.

As a wildlife photographer I was very keen to find out where were the easiest places in Australia to see wildlife. This was the only book I have been able to find of this kind. The guide lists the best locations to see wildlife by state, often with very specific details. It also provides a brief description of some of Australia's most popular wildlife and what are the hotspots for viewing that particular species. This guide is not designed to give detailed information on wildlife behavior or physical makeup, it is designed to tell you where you can see wildlife and it does that brilliantly!!

This book is the only one available that describes Australia's national parks from a wildlife-watching point of view - other guides available in Australia concentrate on scenic spots and facilities for holidaymakers.
As such, I found it invaluable in pointing out which parks to visit to see a good cross-section of the continent's unique wildlife, and where to try and spot any particular species.
It describes both parks and selected species of Australian wildlife very attractively, with colour illustrations and inspiring text.

Now for the shortcomings:
The information given often turned out to be wishful thinking, making local park rangers laugh.
Just to give two examples: this book claims common wombats are "abundant" in Giraween National Park of Queensland while rangers there said they were so rare they have only seen one in 10 years; it also claims koalas are "common" in Royal NP near Sydney when in fact they are extinct there. And these are two very popular, frequently visited parks!
In general, the book tends to make seeing much of Australia's unique wildlife sound much easier than it actually is.
My other complaint would be that there is almost no practical information of the sort generally provided by other Lonely Planet guides in this book: no information on public transport [hasn't everyone got a car? ;-)], and none on the costs of accomodation or tours.

Then again, since as I said it is the only guide of its kind to watching wildlife in Australia, anyone interested in the topic is well advised to buy a copy. Just don't put too much trust into its accuracy - something that will hopefully improve in a next edition...

Non-fiction can be so much stranger than the made-up stuff. Remember the cartoons 30 years ago-? Popeye in the gigantic
black pot..natives in full nosebone dancing around with forks and knives?

Mr. Randell's book about Jack Renton, the Scottish sailor rescued by headhunters in the Solomon Islands is a great
read and an interesting start point if you wish to understand the "settling" of the Pacific Islands.

The book reads like fiction and is full of interesting tid bits not the least of which is the fact that boiled or grilled human was known as "long pig" by the headhunters. Yeech.

Only half the book is dedicated to Jack Renton's account. Understandably, there isn't much accurate history to glean from when you write on a little known castaway in late 1800s, and the author manages to fill the first 148 pages from Renton's own writing, the orations from natives, and the author's own observations from visiting the location. The rest of the book focuses on the ills and evils of the arrival of the white race - specifically economic exploitation, missionaries and their destruction of native tradition, and sicknesses that kill the majority of the islanders. All of this is fascinating stuff, but not expected by the title or description!
The order of the book is a little difficult also. The author lays out a preliminary timeline of Renton, then weaves through the timeline with different accounts and helpful anecdotes that occur elsewhere. A little challenging for me, who is used to reading history chronologically.
That said, I would buy and read this book again. There isn't another book on the market that is as complete a narrative on Jack Renton's extraordinary experience. But if there was, I would've rated this book 3 stars!

Absolutely awesome. This the 'Heart of Darkness' inside out. It is the story of a young shipwrecked sailor struggling to survive in a South Sea culture based on headhunting. It is told in the words of the Malaitan 'headhunters' themselves. It is a story filled with heroism, humanity and a good deal of humour.

Nigel Rendell is a very gifted author. He has the confidence to let the indigenous oral stories speak for themselves and also to breathe life into the dry 'western' accounts of the Malaita and the wider South Pacific written by missionaries and traders. These sources and others are skillfully blended to create a seamless narrative that carries the reader along as we follow Renton's journey into another culture and initiation into the rites of headhunting.

But this is not just a story of Renton struggling to understand his captors but a wonderful account of his captors trying to understand him. In their words this is the story of a young ignorant man who struggled to understand their society and in the end became not only one of their own but one of their favourite 'sons'.

But the story is also an account of the Malaitan's struggle to understand Renton's world. Rendell also manages to fix the microcosm of Renton's adventures against the macrocosm of colonialisation. This is perhaps one of the most magic and terrifying parts of the book as Renton tries to prepare his 'adopted' friends, family and tribe for the coming horrors of white civilisation. The entire tragedy of first contact and colonial rule is told in the relationship between Renton and his people. Rendell style of writing makes these characters, their friendships and rivalries come perfectly alive on the page. It is impossible not to care deeply about these people.

Remember not only is this the only authentic account of the 'Heart of Darkness' story but one told by the natives themselves and they do it with more humanity and dignity than any 'civilized' account I have read before. Nigel Rendell lets the reader feel they are sat by the campfire themselves as these stories are recounted and, with him to guide us, we are taken into a world of shanghai-ing, shipwrecks, castaways and headhunters. I cannot recommend this book enough.

OK...I admit it. The main reason I bought this book was that I was "hooked" by the gruesome aspects. After all, who can resist a classic tale of shipwreck, with the added frisson of headhunting and cannibalism? And while Mr. Randell (who, by the way, looks like a combination of Sting and Malcolm McDowell...and poses in the author photo with a skull, not his own, in hand) certainly delivers in the goosebumps department (describing in loving detail how humans, referred to as "long pig" by the cannibals, were wrapped in banana leaves and slow-roasted), he turns out to have bigger fish-to-fry. This is a very thoughtful book, which works on several levels. The "adventure tale" aspect is significant, but Mr. Randell also talks about the religious beliefs of the Solomon Islanders, the clash of cultures, the destruction of the islanders' way of life, etc. The author has spent much time in the Solomon Islands. It is obvious that he has studied, and respects, the native culture. The book can be enjoyed by those with an interest in anthropology, sociology, and psychology...in addition to those who are looking for a "ripping-yarn." While the focus of the book is Jack Renton- the "white headhunter" of the title, who was forced into a situation not of his own making, and did what he had to in order to survive- Mr. Randell also makes sure we see things from the islanders' point of view. Renton is allowed to live not out of any altruistic feeling- it turns out that, previously, another white man named Doorey had been marooned on the same island and his extensive knowledge of carpentry had made him indispensable. The islanders' were also hoping for big things from Renton, and he delivered- with his abilities as a military strategist and warrior. However, what starts out as realpolitik turns into affection, as the tribal chief Kabou develops fatherly feelings for the young Renton (who was still a teenager when he was washed ashore). The author also makes it clear why the islanders were so hostile towards white men: these were people who sometimes kidnapped islanders for use as cheap labor back in Queensland. (Even worse from the perspective of the islanders: the outsiders appeared to be people who constantly wandered the seas in their large and strange ships. What were they doing for food? The islanders assumed, naturally enough, that those who were being kidnapped were being eaten.) These were also men who brought death through disease- the islanders had no immunity to "western germs." And, of course, the white visitors had nothing but contempt for what they didn't understand- the "primitive" lifestyle and religious beliefs. The islanders didn't appreciate the attempts of the Christian missionaries to "improve" them by asking them to jettison everything they held dear. Mr. Randell is especially good at getting you "inside the heads" of the islanders. While I don't recommend the headhunting/cannibal lifestyle, at least I now understand the reasons these practices were engaged in. By possessing an enemy's head and consuming his flesh, you were able to "tap into" both his spiritual and physical powers. As an example of the latter, Mr. Randell points out that if an enemy warrior was fast on his feet, and you ate his legs, you were looking to improve your own running ability. It obviously makes no sense when seen by an outside observer but, as with any religious belief, there is internal logic. On all levels, (unless you are looking for recipes) Mr. Randell has written an excellent book.

The book was usefull and it's a good guide, but the overall quality of the book itself is really bad. And the layout and size of the book also.
It looks as, it's a travellers book, but they don't have the traveller in mind when they have to do the paperback.

The book gave me execellent tips on travelling in Austalia, especally the part of accomodation in Melbourne. The content of public transport was good although some of the fares listed was outdated.

Please bear in mind that the book was not for budget travellers. However, the recommendations of the book were value for money.

Finally, it would be much better if there were more maps.

I used this book to plan our 5 week driving tour of New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. We found wonderful places to stay and eat. The ratings and comments were all accurate. Wonderful trip. If you go - take a copy of the Fodor's guidebook and spend most of your time in the countryside.

While the author Ken Duncan strongly advocates Creationism, this is one of the best picture books on Australia that I have come across! I am bit suprised it is out of print? He does has a great eye for taking pictures!

Ken Duncan is a famous photographer in Australia, with three galleries showing his work exclusively. A deeply religious man, Ken would rather use a picture of some natural wonder to try and prove the existence of God than to argue technical theology. But whether you agree with him or not about the source of his subjects, there is no denying that he has a unique ability to communicate the beauty of nature with his camera. The book will take you on a tour of Australia, a country roughly the same size as the continental US, yet still unknown to most of us. Moving through the varied landscapes and seascapes of each region, Ken captures moments of beauty that will take your breath away. Waves crashing, sun rays tearing through clouds, familiar landmarks seen in with fresh eyes. This book will bring glimpses of Australia to your home just in time for the Olympic Games in Sydney. If you can find this book, buy it--spend some time with it--and share it with your friends. I had it on my coffee table and it was difficult to have a conversation with anyone once they saw the book. Also, if you're ever in Australia, don't miss one of the Ken Duncan Galleries. There's one in Sydney, one in Melbourne, and another near his home near Terrigal. Ken has just released an even better book entitled, "The Great South Land," which is selling like crazy in Australia.

Ken Duncan is a famous photographer in Australia, with three galleries showing his work exclusively. A deeply religious man, Ken would rather use a picture of some natural wonder to try and prove the existence of God than to argue technical theology. But whether you agree with him or not about the source of his subjects, there is no denying that he has a unique ability to communicate the beauty of nature with his camera. If you can find this book, buy it--spend some time with it--and share it with your friends. I had it on my coffee table and it was difficult to have a conversation with anyone once they saw the book. Also, if you're ever in Australia, don't miss one of the Ken Duncan Galleries. There's one in Sydney, one in Melbourne, and another near his home near Terrigal. Ken has just released an even better book entitled, "The Great South Land," which is selling like crazy in Australia.

This is a great book for those that like hiking aka boonie stomping. We currently live in Guam and have done several hikes so far and plan to do many more. Be aware though the grass is over grown and your going to get dirty! We take our small children and they have a blast.

The man is a legend on Guam - he is "The Ultimate Paramount Boonie Stomping Leader of all time".

If you are planning a trip to Guam, get this book! We lived there for three years and the guide is the bible of Boonie Stomping. Five star rating...

For those who like to get out and see their surroundings, this book is ideal. Dave describes how to get to pretty much everything worth seeing on Guam. Be forewarned though, this book isn't for sissies looking for easily accessible locations. Each hike or 'trek' is rated by level of difficulty, with the most difficult be exactly that. Just because the author managed to get there, don't assume you can. The pictures are great and nicely depict each hike. Some instructions are vague, but if you do the hike, you will understand why. Guam is jungle and sometimes there just aren't any good landmarks. Included GPS coordinates are usefull for those who truly prepared. This book is a must for the outdoors type who visit Guam.

I read this book some years back but i thought it was fantastic.A little boy makes friends with a teenage girl who has a terrible secret.

The novel is about a boy named Seymour, who stays with a fussy old guardian who wont let him out, worried his father might take him away. By chance one day he left the house and met a young girl called Angie, who lives in a messy little flat, renting from an old women. Angie keeps Seymour company by taking him to different places around the suburbs, going shopping and catching trams from here to there. With her little 'so called brother' nagging her to do the right things. But what Seymour dosent know is that Angie is taking drugs.

Came Back To Show You I Could Fly is about an eleven year old boy named Seymour who meets Angie an older avdenturous drug addict, but Seymour does not know this. She is in a great deal of debt to drug dealers and have been dissowned by her family. Seymour too, is having family problems. This is a great book for readers 12 years and onwards.

The title of this book is dishonest. There is little pretence to this being a comprehensive history of Australia. Instead, its focus is almost exclusively on the British colonists' policies and attitudes towards the indigenous inhabitants, and towards migrants of non-British background. On its own terms, it is very well written. The writing style is by far the most engaging that I've ever encountered in an historical text - and this very fact betrays what is really going on here: David Day has written a polemical argument, rather than a history.
*
The tone of the narrator borders on the humorous - it is angry, in a sneering and critical way, so much so that it reminded me of the work of the Austrian (not Australian) novelist, Thomas Bernhard. Like Bernhard, Day does not shy away from repetition. His argument is one of insistence. Facts are shaped to fit his purposes, and then deployed effectively. For those figures whose actions he dislikes, he feels entitled to make ad hominem attacks; thus Prime Minister Menzies is described as 'rotund' and 'stout', his bodily habitus being fair game for Day; relatedly, Day feels comfortable offering cursory psychological analyses of political figures - thus Menzies' and PM John Howards' attitudes are 'explained' by their childhood circumstances in country Victoria and suburban Sydney respectively - this is more the stuff of politcal satire than of history.
*
It is also not accurate to dub this a thoroughgoing revisionist history. Its scope is just too limited. For instance, there is a glaring neglect of women's roles - Day has perpetuated this neglect, rather than questioning it. He mentions various racial groups, but does nothing to tell their history - they are only important in their being the target of racist British colonial attitudes.
*
There is a frustrating lack of clarity in the presentation of basic chronology. Even on facts central to Day's argument, such as the size of the Australian population, both migrant and indigenous, he refrains from providing tables or summaries. Extracting the factual basis upon which to build an argument, be this his or one's own, is very difficult.
*
His biased perspective at times leaves him looking a little silly in the face of events. Thus, for several hundred pages he carps against the Colonialists' fears of the "Asian hordes", virtually laughing at them rather than seriously analysing the source of their fears - when the Japanese do begin their expansion in WWII, Day is embarassed; he is left to pull up his trousers with claims such as that Japan never intended to invade Australia, this claim being justified in cursory fashion. Worse still, changes in Australian attitudes and policies are left without an explanation. Day admits, and tacitly praises, the change in policy regarding the origins of migrants after WWII; but he is unable to enter a discussion as to why this change occurred. Having branded Australians as predominantly racist, Day simply recounts this change as an uncharacteristic, if welcome, deviation from the norm - it is left to PM John Howard to re-establish Day's argument. As a history, this is very weak - rather than exploring causes for events, Day gives up, implicitly saying, "Well, this just happened". For me, this is one of the most disappointing aspects of this text - the condemnation of racism, and the acknowledgemnt of atrocities, is stirring and vital, but Day gives little clue as to the forces which mollified such detestable inclinations.
*
Similarly, in regard the issue of how ownership/proprietorship is established over a territory is conceptually barren. Day circles around this issue, establishing its prominence in Australian history, problematizes it, but then fails to offer any conceptual machinery with which to clarify matters. He does not draw analogies with other countries. He does not invoke legal distinctions, nor their conceptual basis. In the end, he merely states the problem. The discussion remains at the level of - the indigenous people say that they were here first, and that they were using the land; the British colonialists say that for land to be claimed it need be worked and permanently settled - Colonial courts have upheld this argument up until the last few decades, when the Mabo and Wik judgements have called it into question. Of course, this is fine as far as it goes, but it does not go very far considering how central this issue is to the structure of Day's entire book.
*
I would certainly not recommend this book as an history, revisionist or otherwise. As an historian Day is not very insightful. However, I would encourage this work to be read as a polemic. Day adopts a position contrary to that implicit is some older historical texts, and he writes with verve and a cynical edge. The manipulative tone is a worthy counter to that spouted by current Australian politicians.

[This review is based on the original 1996 edition.] This is an excellent overview of Australian history. It covers the entire period from settlement to the modern day (which day depending on the edition you have). Day presents Australian culture as a colonial one, dispossessing a native population, dependent militarily and morally on a mother country, and believing its claim to proprietorship of the land, to use his term, is under constant scrutiny by other contenders. There is also information about the physical development of Australia. Personally though I found that to be a bit lacking. It could have done with a few more facts and dates about when different areas were settled and more about the specific political and social conditions.

Dispossession of the original inhabitants and owners of Australia is the first of Day's two main themes. As he shows later, this has largely been ignored until the last few decades, and is still a topic of hot political debate. Day presents the fact of dispossession and the killing of Aborigines through the records and statements of the people of the time. They knew what was happening, did not consider it something to be disguised or concealed, and used various justifications for it, depending on time period and the conscience of the individual. Day presents all the justifications as attempts to render the Aborigines inhuman, or at least lesser humans, and therefore expendable. He himself utterly rejects that and consistently refers to the killings as murder or massacre. He presents the colonists as having a deliberate though not systematic policy of massacre, occurring when new lands were to be used. Also, it may be worth noting that he contrasts this with the events in the other white Dominions of Britain and in America. In Australia, there were no official attempts to negotiate with the Aborigines. There was no attempt to portray it as other than a takeover, except through the denial of Aborigines being humans to begin with.

The second theme is the fear of dispossession, and not feeling at home in this country. He goes through the various stages of White Australia, from the obsession with "bleaching" Australia through deportation of non-whites and restricting immigration to the British Isles, to the gradual government recognition of the policy's abandonment by the people of Australia. He also goes through the various stages of industrial development of Australia, and shows through quotes how this was related to possession of this country. All throughout, the fear of dispossession is shown through quotes that talk about quite explicitly, and for an amazingly long period of time. The feeling of being far from the mother country is one that he has to show indirectly. Most of it is shown through the statistics of travel and immigration policies. However, as he shows, it was made quite explicit in World War II, which also began the shift of colonial allegiance from Britain to America.

Finally, this book is well written and enjoyable just to read. The author generally strives for balance, except on whether Aborigines are human, and that killing them was, and is, murder. In fact, there are a few times when Day is so dispassionate and detached it is a little creepy. So, this book achieves what it set out to do: present a broad overview of the history of Australia, with a focus on two areas of crucial importance to understanding Australians, our society and why our governments make the types of decision they do. I highly recommend it.

This book mostly looks at the racial aspects of the colonization and founding of Australia. Most chapter headings indicate the views of the colonists as being very anti Aboriginal. Although the account is biased and highly subjective it lends itself to a very interesting read, one that any scholar of Australia or the far east and especially anyone interested in Indian-white relations will enjoy. The book details the original encounters with the natives as well as contemporary native issues, such as the 1988 bicentennial of the founding in which a massive wave of Aboriginal protest swept the nation to draw attention to the plight. Of course parallels with American Indians are everywhere. A very interesting book, although `Fatal Shore' is probably a superior and less anti-European account.

Seth J. Frantzman

Well written readable history of the Chamorro people, the settlement, cultures and development of Guam. I do not know how to improve on this book.

Bob Rogers offers an insightful and gripping view into the history of the island where America's day begins. Rogers' thorough research shows as he takes the reader from the landing of Magellan, right up through the modern day issues and struggles of this tiny, yet action packed island. Roger's fluid style coupled with his amusing stories of such things as "the big, ugly dinnerboat" that sits in Tumon bay, make for a thoroughly enjoyable read. If you are looking for one book that will give you all you need to know about the history of Guam, look no further.

Destiny's Landfall is a book which I would love to like. A supposedly thorough, comprehensive history of my island of Guam, it seemed too good to be true when I purchased it as an undergraduate. It eventually was too good to be true.

I cannot fault Rogers in terms of his completeness or accuracy, he has taken nearly every text imaginable pretaining to Guam and somehow woven them all together into a narrative of some sort, which is occasionally exciting but ultimately demeaning, archaic and mediocre.

Rogers cannot sustain his own biases for more than a chapter in his text. Beginning with the always questionable "parable of the tribes," which is one of those wonderful little bed time stories that haole people tell themselves in practical and academic forms to soothe their aching consciences and souls. I found myself reiterating time and time again, where is the agency, where is the spirit? Where is the soul of the Chamorro people in this? "Where are they themselves?" I asked myself at times.

It was Victorian Anthropological deja'vu for me, reading a text written today through a mindset of a century ago. The title in itself alludes to the mettle of the text, "destiny's landfall." Sounds something white western and exciting. Of course this all comes at the espense of the indengous inhabitants as this history of Guam celebrates the actions, accomplishments of those luckly losers who made landfall on Guam and gives little attention to those unfortunate people, already on Guam, that they fell upon. The Chamorro people, save for the contemporary sections of the text are painted as little more than mannequins which are placed and posed at the whims of primary texts from European/Western explorers, priests government officials and other washouts. No attempt is made to mitigate the racist writings of the past centuries, the history of Guam is reported as it has always been, of a victimized people, with no power over anything (as destiny the Spanish, Japanese or Americans control them), who somehow have survived, but lost everything in the process.

A point could be made that this is because of the lack of any voice of defense for the Chamorros in the source documents since they were all written by outsiders, however this intimates to less of a hope for objectivity and search for truth by the author, but more for a racist laziness, which would report everything from old Spanish documents, near verbatim, except for where Magellan landed.

I rate this text with a three despite my loathing for it, because the comprehensive nature of it cannot be denied. The rating would be much higher if Rogers had attempted to create a balanced history, implying a new and different voice, one which centered around those that have lived on Guam for thousands of years, rather than its Europeans explorers, tyrannical tourists and lazy lay-overs, rather than retiterating the voice of every Spanish and American Govenror of Guam since time immemorial. But since it did not, the rating is only average, for in spirit it is an average text, anyone could of put this together.

Richard Thornton's book is an important study for understanding the diplomatic machinations of the Cold War era in general and the Reagan-Thatcher partnership within it in particular. Hitherto, the British-Argentine conflict has been treated either as a sideshow in the history of international relations or as a symbolic reassertion of British power in what seemed to be its imperial sunset. Thornton's approach is entirely new and original, setting the conflict sqaurely where it belongs in the chronology of Cold War history. With substantial support the author argues that the conflict was a sting designed to divest Argentina of its military government and nuclear weapons program (a little-known fact, the details of which are only recently being elaborating) while strenghthening America's strategic relationship with Thatcher's Britain. Thornton gives great care to relate the nature of the divisions existing within the various (American, British, Argentine) leaderships and how they influenced the outcome of the war. Particularly relevant to Cold War students is his treatment of the machinations behind Thatcher's ability to make a necessary war and Reagan's ability to support her. Thornton exposes the attempts of Alexander Haig and the "wet" foreign ministers Lord Carrington and Francis Pym to sideline the military solution, secure Thatcher's political defeat, and implement a renewed detente relationship with the Soviet Union. The Reagan-Thatcher defeat of the detente cabal is of crucial importance to understanding the origins of the war and the place of its outcome in Reagan's strategy of renewed containment. Barring a few factual errors of the minor sort, Thornton's analysis is a true example of what American scholarship of the Cold War should be. It is a proud refutation of the left-wing view that international relations are simplistic or irrelevant and that the broad social trend is what should concern historians most.

This book is GREAT!!!

It shows how three National Governments define their foreign policies working from/amongst/within their internal disputes. The 3 nations involved are Argentina, Great Britain and the United States. The issue at stake is the Argentine claim, and 2nd April 1982 take-over, of the Malvinas (for Great Britain: Falkland) Islands. I guess it could be just anything else...

So it goes:
1) In the US: Haig vs Weinberger
2) In the UK: Nott vs Thatcher
3) In Argentina: Galtieri vs Viola

The books even reveals how Argentina lost the islands because of the steps taken by General Viola (de facto president ousted by General Galtieri) to make sure that the take-over was anticipated, which in turn gave the UK the time-window they needed (badly) to perform the re-taking.

This is a fascinating work of detailed scholarship. Thornton has put together a compelling retelling of the War, and by giving us hitherto undisclosed details as to the political infighting within Argentina, the United Kingdom and the United States he has managed to give meaning to so many unanswered questions which other writers simply dismiss as being 'illogical' or 'unexplicable' behaviour. Piecing together a wide web of inter-related intrigue, Thornton has put the entire conflict into a whole new light. Highly recommended.

Let me begin with a quibble. The book is filled acronyms. Ms. Juhn makes an attempt to identify these with a beginning listing but may acronyms are omitted. The same problem is repeated with the names of the persons involved. These problems result perhaps because the author is too familiar with her subject matter. It makes for opaque reading at times.

The book would also benefit from additional critical analysis or more exposition of the forces at work on people at an individual level. But, this information may not have been abundantly available.

My biggest problem is with the author's cavalier minimization of the social forces at work and the implications of not addressing these in the final peace accords. For example the author says "There are no villains and no heroes in this story. History is the procession of people fighting to preserve a way of life or to change it. This is no less true in El Salvador than it was in the United States during its own civil war."

I suppose the author would not be an admirer of Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address. There is a powerful vector in human history that is propelled by people's being marginalized and humiliated. Individually a person may be made to feel worthless or deficient. When many people experience this emotion together, as a result of the same causes, powerful social forces may be set in motion.

Too what extent is the current gang violence in El Salvador the result of the failure of the peace process to hold accountable those responsible for the death squads? What will be the long term consequences of the continued concentration of wealth in a few hands?

I appreciate the author's efforts but must express my reservations.

The peace process in El Salvador was very difficult to understand for outsiders, even Salvadorans like me. This book succeeds in claryfing not only the actual events, but also the underlying motives and incentives for each of the parties involved.

The book begins with a good historical analysis, which puts into perspective all the decisions taken during the actual peace negotiations. Once the historical motivation is clear, the actual strategies for the negotiation begin to make perfect sense.

All in all, this book really shines at explaining the underlying interests of the parties and the tactics they resorted to in achieving a truly remarkable agreement.

This book is an excellent study of the behind-the-scenes policy making during the Salvadoran peace process. The author obviously had access to many of the persons involved in the process. It is also lacks the left-wing bias found in much of the U.S. literature on El Salvador. I recommend this book for anyone interested in the Salvadoran Civil War as well as for those who study the topic of negotiated settlements to civil conflicts.