Mexico Books

Blind Switch is worth the read! A lively book with full blown interesting, and some despicable characters, this book kept me going. McEvoy makes the world of horse breeding and racing a seductive one and one I would like to visit again. He blends the good guys with the bad guys as the story weaves from Chicago to Kentucky and en route we watch the main character grow and ultimately flourish.
A fast and refreshing story!

Blind Switch is a great ride - lots of unusual and goofy characters - some are people you'd like to know, including Jack Doyle, the main character. He starts out in a "blind switch", essentially boxed in by life, though in part by his own doing. He evolves and revolves through the world of thoroughbred horse racing. You will too. Great suspense, life lessons, and peripheral romance. You'll hate the bad guys and enjoy the good guys, with lots of laughs. The Chicago references are fun for us Chicagoans. Ever wonder why horse racing is actually a clean sport? Because the FBI, the mob, and the industry itself need and want it to be. It's a great read! I didn't want it to end. I'm waiting for McEvoy's next move.

When Jack Doyle is downsized from his corporate Chicago job, a friend tells him he can make an easy $25,000 on a horse race. He accepts the job and the fix is totally successful but the FBI has an idea what he did even though they have no evidence to convict. The agents "convince" him to gather evidence that rich and powerful Harvey Rexroth is having his horses killed for the insurance money. One of Rexroth's employees, manager Aldous Bolger reports his suspicions to the FBI

Bolger agrees to help Jack get hired by Rexroth and Doyle but finds he likes and respects the man who loves the horses as if they were his own. The FBI believes the leader of the horse killing ring is former jockey Ronald Montvedt, a stone cold killer who will do anything for money. When Bolger catches him trying to kill a stallion, the ex-jockey maims Bolger. Doyle is now determined to take Montvedt and Rexroth down, no matter what methods he has to use.

Fans of books of the late Dick Francis will thoroughly enjoy BLIND SWITCH, a novel about horses and people who care for them. The protagonist undergoes a metamorphosis as he stays in contact with the beautiful animals and goes from being a shady character to a person who wants to see justice done. John McEvoy has a unique voice that will win him a place with many fans and BLIND SWITCH deserves to win an award for best new talent.

Harriet Klausner

I love books that deal with horses. I especially look forward to those which deal with horse racing. Add to that setting a hero with some serious defects in his character, an interesting scenario which puts him on the side of the angels, several villians whom you will love to hate, some people you will genuinely care about and a generous sprinkling of serious nut cases and you have a very readable, thoroughly enjoyable first novel by John McEvoy. I have read most of the writings of the late, great Dick Francis and in my judgment, references to his writings in comparison to this story is comparing apples to oranges. Both authors have an interesting way of telling their story, but there is little comparison to how they go about it. This is a story that will hold your interest, tickle your funny bone and satisfy your sense of justice. That's a trifecta worth betting on!!

This book is a must for Yankee Historian

An excellent account of the Southern attempt to sieze and hold the western territories. I enjoyed the book and found it easy to read. It covered the southern viewpoint and history of the attempt to secure Arizonia and New Mexico for the Confederacy. The book has good maps that allow the reader to understand the movement across the wide expanse of the Southwest. Personal accounts give a good view of the individaul Texan's view of the campaign and battles. A forgotten theater which was overshadowed by the fighting elsewhere. Dr. Frazier does a good job of showing the strengths and weaknesses of the Confederate Army of New Mexico. The book added to my understanding of this campaign and I recommend to to anyone interested in this campaign.

Fantastic book about the southern struggle to build an empire!All northern history teachers should read this book.I am a U.S.History teacher who wrote a story about my greatgrandfather who was in prison in Texas during the Civil War and DFrazier contacted me for info,thus I have now read his book and it is superb!

I found this book to be an exciting and revealing look into the western campaign of the Civial War. Dr. Frazier is an incredible story teller as well as a thorough researcher. A must read for anyone interested in the role of the western Confederacy.

This anthology rules the roost when it comes to good writing from the west. There's a freedom of expression and a willingness to push the envelop here that I have not found with other reviews on the university level. Kudos.

Bukowski's ghost is probably putting in overtime reading selections from Blue Mesa.

What I enjoyed about this particular issue was the willingness of the writers to explore the boundaries between countries and how that influences not only our relationships but the way we tend to look at the world. When a narrator writes about cities separating him from his friend, he is writing about more than geographical distance. Kudos to the editors of Blue Mesa!

BLUE MESA REVIEW #6 doesn't pull any punches. It begins with a great dramatic monologue dedicated to the memory of Cesar Chavez. This is a special issue because it is a tribute to Rudolfo Anaya, the man responsible for the existence of the magazine. He has helped assemble a marvelous collection of poetry and prose from writers more interested in The Other than the Self. These selfless writers challenge the status quo with emotional fireworks. I would say this issue is probably the finest collection of voices to come out of the west in quite a while.

"The Bridge in the Jungle" is one of those strange books you don't know how to respond to at first. On one hand it's absolutely tragic and, on the other, it's filled with some of the funniest passages imaginable. More or less condensed into a twenty-four hour period, Traven describes how an Indian community bands together, sometimes with folly but often with strength, when a young boy disappears into the bush.

Throughout the story Traven gives an intimate account of peasant life in southern Mexico, nevering missing a detail of how the campesinos live, think and act. In fact the narrative is filled with so many astute observations that you feel, at times, Traven works better as an anthropologist than as a novelist.

But, unfortunately, some of these observations sound a little sentimental. It's the only work by Traven that seems to run in circles, at times even becoming boring. He praises the spiritualism of Indians one too many times and focusses on their diet rather than moving on with the plot.

He does, however, redeem himself with the character of Sleigh, an expat who's made the jungle his home. He's like a good-natured version of Kurtz -- wise, crazy, but harmless.

On top of all this, Traven makes his usual attacks against the oil industry and organized religion.

If you enjoyed any of his "jungle books," then gives this one a read.

I confess that I am a major afficionado of B. Traven. My politics have mellowed over the years but I enjoy Traven's political perspective. I believe B. Traven was an ararchist at heart. He attacked big government and big business as evil but saw the uncorrupted individual as nobel and good. In the rural Mexican Indian community he found, for himself, the most ideal form of government he had ever encountered. His Jungle Books were a tale of conflict between good and evil; peasant and capitalism. His book, The Bridge in the Jungle, is his ode to the Indian peasant community. He brings us into their midst throught his vagabond American who stumbles upon a small village at the time a tragedy is unfolding. A young boy has drowned and we witness their suffering and their coming together. We see the corruption of their society by misunderstood influences from the outside world. The example I remember best is the musician who, when asked to play something during the funeral march, comes up with "Yes We have no Bananas". Neither the musician nor anyone else except our American narrator comprehends the total inappropriateness of the song. All in all, a beautiful story of a disappearing society.

By chance I came upon Traven at the library when I noted that he had authored "Treasure of Sierra Madre," a film classic that I automatically associate with Hollywood's old Bogey.

Not knowing anything more than that I picked-up "The Bridge in the Jungle," and what I found most fascinating was finding a story that so honestly stripped away cultural biases and opened a window to another universe. It revealed the dignity of a community dealing with death of a young boy in an obscure jungle town in early nineteenth century Mexico, and it also provided a vivid account of a proud Aztec culture on the threshold of extinction.

I wish I could see more modern American writers, who, like Traven, would more readily examine how cultural biases skew our understanding and appreciation of the quiltwork of cultures that inhabit our amazing World.

This book was dedicated by Traven to the mothers of the world. It is a cold, crude and, at the same time, compasionate and tender view on a child's death and the terrible, extreme pain it produces on his mother. It also describes the quite particular, "uncontaminated" and honest reaction the event creates among a small Indian community in Chiapas. All this is told by Gales, the main character, an American adventurer that hardly tries to undertand what is actually going on and how he feels about it.

Although the plot is very simple, this novel has some passages of an extraordinary literary intensity. It is also full of irony and sometimes sarcasm too.

Well, it can be said The Bridge in the Jungle is a sad, tragic novel but it is beautifully written and that is what matters.

Former Coast Guard rescue swimmer Gerald R. Hoover presents his own biography in Brotherhood of the Fin: A Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer's Story. Harrowing life-and-death decisions and endurance-testing rescue missions formed a part of his life and his dedication to saving those in desperate need. In his long career, he racked up more deployments than any other rescue swimmer in the history of the program; his final mission was to serve as part of the search and rescue mission to aid those victimized by the national disaster that was Hurricane Katrina. An absorbing, straight-talk tale of real life adventure and heroically selfless dedication.

What an excellent book. If you have ever wondered about the world of Coastguard Rescue Swimmers, this is a must-read.

Gerald Hoover's book is a outstanding work of non-fiction. As a retired Coast Guard rescue swimmer I'm very proud of the way he relives his career of rescues that were life and death struggles filled with heart-pounding action. ASM1 Hoover takes the reader on a journey into the depths of turbulent waters where a select few persons, who are the Brotherhood of the Fin, willingly enter to rescue those in peril. Furthermore, Hoover hits the nail on the head by emphasizing the team effort of the Coast Guard's highly trained professionals that are part of every rescue. I highly recommend this book and would make it a required read for any young man or woman who wants to pursue a career as a Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer.
Darell Gelakoska
ASMCM USCG (Ret)

This book is so well written. I have read many that are not as well thought out and reviewed by the writer; but this writer obviously really went over every detail and made sure it read well. The organization of the book is also one of the best. It seems a kind of beginning rather than just a focus on one career and eventual retirement. This should continue as a series covering many other AST Swimmer stories as well as how the experiences may affect and lead to improvements towards future more successful Search and Rescue Missions. This book also shows how vital and important the AST Rescue Swimmer program is since it's recent inception in the Coast Guard (only the last ~22 years). Now, countless people have been saved who could not have helped themselves into the rescue basket for hoist - who have gone on and had continued successful lives after their rescue. This is important to everyone - especially if you should need rescue one day....

I found this book to be a compelling page turner. The characters were complex and believable, the story one of redemption and rebirth. Much of what New Mexico is about. While there were some loose ends to the characters' lives, they were really peripheral. This is a book that fills you with hope about the greater community of man.

This is a must have book for anyone with any intrest in the Southwest, in the journey of the heart, in the journey of the soul, or in the occuurance of miricles! This book is about all of these, and so much more. Leslie makes both the people and the landscape come alive for the reader. It is a book that brings tears and laughter, and an incredible feeling of expansion to the heart and soul. Bravo!!

Frustrated Santa Fe artist, Whitney Slope, escapes the political games of the Santa Fe art world by heading into the mountain community of Mi Ojo ("My Eye"-a fictitious community representing the real communities that can be found around Santa Fe). He finds his soul in the authentic, rural community and his story is woven with that of his new landlord, Dominga Garcia de Jesus. Slope is brought to a refreshingly honest new way of life as he becomes involved in the stories of other people outside of the affluent community in Santa Fe.

The characters in this book are deep and well developed. The plot carries the reader through a world that is realistic to the area. I especially enjoyed the descriptions of the Santa Fe art gallery community contrasted with the rural Hispanic communities in the mountains. The high quality of the writing and the storyline make this book a must read for anyone who is looking for an excellent work of Southwest fiction.

A book that touches the heart and soul and bring the New Mexico culture, people and land alive.

Frederick Dellaenbaugh was a young man when John Wesley Powell tapped him to participate in Powell's second trip down the Colorado River. Powell had made the journey already a few years before, so the second voyage was less pure exploration and more science; the crew included Almon Harris Thompson (called affectionately "Prof." throughout), a professional geographer who also happened to be Powell's brother-in-law. With several boats and men of widely varying experience, the expedition sailed the Green river (thought at that time to be the upper Colorado) to its junction with the Colorado, and the Colorado itself as far as the middle of the Grand Canyon. Swirling rapids, maggotty food, blistering heat, sudden blizzards beset the adventurers, who still though it all made their geographical, geological, and ethnographical observations which resulted in (among other things) the first maps of the four corners region and the Grand Canyon (reproduced in the book).
While wild adventure, humor, and a real sense of the Old West permeate the book, there is a certain sadness, too. The Native Americans whom Dellenbaugh encounters are people clearly already defeated -- fearful, distrusting, sad. We catch glimpses of the Navaho trying to accommodate themselves to the new reality of white (especially Mormon) settlement, creating new networks of trade focused on growing frontier towns. But the seeds of the end are planted already in the irrigated fields of the Mormon settlers, and sometimes it seems as if the natives knew this too. Also, the topography through which the explorers travelled has now partly vanished behind the dams that have ruined Glen Canyon and other stretches of white water and canyon scenery. No one can now do what Dellenbaugh and his companions did; the sense of loss hovers unintentionally about every page.
Dellenbaugh was a keen observer (though perhaps a bit naive) with a talent for making even the monotony of running rapid after rapid spellbinding. One does feel that he may have veiled some of the conflicts that must have arisen in two (non-continuous) years of isolation, though if so this trait is refreshing in a world where we now expect everyone to tattle on everyone else. Every now and then just a shimmer of impatience with one of the crew seeps through. But the real hero who emerges from this book, somewhat surprisingly, is not the leader Powell -- the young Dellenbaugh seems never to have gotten close to him -- but rather the Prof., who rises to every challenge with decency and humaneness, and of whom Dellenbaugh seems to have been genuinely, and for good reason, in awe. Like Powell he is buried in Arlington Cemetery. He deserved that honor, but where he lives is in the pages of this book.

Love and respect for the Green and Colorado Rivers is greatly enhanced by Dellenbaugh's narritive of the 2nd Powell expadition. Well written, accurate history, and spell binding from start to finish. An adventure that can only be partially accomplished today is TOTALLY available in "A Canyon Voyage!"

This is an exceptionally well written account of a wonderful adventure through the canyons of the Colorado River. For anyone who loves the West's wildness, and writing most sensitive and humorous, this is a "must read". This book is illustrated with many fine original photographs and etchings.

At the time of the 2nd voyage down the Colorado, Dellenbaugh was on about 19 years old. He didn't write the book until many years later. What a wonderful/spellbinding look at the most beautiful place in North America (The Colorado Plateau). Not only that but I found it extremely hunorous as well. Great Great book!!!

This story sets the reader inside the mind of 14-year-old Cecilia in a day and place most readers will find unfamiliar. The details of daily life in this rural community are told in a way that make one yearn for that simpler time. But the over-all story of a family big on love and closeness and a young girl determined to find her own way is universal. A very enjoyable book -- loved the proverbs!

"Cecilia's Year" is a great story for young girls. Cecilia is a really good role model--her goals are to graduate from high school and get a job to help her family. She loves to read. This book also exposes kids to what life was like on farms when America was a rural country. Full of traditional family values plus lots of Spanish for people who know both languages. Also has a little romance. Young girls ages 11-15 will love it. Great gift.

Cecilia's Year is a young adult novel about the dreams of a Latina girl living in rural New Mexico. She dreams of traveling far beyond her farm community, to experience high school and a job in the big city she knows through books, yet her mother feels her highest goal in life should be to run a home, cook, sew, and raise children. Written as a tribute to the author's mother, Cecilia's Year explores the tribulations of growing up and determining one's own destiny, in a heartfelt manner sure to resonate with anyone striving to find their place in the world.

Moving story set in a small New Mexican farming community during the 1930's in which 14-year-old Cecilia, who's a top student and avid reader, wants to go to high school, college, and work in a city; however, her old-fashioned mother feels that she should prepare herself to run a home. (M) I loved the way the Abrahams wove Cecilia's story into the months of the year, and the sprinkling of Spanish throughout added flavor. Cecilia's family may have been poor financially, but it was rich in love.

I was so delighted with the Chia book. Not only does the author provide an excellent historical review of chia seed, and its uses - there is also a wealth of information about its nutritional benefits. Long time overdue. I eat chia seeds every day, and cannot believe the dramatic difference they have made in my overall health. Don't miss this one!

Have read all the chia information on the web. This book gives you the history, the facts and why chia is so important in the diet - both ours and animals. The authors compare chia to other sources of omega-3 and then discuss why chia is a better source. If you are interested in your health this is a must read.

This was an objective overview of the history of Chia. Not a recipe or how-to book. A bit on the academic side but I enjoyed it. Also enjoy using chia as a supplement.

With 37 pages of documented references, Ayerza and Coates have established credibility with their findings of this old (but new) kid on the Essential Fatty Acid (EFA market. Chia seed, as well as hemp seed, is going to be a valuable source of EFAs in the not too distant future. Our waters are just too polluted and manufacturers too unscrupulous to keep up the facade that fish is the only source for the omega-3s our body needs. Ayerza and Coates goes into much detail on such subjects as the paradox of hunger and abundance; the importance of EFAs and the best sources of them as well as fats in general; why chia seed is one of the best sources of EFAs and many other nutrients; a detailed history of chia and where it seems to grow best (southern Mexico); the history of the Aztec people and their use of the seed; the various varieties and how to recognize them; and the oil's contribution to the preservation of art. The book also includes valuable tables of information and concludes with marketing ideas. Although the seed is a much needed food item, I fear that it can easily be exploited by manufacturers who see the value of the seed for other reasons than food. In this day and age of widespread hunger, food in general and good food (like chia and hemp seed) in particular, remains at the bottom of legislative concerns.

Child of Many Rivers: Journeys to and from the Rio Grande. By Lucy Fischer-West, Foreword by Denise Chavez . Lubbock: Texas Tech University Press, 2005. xvi, 190 pages. 32 b/w photos, index. ISBN 0896725561.

This Child won the 2005 Southwest Book Award and was a 2006 WILLA Literary Award Finalist. Lucy Fischer-West teaches English at El Paso's Cathedral High School, and her students are lucky that she does. You are lucky if you read the volume. It started with contributions on her father and mother to the Texas Folklore Society. In the "Epilogue" she summarizes that "Rivers for me are a continuum, linking not only each other but also past and present and most importantly all the people who belong to them and have touched my life."
Her father was a German sailor, her mother was the "youngest and most beautiful girl in a family of twelve" in Camargo, Chihuahua. As young girl, Lucy patted tortilla balls beside the Conchos River, and as a mature woman she washed her hands in the Ganges and received a blessing from Sister Teresa. Her autobiographical essays lure the reader through the gifts of cultures. Whether she's sharing the aroma of the El Paso market, the horrible auto accident near the River Clyde, French rocks with Paulette, touring India and Nepal on the Rotary trip "to improve international understanding," Lucy's waters mingle in a beautiful human stream. Un millon de gracias, Lucy.

Lucy Fischer-West's memoir, Child of Many Rivers, recounts the story of people whose lives predate the author's, Fischer-West's own herstory, and the story of life that will outlive hers (by way of her son and those whose lives have intersected with hers). In this story, Fischer-West introduces us to her father and mother, one with roots in Germany, the other in Juarez, Mexico, respectively; she describes their meeting, their courtship, and eventual marriage, quite unorthodox, considering the two are very much set in their ways, being older like they are. They move from one place to another, the author using rivers, both literal and metaphorical, to document the course of their lives. Fischer-West weaves in her own life from early on to very recent, and that of her son's. As much as a book of this length and nature can be, it is pure poetry.

It is such a pleasure to read a Mexican American memoir that does not stop simply at the cusp of adulthood or at the edge of the barrio. The author's love for El Paso and Juarez shines through these pages, which are rich in detail and dedicated to demonstrating how people cope with, manage and accept "difference" on a daily basis; Child of Many Rivers made me think how such books are sorely needed in this age of conflict and suspicion across borders and cultures.

As a member of The Texas Folklore Society I received this book as a bonus from TFS. I read it in its entirety over one weekend--slowly, taking time with Ms. West's rich detailing of what it means to straddle two cultures from birth to adulthood. Lucy F. West's ability to recall in almost photograph detail her unique childhood wherein she literally had a foot in Mexico and a foot in Texas makes this book a good read.

The child of a Mexican teacher and a German immigrant father, her cultural influences were too many to catalogue in this small space, but they resulted in a unique perspective on what it means to be Mexican and American.

Her writing style is lucid and not the least pretentious. When plain language makes plain the meaning and intent of her ideas, she uses plain language. When using Spanish terms or Mexican folk expressions that may be foreign to Americans, she takes pains to explain them, which serves to enrich her stories.

She switches style or voice occassionally as she moves between childhood and adult episodes. This vareity in tone is welcomed since it has the effect of refreshing our interest in the levels of her story.

Ms. West has published other articles and several chapters in anthologies which I have found to be instructive and enlightening. I am really pleased to hear her "voice" in the longer book format.

Straightforward, without pretension, lucid and thought-provoking. Ms. West's book reminds us that this nation has eternally struggled with the issues of diversity and assimilation. Some, Ms. West for one, manage the assimilation beautifully while preserving the diversity. Bravo!