Mexico Books

The Mexican government's investigation into the bizarre death of Digna Ochoa, a dedicated human-rights lawyer, is set up for scrutiny in this chilling exposé. The author, Linda Diebel, founded and headed up the Toronto Star's Latin-America bureau for seven years before transferring to Washington, and was an acquaintance of Digna's.

"Betrayed" presents the known facts of the case, along with statements from Digna's colleagues, friends and family, and from local police and politicians. The portrait of her that emerges is one that forces the reader to think twice about blindly accepting "official" verdicts in such controversial cases. As we learn more and more about Digna's life and passions and her eagerness to see justice done for Mexico's poorest and least privileged, the official position - that her death was a "probable suicide" - is shown to be absurd.

Digna wasn't only a warrior for justice, hailed by Amnesty International and Bill Clinton and Kerry Kennedy: she was a former Dominican nun, a young woman with a new boyfriend, a loving and stubborn and headstrong daughter and sister. With the extremely-readable and well-crafted "Betrayed", Linda Diebel has given readers a portrait of a fascinating woman whose spirit burned brightly and much too briefly.

Do you want to read a good thriller? Despite its title, "Betrayed: The Assassination of Digna Ochoa" is much more than an account of a celebrated human rights attorney who was murdered in Mexico in 2001. (The government subsequently tried to pass off her death as a suicide.) This beautifully written and well-documented narrative keeps the reader in suspense: Why try to cover up an obvious murder? How were the investigators able to accomplish it? This is a love story, a history of human rights abuses in Mexico and a political analysis. If you want to read a riveting account based on a true tragedy, be sure to read this one.

"In Mexico, to defend human rights is to risk your life." -Digna Ochoa. And that's exactly what she did. Ironcially, she risked her life by giving a voice to her own people in her own country, unprotected by her own government, and consequently betrayed. Yet many a government official vowed that this case would not go unsolved (staple phrase in Mexico when a crime is committed). Almost 2 years later, the best they could come up with was the most ridiculous, asinine and insulting verdict I've ever read. This verdict was just as riddled with holes as the other victims mentioned in this book.

I commend Linda Diebel on her arduous, and at times dangerous, investigative work to produce this book. It was through it that holes such as careless police work of not properly securing the crime scene, removal of the body only after all medical readings are taken, no possible gun powder residue, and something as simple as the chain of custody of the evidence were either discovered or brought out from under the rug.

The case of Digna Ochoa is marred and disgraced with incompetence, contradictions, lies, cover up, and ultimately betrayal; things that go against Digna herself and what she stood for. Mexican officials are known to make dissenters disappear (via the army, police, security forces, and others). That explains why testimonies in Digna's case (one of many) were changed and documents mysteriously went missing. If a person who stands in their (government) way can easily be dealt with, then how hard can it be to get rid of a piece of paper?

I strongly recommend this book. While the white sandy beaches of Mexico are quite real, so is the corruption, injustices, and atrocities of torturing and killing of innocent people.

This is my all time favorite book. It is so real. The whole letter writing thing. It brings out the personality changes in Abigail when she relocates with her family out west during the civil war. Maggie her sister that she dearly loves changes too but in a negative way. In a way of being narrowminded and not understanding the selfless way that Abigail has become bieng on her own and working the harsh dry and hot land in New Mexico. The Mesa (mountains) are her love and she writes about them quite often to Maggie back home in the East. Not only does Abigail learn to fall in love with this harsh southern land but she allowed me to fall in love with it too and to be for her through the entire story. To want to jump into the pages and help her. Help her through the hard droughts and to feed her children that she bore alone in her hut on the land.
A great book for everyone.
A must read.

This is my all time favorite book. It is so real. The whole letter writing thing. It brings out the personality changes in Abigail when she relocates with her family out west during the civil war. Maggie her sister that she dearly loves changes too but in a negative way. In a way of being narrowminded and not understanding the selfless way that Abigail has become bieng on her own and working the harsh dry and hot land in New Mexico. The Mesa (mountains) are her love and she writes about them quite often to Maggie back home in the East. Not only does Abigail learn to fall in love with this harsh southern land but she allowed me to fall in love with it too and to be for her through the entire story. To want to jump into the pages and help her. Help her through the hard droughts and to feed her children that she bore alone in her hut on the land.
A great book for everyone.
A must read.

I read this novel in a day. It was a really captivating novel, and I think the idea of telling the story in letters worked well. Abigail is a woman whose home has been destroyed by the Civil War. She, her husband, and their young children leave the South to start a new life out West. Abigail writes back to her sister Maggie in Virginia of how she comes to love the harsh but beautiful New Mexican landscape. I am 13 and even though this was a novel meant for adults, I think teens who like historical fiction could enjoy it.

This is an uplifting tale of survival - physical and spiritual. With the harsh beauty of the Pecos Wilderness as its backdrop, this story draws you through an incredible struggle with nature and morality. It all begins with the crash of a small plane in the heart of a vast forest, but you must decide where it will end. Is it enough to be content in life, or should you risk the pain and reach for something more? I really enjoyed the splendor and power of nature in this book. I didn't realize that there are still places in America so wild and remote. I think I learned a bit about survival - more than I have from Survivor. This story, however, goes far beyond the battle to simply stay alive. That is what makes it so special. It reminds you how to live!

Beyond Contentment is a book that is easy reading but can change a person's life. The book has appeal of being a contemporary novel of an adventure in the Pecos Wilderness. While I did not understand the meaning of the title when I made the selection, I looked forward to an episode of modern man against the wilderness. The story was suspenseful. However, I did not anticipate that the book would challenge the contentment that I had enjoyed in early retirement for two years.

As the main character, Blaine Wells, was developed in the story, I saw myself in him and began to question my own contented lifestyle. Two weeks after completing the book, I found myself vigorously engaged in volunteer work for a local charitable organization and enjoying a tremendous self-satisfaction that is beyond contentment. Could Beyond Contentment be a satirical writing aimed at exposing my own contentment as folly?

The book could just as easily be read as a primer for novices who want some training before becoming wilderness explorers. As Blaine Wells overcomes many challenges of the wilderness, it is evident that the writer is drawing from his own broad experiences of survival in the Pecos Wilderness. The descriptions of survival techniques are vivid enough that a Boy Scout can likely earn merit badges from copying actions of Blaine Wells.

The contemporary nature of the story is found in the character of Bradley Hawthorne, the antithesis of Blaine Wells. Hawthorne personifies mega-businesses that have emerged in recent years. The writer's extensive business background shows as he casts executives in roles that reflect both the management styles of a kinder, gentler era and those of a bolder, new time.

Two love stories woven into the book make a sequel to Beyond Contentment almost a certainty. What happens to a man's love for the wilderness? Can he leave it behind for a more civilized lifestyle? And what happens in a subtly developed relationship that emerges between Blaine Wells and Shana Matthews? If a reader does not find life beyond contentment in this book, certainly human passion survives for further development in the sequel.

Beyond Contentment is a book that appeals to a diverse group of readers: those desiring to reach out to a more satisfied lifestyle, those who have a love for the wilderness, those seeking to gain skills for survival, those facing change in their business cultures, and those readers who want nothing more than to have their minds pleasurably stimulated with an exciting novel.

March 25, 2001

This intriguing tale begins in the middle of a wilderness area in Northern New Mexico. An airplane crash interrupts the self-imposed exile of a man retreating from society and human contact. The brutal murder of his wife and daughter in their urban home left psychologist Blaine Wells with a deep hatred of the convicted, and imprisoned, youth who committed the crime. His solution was to isolate himself from human contact where he could no longer be a victim. He was encouraged to pursue this course by his need for independence, love of the outdoors, and the splendor of the scenery in his mountain home.

Forced by his conscience to investigate the crash, Blaine becomes a hero to the survivors. He rescues them not only from the perils of the wilds but also from a pair of deadly criminals who happen to come across the downed aircraft. Although two of the survivors reject Blaine's role as their only hope for survival, deep and lasting bonds are formed with the others. These relationships result in Blaine reconsidering his withdrawal from the human race. The results are heart-warming .

Beyond Contentment is a thoroughly engrossing story. The author is obviously intimately acquainted with the wilderness and all its wonders. His descriptions of the scenery and wildlife are so vivid that readers experience the awesome sights of the backwoods country.

Cave has done her homework following the New Mexicans through the Bataan Death March and labor camps.

Dorothy Cave has really done an excellent job of research and storytelling with this book. She was able to accuratly document the fate of many of the soildiers that were mobilized in 1940 in New Mexico.

I hope that Dorothy Cave will write a second book on the 200th and include more of the research material that would mean so much to the relatives and decendents of the warriers of the 200th Regiment.

Since I was born in Silver City NM and am now a member of the New Mexico National Guard, I request that all new Officers assigned to my Battalion to read Beyond Courage so that they may better understand the importance that history may place on their contirbution to New Mexico and the United States.

When I first moved to New Mexico in 1963, I became aware that many of the troops on the Bataan Death March came from New Mexico. They used to have an annual reunion here in Las Cruces, and I met a few of those men.

This book is by a professor of history at Eastern New Mexico University, who is I think a relative of one of the men on the march. The book entails the experiences of the 200th and 515th Coast Artiliary units, which were based in New Mexico.

I had always imagined that the worst part of their ordeal was the 60-mile forced march (and at war's end in 1945, I traversed that 60 miles in a jeep, a truly terrible ride in the Philippine heat and humidity). But far worse were the trips those heros made in the holds of enemy cargo vessels. They were put in the holds, so crowded that everyone had to stand, where the human urine and excrement simply dropped to the deck for everyone to stand in, and where people died standing up. The cruelty was worse than anyone could possibly imagine.

These units were the first to fire on the Japs and the last to lay down their arms when surrender came. And you learn of the espionage these guys performed when doing their slave labor in the factories and the mines of Japan and Manchuria. Such labor, and the treatment forced on the prisoners, were in direct violation of the Geneva Conventions, of which Japan was a signatory.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. The author is a superb writer.

One of the best descriptions of a battle and field of battle I have read.

This is an excellent account of the early campaign in the Rio Grande Valley and the Confederacy's attempt to secure part of the Western Territories. Valverde was the first and largest battle of the campaign and a surprising southern victory allowed Sibley's Army of New Mexico to occupy most of the New Mexico Territory. Taylor makes good use of maps to discribe the action as units arrive on the field piecemeal and are thrown into the fight. Taylor includes diagrams of unit organizations and has a large appendix analyzing unit strenghts and losses and also discusses whether this Southern victory was really a strategic defeat. There are extensive notes at the end where Taylor discusses discrepencies in original accounts. I recommend this book to anyone interested in the Civil War in the Western Territories.

Most people, even serious Civil War historians often overlook the fact that the Confederate Armies captured Santa Fe! Or that entire battles were fought that far west! "Bloddy Valverde" is an amazingly detailed account of my favorite battle. This, the biggest battle of the campaign is won of the most interesting of the war! from Graysons comical attempt to used mules as a primitive guided smart bomb to the amount of federal regulars involved, the types of ordnance, a lance charge defeated by a Napoleonic square till the turning point...a dismounted shotgun charge against the federal batteries! This is the single most detailed book of thie battle, breaking down the events to almost every 30 minutes. The research and depth is amazing...many myths and misconceptions of this battle are cleared up. Just when you think you know everything about the American Civil War this comes along!

Gonzalez, Rigoberto. "Butterfly Boy" Memories of a Chicano Mariposa", University of Wisconsin Press, 2006.

Angry, Passionate. And Ironic

Amos Lassen

I have finally gotten around to reading Rigoberto Gonzalez's "Butterfly Boy". It is one of the most moving books I have ever read. We follow a young Chicano as he matures into accepting himself as a gay male and Gonzalez writes about in eloquent beautiful language and with candor. It is enough for one to be gay; homosexuality automatically comes with minority status but to be gay and poor and Chicano is another story altogether. This is not an easy subject to write about but to write about in such exquisite prose makes this book very special. Subtitled "Memories of a Chicano Mariposa", we learn that "mariposa" not only means butterfly but also "faggot". Like other gay coming of age stories, Gonzalez describes the trials of being an effeminate kid with a high voice who enjoys putting on girl's clothing. We also read about how he found homosexual themes in classic literature and his feelings of validation when he read E.M.Forster and Herman Melville. With that rapture also comes sadness when he discovers that he is different from others and the emotions of tears and smiles and anger and acceptance face each other off all through the memoirs. Gonzalez tells this story is prose that is poetic and the story is intense and heartfelt. Gonzalez compromises nothing and he tells it like it is. It is very difficult to write about the sexual orientation of a young person because it is so personal that it is hard to convey. Gonzalez manages to do so with beautiful tenderness.
Gonzales not only faced the issue of being gay--he also had to face near-poverty, illiteracy, and abuse. Above these there was love; he loved himself and who he was. The Chicano culture puts great emphasis on machismo and this made self-acceptance that more difficult. Feeling alone in the world, the only sense of connection that Gonzalez had came from a violent relationship with an older man. His mother died when he was twelve and his father had abandoned the family. When Gonzalez found his voice as a writer and also attempted to reconcile with his father, he was finally able to accept himself, claim his identity and bring together the issues of sexuality, race and class. This is a must read and should be on everyone's list. I don't understand why it took me so long to read it.

Years ago Rigoberto Gonzalez did a reading at the University of California, Riverside, his alma mater and the approximate locale where he met the "older lover" who abused him. Someone in the audience asked him why he felt he could write a memoir so young? Rigoberto, then in his early thirties, answered, "Because I write about another time that is no longer my life."

BUTTERFLY BOY: MEMORIES OF A CHICANO MARIPOSA speaks to us about cruelties we do not want to confront: physical and sexual abuse among gay men, child sexual abuse, continuing cycles of abuse, poverty among immigrant farmworkers, family abuse linked to socioeconomic conditions, and inequality in secondary and higher education. These are some of the issues most of us have lived, our "dirty little secrets," but very little of us admit to. I praise Rigoberto Gonzalez for his courage to bring this out to light.

Without a doubt, BUTTERFLY BOY is an example of taking risks with one's writing. Each scene is more heart-breaking than the last, and addictive. Addictive not in the sadistic sense, but because Gonzalez weaves a narrative that pulls you in, and its unsentimentality and your empathy that won't let you go. His prose is poetic and never dramatic. A read you won't be able to put down.

This book will become a classic in Chicano/a and ethnic literature. Worth the buy at any price.

Nothing can be more true than when Gonzalez said that he writes about a life no longer lived. He is an accomplished, award-winning writer and a leading figure in Chicano letters, movers and shakers. He is currently a professor in creative wrting at Queens College in New York. It's hard to believe he went through all the events he writes about, plus more I can't imagine, and still become as successful as he is now. Considering his up-bringing and where he's arrived, I hope this book falls into the hands of those who face similar adversities and have shrinking hope.

What makes a writer?

This seemingly simple question can elicit many complex answers and even more questions. Case in point: Rigoberto González's poetic and heartbreaking memoir, "Butterfly Boy: Memories of a Chicano Mariposa" (The University of Wisconsin Press, $24.95 hardcover).

González is an award-winning author of poetry, fiction and children's books. He is also a book critic contributing regularly to the El Paso Times.

How did González, the son of migrant farmworkers whose first language was Spanish, become González the writer? Answers begin to emerge from his painful assertion of himself as a gay man in a culture steeped in machismo.

González tells of his journey into adulthood and a life of literature in a nonlinear fashion, moving back and forth from childhood to adulthood, Mexico to the United States, self-loathing to self-revelatory empowerment.

The book begins in Riverside, Calif., in 1990. González, as a college student at the Riverside campus of the University of California, has fallen in love with an older man who, as symbolized by painful yet beautiful "butterfly" marks he places upon González, brings both tenderness and brutality to the relationship. The unnamed lover cheats on González and doesn't hesitate to beat him up to establish his superiority over his young man. At times, González believes he deserves such brutality.

Other times, he is grateful to have escaped the oppressiveness of his family and its legacy of dropping out of high school to work in the fields. The escape comes in the form of literature. A sometimes-callous, sometimes-tender teacher named Dolly lends the young González a poetry book and works with him to subjugate his accent. And the fire is lit: "I became a closet reader at first, taking my book with me to the back of the landlord's house or into my parents' room, where I would mouth the syllables softly, creating my own muted music."

González then suffers the death of his mother when he is only 12. Compounding this loss, he is shipped off to live with his tyrannical grandfather. His own father -- who abuses alcohol and carouses with women --eventually starts another family, further alienating González. Again, books prove to be González's salvation, eventually leading to his surreptitious and successful application to college.

González remains closeted in both his sexuality and intellect, realizing that neither facet of his identity would be understood or appreciated by his family.

In the midst of scenes from his college life in Riverside and his adolescent exploration of sex and literature, González recounts a long and agonizing bus trip with his father. He leaves Riverside and travels to Indio, where his father lives, so they can begin their journey "into México, into the state of Michoacán, into the town of Zacapu, where my father was born, where my mother was raised, and where I grew up." This passage home takes on a special aura because González will turn 20 while there. Throughout the trip, González longs for his lover while seething with an almost uncontrollable anger toward his father. Throughout, he wonders if this trip was a mistake or a necessary part of becoming an adult.

What makes a writer? Obviously, talent is a necessary ingredient. And in the case of González, add to the mix hard work and a burning desire to be heard. Ultimately, it is a mysterious alchemy.

In any case, "Butterfly Boy" is a potent and poetic coming-of-age story about one man's acceptance of himself. There's no mystery in that.

[This review first appeared in the El Paso Times.]

BY RIGHT OF CONQUEST is a great book. It tells the story of a boy who is shipwrecked on a island where the people think he is a god. When Cortez comes to fight the people of the islands the boy is caught in the fray. This story is a great book full of excitment like in the middle of battles or running away in a boat. Even a point where the boy must escape from being sacrificed. This is a wonderful book which I encourage many to read.

This book has become an instant favorite with me. I really love how Mr. Henty shows the true reasons behind Cortez's conquest, and not the pack of lies that we usually hear in history. The thing that got my attention was the Henty made it clear that both sides had their good and bad intentions. The Mexicans wanted peace to reign but yet they exercised brutal human sacrifices to their gods. The Spanish wanted to spread the Gospel to the world but they were noted for their brutality in war. There are no reasons to search for good or bad guys, as the hero in this story is torn between the two sides. If you really want to read how history should be written, read this book.

This is a great study guide for the hardcover book. It contains numerous maps, questions, and vocabulary lists, BUT do not order this if you think you've found a much cheaper version of the hardcover-that is not the case.

Eric Kimmel gives new life to the same old hum drum fairytales! His charecters truly come to life...my husband and I find oursleves reading with crazy new voices we didn't realize we had. My children love that they recognize the story, but that it also has a new twist. Big faves at our house include Cactus Soup (Stone soup), The Runaway Tortilla (The Gingerbread Man), and The Three Cabritos (The Three Billy Goats Gruff). These tales are fun for the adult readers, as well as the kiddoes...for Kimmels great commentary on those with a "small world-view" check out Pumpkinhead. Great tales, with great lessons!

Cactus Soup by Eric Kimmel takes the timeless tale of Stone Soup and injects a Mexican flavor. The text is arranged into short passages that are easy to read and follow. The Spanish language that is native to the characters in the story is woven into the story. The Spanish is presented in a way that is easy to identify the meaning. For readers who still struggle with the meaning of the words, they can flip to the back of the book and find a glossary.
Kimmel has written his book in a way that has readers eager to flip the page. First he presents a problem, such as a hungry army coming to town who will eat all the food, and then he has the townspeople solve the problem. For every problem that is presented, the reader is anxious to flip the page and see the solution.
The beautiful illustrations by Phil Huling capture the feel of the Mexican Revolution time period. Huling uses reds, yellows, and greens to portray the vivid colors common to the Mexican culture. While the pictures exaggerate the actions taking place in the story, they still follow the plot line and allow the reader to get a comprehensive view of the book.
Since Cactus Soup is a variation of Stone Soup, the characters are predictable, yet still likeable. The mayor looks out for the needs of his people. He takes a misguided, yet authoritarian approach in his attempt to do this. The townspeople first follow the directions of their leader and then later enthusiastically help the captain of the army make the cactus soup.
The captain solves the problem of no food, without asking the townspeople for food they claim not to have. He craftily gets the townspeople to volunteer food in an attempt to improve the taste of the cactus soup. He teaches the townspeople (and readers) the valuable lessons of sharing and working together for a common purpose.

Cactus Soup tells the story of a town that doesn't want to share its food with a small approaching army. But in the end, the captain gets the whole town to "make" his famous cactus soup. I like the quote, "Why ask for what you don't have?" You'll feel like eating Mexican after reading this book! I especially like the "stretched" illustrated characters. Muy bien!

Be careful reading this book: it may change your life. It changed mine. The book inspired me to retrace Mr. Chase's footsteps, or should I say hoof prints. His book is such a delightful "paseo" (leisurely walk) up the stunningly beautiful California Coast that I found myself unable to resist the temptation to do it myself. Thus, there is another description of Mr. Chase's route, produced more than 82 years later, also available on Amazon. Read Mr. Chase's book. Sit back and enjoy the images and personalities of 1911 that Mr. Chase brings to life. Maybe you, too, will be inspired to take your own paseo.

Anyone who appreciates the unspoiled west and california history should find California coast trails by J.Smeaton Chase a pleasant read. Shortly after publishing his diary journals of extensive journeys throughout the Sierra Nevada mountains in Yosemite Trails, Chase embarked on his next adventure on horseback. This trip would take him from Mexico to Oregon along the coastal route of the spacely settled california. Most of the books appeal to me is Chases daily recording of intimate details such as a rare flower or a unique sunset. His daily travels often ended with a campfire on the sand with the ocean waves for a lullabuy. Chases winning personality and knowledge of California history further enhance the book along with frequent references to former events and places of historical significance. California Coast Trails is a trail guide, history book and personal travel diary all in one. You wont regret the read.

In 1910 J. Smeaton Chase and a painter, Carl Eytel, decided to go by horseback down the coast from Los Angeles. They carried their supplies, rifles for hunting, and a boundless curiosity about the landscape that even then was beginning to change. Far from wilderness, the land had a rural agrarian character. But cars were already starting to appear on the roadways and Chase foresaw the coming of an urban landscape that would replace the small Mexican and Native American pueblos and he wanted to see the land as it once was and would never be again.

The 1910 journey only lasted a few months. Highlights of it included visits to what remained of California's Missions, a day among the Torrey Pines, and exploring the table/mesa ecosystem of San Diego County. One of the leading naturalists of his day, Chase writes thoughtfully on all these topics and published scientific papers on several. But this trip only whetted his passion for a longer journey; one that would stretch from Los Angeles northward all the way to the Oregon border. And in 1911, Chase began that trip, replacing his rifle with a fly rod and small pistol.

Chase's journey through the California coastal region includes lyrical prose about both the landscape and the people who inhabited it. A passionate lover of trees, Chase went out of his way to visit Monterrey Cyprus, Santa Lucia Firs, and of course the Redwoods. Of the latter, he wrote, "They seemed to lack the individual majesty of bearing [found in Sierran Sequoias] and gain their distinction rather from the cummulative effect of their statuesque beauty..." Muir Woods, then only a few years old, was described as "the most beautiful of any preserved enclosure that I have ever seen, and the soft gray day gave them their finest aspect." A repeat visitor to Muir Woods, I find Chase's comments still hold today.

Chase was something of a Jack London socialist, a romantic heavily influenced by Rosseau. He enjoyed the company of all classes of people but like his literary mentors Henry Dana and John Muir, found his true calling in nature. But unlike today's environmentalists, Chase was not anti people and for the most part enjoyed their presence in nature. Old habitations held a special fascination for him. But he was clearly an agrarian at heart and the urban landscape that was gradually spreading along California's coastline concerned him. Writing about Morro Bay, he wistfully predicted, "This pretty place is destined, I think, to be more of note than it is now." Chase was correct, but I think he would have preferred to be wrong. If you want a glimpse of his California, by all means read California Coast Trails. It is one of the best examples of that truly American literary genre, trail literature, that has ever appeared in print.

When I read Call of the Panther I must admit I didn't know much about the Mayan people and their culture. This book is a great introduction to the Mayan ways as well as a spell binding adventure. The story of Chel a young Mayan woman bound by spiritual inheritance to become a healer for her own people. She and her son face many dangers on their way to fulfillment of her heritage.
You weave a whole life time, through the visions of her 20th century counterpart. Bouncing in and out of Chel's life span as the sometimes narrator is taken in trance to this mystical, beautiful and dangerous time and place. You too are called into the panthers eyes, what is your path?

Having once spent two weeks in the Chiapas region of Mexico, I had the chance to visit several Mayan ruins. I had heard about this book from a close friend, and looked forward to it. I was not disappointed. The author did an excellent job of providing insights into the religious and cultural aspects of the ancient Maya. The lead character, Ch'eel Yash, experiences visions in her young life, that guide her to a confrontation with her destiny.

I like Ms Wrenn's use of a "time shift", as the twentieth century slips back into the ninth century, allowing us to see, and feel, through the eyes of Ch'eel. I can also appreciate the author's efforts to bring respect and restore dignity to these proud people.

Call of the Panther introduces one to the Maya, provides a historical and educational background, and entertains the reader. Pick up a copy and settle into your favorite reading chair (or couch!) for an adventure.

This book, Call of the Panther, the story of a young woman of the ancient Maya named Ch'eel Yash, was written with several intentions.
First was a desire to demonstrate that the oppressed contemporary Maya people of Chiapas and Guatemala are the true descendents of the people who built the magnificent Maya temples and palaces, whose ruins and inscriptions we are only now beginning to fully understand. With this book I salute the young men who have traveled to my community to work and make a new life for their families in a less oppressive environment.
Second, as a voracious reader of historical fiction, my study of ancient and contemporary Maya has led me to see that the currently understood history of the many ancient Maya cities and kings contains as many exciting plot seeds, events, and characters as any European monarchy. Thus grew an intense desire to bring the ancient Maya to life for today's readers. I hope you will find that I have accomplished this goal.
Third, there is something in the story about two women learning something about themselves and growing into new persons. And perhaps there is a spiritual connection between us all after all. The universe is still a mighty mysterious place!
Finally, I intend that this is only the beginning of a series of novels of the ancient Maya that will bring awareness of the great respect owing to today's Maya people, whose ancestors built and then abandoned hundreds of monumental cities, which will lead to a movement for their release from oppression in their native lands. To this end I am currently finalizing the last chapter of my Young Lords of Siyah Chan, the first of at least two novels about the people who lived in the ancient city of Yaxchilan, Mexico, 1300 years ago, a story about three princes raised in the shadow of their elderly father, the long-reigning Lord of their city.