Mexico Books

Born in El Paso, raised nearby, lived another 20 years there: I can testify that these are wonderful recipes. Also, the information about the area is accurate and interesting. I own two printings of this book, and have bought it for friends and daughters-in-law (so they would know how to cook for my sons!). All in all, a fine publication.

I've had my copy of Seasoned with Sun since 1978 and am purchasing this version for my 3 grown daughters. This cookbook has grown up with our family (I was raised in El Paso but moved away in 1979) and am thrilled that two family "must-haves" are still in - Jim's Carrot Cake and Sour Cream Banana Pecan Cake.
This book has made me look good for years - now it's my daughters' turn!

This must be the BEST Junior League Cookbook around. It is beautiful, with wonderful Southwestern illustrations. It's layout is unique and easy to use with great tips and hints. All the recipes were thoroughly tested by local families. But the best part of all is the great Southwestern (Mexican) recipes that are easy to follow - no weird ingredients unless reasonable substitutes are listed. And they are absolutely delicious. This is a cut above. It sounds like I'm in Junior League, but I'm not - I just LOVE the cookbook. I found it here because I want to send one to a friend in another part of the country. It's a real favorite of mine.

I haven't quite finished the book yet, however I love it..it's so interesting and makes me want to research the Mayans further. However I do have one critisism...tamales are made with masa spread onto softened corn husks. A filling is added and then they are rolled up and steamed until done. What the author is referring to are TORTILLAS...flat disks of unleaven bread that you put whatever you want into, then roll up and eat. Other than that, the book is wonderful.

As part of my 10 step recovery from "Shelters of Stone" I had been searching for other great works of Pre-Historic Fiction. I found one such book in "Serpent and Storm"(and the first book "Sky Knife"), what a fast paced, fresh, gripping tale. I hope Mrs. Sands keeps it up, I really like Sky Knife and I would love to see the rest of his story. I did keep me on the edge of my seat and up late on a few nights to see the end. I would give it 6 stars if I could!

Since I usually read and collect pre-historic/Native American fiction, I was kinda weary about this book and "Sky Knife". How come I have never heard of it, why has Amazon never linked me to this author when I looked up "Aztec" and other novels of Ancient Mexico, is it that bad of a book?
The answer is no! This was a fast paced, full bodied book that has me hooked on this author and I hope she writes more, I really like her style.
The one hang-up I have with this book(and "Sky Knife")is that it leans a little too much on the "Magic of the Ancient Maya" and not enough at times on describing the culture and temples and... ah what the heck, it is just a good story.

On my bookself sits a number of volumes on voluntary simplicity. This one is simply one of the best. It is so good in fact that I am considering giving the other books away. In this history, the author chronicles three centuries of simplicty in America.

This is the best book I have ever read on simple living. The writer not only knows his history, but he can write. I especially liked the chapter on Emersonian views of simple living.

Richard J. Lorenz

The Simple Life: Plain Living And High Thinking In American Culture by David E. Shi (President and Professor of History, Furman University) is a candid, informative, scholarly examination throughout American social history of the drive to simplify one's life and find meaning by the means of deliberately giving up excess material vanity, as embodied in the writings and lifestyles of Thomas Jefferson, Henry David Thoreau, Jimmy Carter, and others. Individual chapters discuss the simple life concept from the Puritan, Quaker, Republican, and other points of view, and the importance and value this way of thought, behavior, and culture retained even in today's increasingly fast-paced electronic world. A thoughtful book, filled with carefully assessed observations, The Simple Life is strongly recommended reading for anyone contemplating simplification of their personal lifestyles and circumstances as a means of improving the quality of their lives and themselves.

I don't know if you'll find a better image gallery of Siqueiros's work. An inspiring man whose talent and passion are still relevant today.

The Centenary of Siqueiros' birth was in l996, and this book makes an outstanding contribution to a celebration of Siqueiros' life and works. It is a full political biography of the artist-citizen-socialist fighter, as well as an "art book" with 72 pages that present 134 photos and reproductions. These are discussed and explained in the text along with Siqueiros' theories about art and new realism. Philip Stein discloses for the first time the extensive FBI files meddling in the affairs of Mexican citizens. Siqueiros: His Life and Works has an extensive bibliography of the writings, exhibits and lectures of Siqueiros as well as background bibliography. (Reviewer's Bookwatch, January 1995). - "I am a citizen artist, not a Bohemian.I don't believe in a world where each artist is a little god, each one with his own philosophy, each one with his own little kitchen to fry his abstract ham and eggs. The only bad painting is the one dominated by the individual ego. Easel paintings whisper to the private few. Murals shout to the public." These words by Siqueiros embody the militant stance on art taken by one of the most forceful painters of the 20th century. Together with Diego Rivera and Jose Clemente Orozco, this triumvirate was the phalanx that led to the founding of the Mexican mural movement, the most significant advancement in art since the Italian Renaissance. This and much more is the subject of this book by Philip Stein an artist who spent a decade working with Siqueiros. It is a work of painstaking research and personal knowledge that is not only a biography of Siqueiros (l896-1974) but also a political history of the 20th century Mexican revolution and its aftermath. This book is a powerful argument for social commitment in art, a valuable source of education for all artists, yuoung and old. (Norman Goldberg, artist-critic). - This magnificent biography is a comprehensive study digging deeply into the historical roots and tempestuous conflicts that shaped Siqueiros into an agressive leader, including his Indian and Mexican heritage, union struggles, military action, political conflicts and his role in organizing cooperative groups of artists who would put their collective endeavors to the service of humanity. This biography is a remarkable work of art with a beautifully felt poetic prose. It is a wonderful restoration of the life of a complex artist. Documentation has a scholarly completeness, color photographs aid us in grasping some of the magnificence of his painting and mural accomplishments. This a biography of enormous importance and beauty, so rich one will go back to it again and again. (Anthony Toney, artist). Stein's marvellous book is a meticulous and inspiring study of a great artist. But more than that it is a cultural achievement in its own right. Throughout its pages Siqueiros is brought powerfully alive. Stein himself writes with the perception and sensitivity of an artist and presents a fascinating account of the artist's technique and methods. This is definitely not a "coffee table" book; nor is it aimed at the art expert. The style is always readable and accessible to the general reader. At times "Siqueiros" even has the pace and excitement of a novel. (Julian Holt, professor of literature, Lancaster, England).

The Centenary of Siqueiros' birth is in 1996, and this book makes an outstanding contribution to a celebration of Siqueiros' life and works. It is a full political biography of the artist-citizen-socialist fighter, as well as an "art book" with 72 pages that present 134 photos and reproductions. These are discussed and explained in the text along with Siqueiros' theories about art and new realism. Philip Stein discloses for the first time the extensive FBI files meddling in the affairs of Mexican citizens.Siqueiros: His Life and Works has an extensive bibliography of the writings, exhibits, and lectures of Siqueiros, as well as background bibliography. (Reviewer's Bookwatch, January 1995) --"I am a citizen artist, not a Bohemian. Idon't believe in a world where each artist is a little god, each one with his own philosophy, each one with his own little kitchen to fry his abstract ham and eggs. The only bad painting is the one dominated by the individual ego. In Europe a private market has determined a private art. Here (Mexico) our art is for an audience of millions. Easel paintings whisper to a private few. Murals shout to the public." These words by Siqueiros embody the militant stance on art taken by one of the most forceful painter of the 20th century. Together with Diego Rivera and Jose Clemente Orozco, this triumvirate was the phalanx that led in the founding of the Mexican mural movement, the most significant advancement in art since the Italian Renaissance. This and much more is the subject of this book by Philip Stein, an artist who spent a decade working with Siqueiros. This is a work of painstaking research and personal knowledge. It is not only a biography of Siqueiros (l896-l974) but also a political history of the 20th century Mexican revolution and its aftermath. This book is a powerful arguement for social commitment in art, a valuable source of education for all artists, young and old. (Norman Goldberg,artist-critic). This magnificent biography is a comprehensive stiudy digging deeply into the historical roots and tempestuous conflicts that shaped Siqueiros into an aggressive leader, including his Indian and Mexican heritage, union struggles, military action, political conflicts and his role in organizing cooperative groups of artists who would put their collective endeavors to the service of humanity. This biography is a remarkable work of art, with a beautifully felt poetic prose, comprehensively organized. It is a wonderful restoration of the life of a complex artist. Documentation has a scholarly completeness. Black and white and many color photographs aid us in grasping some of the magnificence of his painting and mural accomplishments. This is a wonderful biography of enormous importance and beauty, so rich one will go back to it again and again. (Anthony Toney, artist). Stein's marvellous book is a meticulous and inspiring study of a great artist. But more than that it is a cultural achievement in its own right, and an act of solidarity with the artist and the working people who were his subjects. Put another way, it is itself a work of socialist realism. The biography is written with a moving affection for Siqueiros who is brought powerfully alive through its pages. Stein himself writes with the perception and sensitivity of an artist and presents a fascinating account of the artist's technique and methods, his pioneering experiments with new materials and the numerous practical problems posed by murals and frescoes of the size and complexity of Siqueiros' creations. This is definitely not a "coffee table" book; nor is it aimed at the art expert. The style is always readable and accessible to the general reader. At times, "Siqueiros" even has the pace and excitement of a novel. (Julian Holt, professor of literature, England).

This is so much better than your average ski history.

It covers a time when the hardcore ski community was much smaller and tighter than today, and all of the pioneers of skiing were finding their places to make ski areas. Tremendously real, told in the words of the pioneers themselves, this is just fantastic reading. Probably the most wonderful aspect of the book is how well it goes with the actual experience of being in Taos Ski Valley today, many of the subjects of the book, including the editor, are easy to find in TSV, going about their daily business. The experience of reading this book, then seeing it all come to life in front of you is spectacular.

The incredible life of Ernie Blake and the desire to celebrate his wonderful legacy may have inspired Rick to start this project, but the finished product turned out to be much more than just a book about a fascinating person and a wonderful ski resort. This is by far the most comprehensive collection of ski lore (complete with accompanying photography) that I have ever had the pleasure to peruse, most of it directly transcribed from personal interviews with those who were the midwives at the birth of lift-served skiing in North America. If you have any sense of history and have enjoyed making turns on snow, this book should be in your collection.

This book contains incredible interviews with skiing legends along with wonderful pictures illustrating the history of skiing. I found that I did not want to put the book down, both because it contains skiing history as told by the participants and because the writing holds your interest. It is really a shame that the author did not film the interviews, because it would have made an outstanding documentary.

This collection of stories is not to be missed. A romp around the world about curious and intriguing people. The characters will stick in your mind like the rather scary and funny guy who eats remorras.

Sky over El Nido is an amazing collection of short stories,not only because the writing by C.M. Mayo is superb,but also because it is a "box" full of surprises.The author (she or he?) provide us with continuous examples of a masterly use of ímage patterning,which keeps the reader wondering what will come next.No wonder C.M. Mayo won the Flannery O'Connor Award!

C.M. Mayo has the unique voice that enables you to not only envision the setting but the emotional swings and feelings of the characters. She writes of characters we wish we knew for pieces of them have been in our lives. Sky over El Nido is a perfect gift for the lover of the writing craft. Each character jumps up and is alive in the first paragraph. You wish you could revisit them sometime again in a longer story. Simply marvelous.

This book starts off pretty mindless, with a spoiled girl who wants to go to a party in Mexico because the guy she likes is going. Once she tries to get back in the U.S., however, she finds out that her parents did not enter legally & she can't get back to the life she knew. Inspired by a true story, the book examines border issues and immigration from a highly personal viewpoint. Sofi is forced to become a tougher person in Mexico and you will like her all the better for it. Very realistic--great romance as well as eye-opening in terms of culture. Highly recommend!

Sofi Mendoza's life was made when she and her best friends were invited to the hottest party of the year.

Just when Sofi thought everything was perfect, her overprotective parents say she can't go. But that doesn't stop her -- after she tells her parents a lie, she heads straight to the party.

After the party, Sofi and a group of her friends decide to make a quick trip to Tijuana and make it back before morning, but little do they know that everyone will return, except for Sofi!

The only thing stopping her is the green card she has. Well, the counterfeit one. While her parents do the necessary paperwork, Sofi ends up staying with her aunt and cousins. Spending her time working on their ranch, living in their house with no electricity, Sofi finds a new love. By the time she falls head over heels, her paperwork gets completed and Sofi is on her way home.

But will the romance continue? Will she learn what life is really all about, and will she finally understand why her parents care so much?

You'll have to find out the answers yourself when you read SOFI MENDOZA'S GUIDE TO GETTING LOST IN MEXICO!

Reviewed by: Cho

Being a publishing and education professional, I can't say enough about SOFI MENDOZA'S GUIDE TO GETTING LOST IN MEXICO. Alegria's voice is very real as well as engaging. Her description of Mexico truly brought me back to the moment I first stepped into the country--the sights, smells, attitudes...Also, the problems and hurdles that Sofi must overcome are not exaggerated nor simple. Again, Alegria's voice is real, and Sofi deals with real emotions and real problems. I couldn't be more impressed. Alegria captures the struggle for identity and independence of every emerging adult--with a Latino spin. Can't wait to buy Estrella's Quinceañera!

This book does a lot to shed light on this very important topic. Soldaderas played a very important role in the Mexican Revolution and in the Mexican military from the time of the MesoAmerican Indians up though the period of the Revolution and even afterwards. Their role has, unfortunately, been overlooked, except in some of the songs of the period of the Mexican Revolution, which focus on certain almost mythical soldaderas, such as "La Cucaracha" and "La Adelita". The author of this book, Ms. Salas, whom one gets the impression is a sort of a chicana activist, does not mix chicano politics with the historical treatment of this book, much to her credit, but rather she gives a very serious treatment to the subject, and the whole account is moving and interesting. It is both historically relevant and easy to read, and in my opinion, it is a really important book for anyone who is interested in history of Latin America - specifically of Mexico. Whereas it has been demonstrated that Pancho Villa is the most famous Mexican of all time, and the most intriguing considering the amount of attention he has gotten in print, then the background of the Mexican Revolution is indispensable for understanding his own saga. However, the other characters are almost of equal importance - at least - and the most overlooked but deserving of the same kind of attention that Villa and otehrs have gotten are the soldaderas, who were, frankly, in my own opinion, fascinating. The one soldadera that I am most intrigued with is "La Generala" Petra Herrera, who was actually a general, and she had an all woman troop, and had any men caught sneaking into her camp at night summarily shot! I recommend this book! I read it, and I loved it.

i feel that the book gives readers the ability to learn the history about the soldaderas.

I bought this book to do research on the soldaderas and was amazed by the information I found. I had been searching everywhere for information about this topic and everywhere I looked, this book was referenced. I found everything I needed and more. There should be more books like this and about this topic. This is a must read!

Over ten years ago, this book completely changed the course of events in my life for months. Let me explain!: I was wiling away the hours with nothing to do during a 2-week hospital stay in Madrid, going over the notes for my master's thesis about Spanish writer Juan Goytisolo, when someone suggested I read this masterpiece about a Baroque Mexican nun to pass the time. At first I thought the suggestion was absurd, hardly a book that would help the time go by quickly, but I gave the book a chance (this Spanish-language version, of course) and soon met Sor Juana Inés, with whom my only previous encounters had been on a Mexican banknote.

Sor Juana Inés was so far ahead of her time that it would have been a miracle for her NOT to have been persecuted and ejected from the society of her times. Octavio Paz (could anything less be expected from such an author) makes her life even more fascinating than it probably was in reality, as he examines her comings and goings from birth to death, or at least as much as can possibly be known, since his study is probably the most thorough that exists. Sor Juana's biography is amazing and caused me to drop my original thesis and change topics entirely. I spent my whole hospital stay engrossed in her tale of love, erudition and ill-fated struggles for equality. Tomes could be written just on her correspondence with all the scholars and thinkers of the day. It is amazing to read how she manages to combine a life in the convent with a life of study, another of cultural activity, a social life rubbing elbows with Mexico's leadership class, and awareness and intellectual relations with countless (male) thinkers of the 17th century.

I can't shower enough praise on this book, which opened up my appetite for knowing more about her. Since then I have read more and more, as well as all of Sor Juana's works, and never get enough, with a special love for her "Response to Sister Filotea de la Cruz," a treatise on the equality of women's mind centuries before such ideas came into vogue. If you want to see what is was like to know that women deserved full equality, to have intelligence beyond comparison and to be forced to use that intelligence with the utmost care so as not to violate strict social norms, and get away with it for years, Sor Juana will be your heroine, as she should be for so many more women in this world who are unfamiliar with her.

This would be a great text for any hispanic literature, women's studies, gay and lesbian studies, Mexican history or a wealth of other courses, or just as a text of interest to women and people in general, so that they can get a practical case study in what women like Sor Juana must have suffered for centuries (and maybe even today in many places) when they tried to go beyond the boundaries that church, state and family had set down to keep them in their place.

I'm not a particular fan of history or biography but couldn't put this book down. For all the information it offers the reader it's an incredibly un-dull read. It paints such a vivid picture of her life that I felt like I was there. Details were always fascinating, never tedious.

Octavio Paz, Nobel laureate, poet and one of the best writers of essays in the Spanish language, can give people seriously interested in learning about Sor Juana invaluable information in this beautifully researched book. Everything that is really known about her biography (not anachronistic twentieth-century storytelling and fantasy) is here; and, very importantly, authoritative background information on Colonial Mexican history and culture, social organization, religious practices and norms, and reading materials and habits. Sor Juana is a complex woman, a great reader and thinker that has to be understood in context. This book provides this, and also a sensitive and informed reading of her work. It is also a very good read. Modern-day fictional accounts are deceptive and will short-change you. Don't fall for them. This book is the real thing.

The spirit of Tio Fernando by Janice Levy is a book about the Day of the Dead.
Fernando wakes up and today is the Day of the Dead and they are going to see the spirit of Tio Fernando. Fernando`s mother set all Tio Fernando `s favorite foods on the table. She also put out some pictures of Tio Fernando. After Fernando`s mother gave him some pesos to go buy things that Tio Fernando liked also to remember him. Fernando went to the market and saw Senor Romero and then Senor Romero gave Fernando a skull with his name on it. Fernando saw Senora Magdalia and Senora Magdlia gave him a little ghost and Senor Magdalia tells Fernando how he will meet Tio Fernando's spirit and how he will feel good inside. After Fernando went home they went to the cemetery to Tio Fernando's cross and put marigolds there. Fernando's mother sang Tio Fernando's favorite songs. Fernando heard a heart beating but maybe it was only Fernando. Fernando feels something in his body. Then they stayed at the cemetery for the Day of the Dead.

The lesson I learned from the book was that your loved ones will always be beside you. In one part of the book I found they tell Tio Fernando's spirit to join them. Even if Tio Fernando is dead he knows he isn't forgotten. Fernando feels his uncle in his body and by the sounds too. Fernando remembers Tio Fernando by the pictures and by the second toe of his right foot. I like the way this book tells you about the Day of the Dead and that your loved ones will always be beside you.

By Graciela

El Espiritu de Tio Fernando is an excellent book describing the mexican celebration of Days of the Dead. The book follows a young boy and his mother as they remember his uncle who has died within the last year. The book is simple yet includes many aspects of the celebration. The illustrations are wonderfully detailed so as to show the emotions of each part of the celebration. The text is in both English and Spanish allowing all children to enjoy it equally.

This book features beautiful colorful illustrations and a very cute story, full of accurate cultural details. To be enjoyed by children and adults alike, it also is a great way to "teach" your kids about death, or to help them deal with mourning, whether or not you are hispanic.