Mexico Books

" 'I can't do it anymore,' he [Buyer's then husband] says. 'Not the physical work. I could still cripple by with that. It's just the mental work, the worry, and the stress. I just can't do it anymore.'

" 'I know' is all I can think to say. When he adds nothing further, I say, 'I'll help you. Whatever you need to do.'

"I do not try to hug him or touch him or console him. I know better. He prefers being alone with his own suffering."

Ranch life is dirt, labor, wind, drought, deaths, births, wants, sacrifices, uncertainty, exhaustion. Why choose it? Because it is also stars, peace, calves, kittens, satisfaction, love, spring--"a meadowlark trills notes as sweet and soft as homemade ice cream. The song breaks my heart and then mends it back."

Read SPRING'S EDGE. Experience the poetry of ranch existence.

Laurie Wagner Buyer's memoir about one key spring when her life and marriage were on a precipice and yet the calves kept being born and the snow kept falling is beautiful and affecting. Her powerful feel for the legacy of the past, her keen observation about the color of the sky or the dimension of the stars, and even her desire to create art by keeping notebooks full of the details of days that seem never to change, yet must; all this adds up to a book you won't want to put down. This would be a perfect book club selection--plenty of material to discuss, cry over, and rejoice in. University of New Mexico Press should be commended for bringing this book to life.

Sometimes a story wraps itself around you and won't let you go. For me, Laurie Wagner Buyer's memoir, Spring's Edge, is one of those stories. Her book offers a rare insight into her life as a rancher's wife, a way of living that is at once remarkably sturdy and frighteningly fragile.

Buyer and her husband Mick--he in his mid-sixties, she some twenty years younger--raised cattle on six hundred acres in the mountains of Colorado. It's a tough life, made more difficult for Buyer by the realization that her husband is fast reaching the point where he can no longer manage the physical work. Since he intends to leave the ranch to the children of his first marriage, she has essentially no stake in the ranch to which she has contributed so much. What will she do--what will they do--when her husband can no longer live the life on the land that keeps him going? What will happen to their marriage if their work on the ranch no longer holds it together? On top of this, Buyer's father develops cancer. It is a situation that would bring most of us--those used to more comfortable, more predictable circumstances--to the brink.

But the Buyers soldier on, doing every day what must be done to keep the ranch going, the new calves alive, their fragile relationship in one piece. Buyer's journal of four difficult months in 1997 is a quietly compelling story of a doomed marriage and a ranch life under pressure from rising land taxes and encroaching developments. "We're on top of the mountain looking down at the wreckage of the times," she writes. "Age, inability, financial impossibilities, an anti-ag attitude in the community..." As local ranchers sell out, hay prices rise, and local agricultural businesses fail, the people who stay on the land demonstrate a tenacious heroism, although they pay a very high personal price.

Through all these challenges, it is the land itself that sustains and endures. Buyer's lyrical descriptions of the earth's coming alive with spring are full of hope and promise. "More snow, some rain, lots of sun, and our world will dance a greening jig," she writes. Later: "Snipe song ripples through the sky. Spring comes again fresh-faced and welcoming." Still later: "I sense the atmosphere hanging on life's balanced scale, ready to tip into full spring with the weight of one more robin, one more blooming pasqueflower."

But while winter is long ("A remember-winter wind cartwheels off the peaks with chilled intent"), the people are strong, and Buyer revels in their strengths. Her husband is "a man born to the land, bonded to earth by his birthright and by his stubborn, even zealous, dedication to a way of life." Her friend Gail loses her front teeth when she's helping check cows for pregnancy: "The fiftieth cow flung her massive head and hit Gail smack in the face. Teeth and hat went flying...[S]he grabbed her hat, stuffed a couple of tissues in her mouth, and went back to work because there were still ten cows to go." It is as if these men and women both draw their strength from the land and develop it in opposition to the land's brutal hardships.

A prizewinning poet, Buyer tells her story skillfully, working from journal notes (sixteen legal tablets) gathered, assembled, and polished. She focuses on the present, but also gives us intriguing glimpses of a puzzling past, enough to give us a sense of the development of this marriage but not enough to answer all our questions. (A remark on her website, that she "came west from Chicago as a mail order bride," compounds the mystery.) The book's epilogue, written some ten years after the events documented in the journal, brings the reader up to date with events in the Buyers' lives.

Spring's Edge tells a remarkable story. I won't forget it, and I don't think you will, either.

by Susan Wittig Albert
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women

Struggle for the Gulf Borderlands is the best single book on the often-overlooked Gulf Coast Theater of the War of 1812. Well written and researched, Struggle for the Gulf Borderlands brings to light several little understood aspects of the War of 1812. First, it illustrates the previously overlooked interrelation of the Creek War and the bearing it had on the outcome of the War of 1812.

Secondly, it details all military and political actions on the Gulf Coast leading up to the Battle of New Orleans. Most books focus only on the events of the battle, ignoring the many actions that had a direct influence on how the Battle of New Orleans was fought. Struggle for the Gulf Borderlands describes these events so one can understand thier impact on the outcome of the battle itself.

Lastly, Struggle for the Gulf Borderlands brings to light the divergent Southern opinion that the War of 1812 was a great military victory. From the Southern perspective, victory was nearly complete; the Creeks had been destroyed (opening more land for settlement); the Mobile territory had been annexed; and a major British invasion had been decisively stopped. The book contrasts this Southern perspective to the typical Northern view that the War of 1812 was at best a draw, which is the general view put forward by the majority of books on this subject.

Overall, the book is readable and informative. It is important for the new ideas and information it brings to the history of an area and a period. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in either the Creek War or the War of 1812.

Dr. Owsley tells the story of the Gulf area during the War of 1812 in a very readable manner. His work is quite thorough and includes a lot of detail about the skirmishes and battles. I recommend this to anyone with an interest in the War of 1812 and the Creek Indian War. The research done was well documented and any student of history will find this a great source.

For decades to come this will be the standard reference work on this topic. Superbly researched utilizing not only the usual American sources, but the previously untapped archives of Spain and Great Britain. Owsley has integrated the Creek War into the larger framework of the War of 1812 causing the reader at some point to pronounce "Eureka" as you begin to acquire a whole new perspective on Andrew Jackson and the conflict with Great Britain.

This may easily be the best history on the Creek War of 1813-1814. What could have been a completely altered history of the United States - if Andrew Jackson had not been in command, if he would have hesitated only weeks from the crucible campaign concluding at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend, if the British would have landed the state-of-the-art muskets, artillery, military advisors/trainers, and cavalry accoutrements several weeks earlier than they did, if the Spanish had been more pro-active than they were for the Creeks, etc. - would have prevented us from our Manifest Destiny! I never before have read all of this with such fervor, explanation, and detail. Owsley makes the point that too many of our historians have belittled our accomplishments in these two interrelated wars and downplayed their significance. Often we have been led to believe that the War of 1812 was a "draw." He makes the point that it was on balance a resounding victory.

Jackson's being in the right place at the right time for the Battle of New Orleans would not have occurred but for his role in the Creek War and the overwhelming victory achieved. We would not have had the experienced and trained troops in place under his command but for the Creek War. And, inasmuch as the British did not recognize the validity of the Louisiana Purchase, if they had won the Battle of New Orleans then the Treaty of Ghent signed in December 1814 would not have applied to any claims that they would have asserted over New Orleans, Louisiana, and their planned buffer states under the Creek Indians and their allies. The frontier would have been inflamed and we would have had strong buffer Indian states with which to contend and two mutually supportive European powers. All of this was prevented by Andrew Jackson and his juggernaut victory at Horseshoe Bend. The sheer quantum of international intrigue taking place at Pensacola and throughout the Gulf area is enlightening.

This book is highly recommended by this reviewer. You will receive a whole new perspective on Andrew Jackson and his brave Tennessee and Georgia troops in the Creek War.

It's surprising to see how actual the architecture in Mexico is nowadays.

Excellent, Norten is really building a new trend in architecture: the creation of spaces full of pleasure: light, functionality, metal and glass combined to greatness.

It's surprising to see how actual the architecture in Mexico is nowadays.

This very handsomely printed volume by Aperture of Tina Modotti presents an eclectic collection of her photographs, mostly taken in the mid-to-late 1920s in Mexico. Italian-born, Modotti emigrated to the United States, and then to Mexico, during which time she had an extended affair with famed photographer Edward Weston, for whom Modotti also modeled for his nude studies. Partially through Weston's influence, model and actress Tina turned her talents to photography, and the world has been better for it.

Because of her contact with other artists in Mexico, including Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, Modotti's photographic interests spread far afield. Thus, while her work lacks the singular vision of Weston's, her shrugging the cloak of purism revealed instead a versatile photographer and artist. Personally, I find her work more enjoyable than Weston's, though her career was much more short-lived.

Unfortunately for the world, political unrest and circumstances forced her to flee to Soviet Russia. An avowed communist, Modotti spent her time after 1931 helping political dissidents throughout Europe and later aided the Republicans in the Spanish Civil War. Because the rigid Stalinist regime had no use for her highly-stylized photography, she put her camera down upon arriving in Russia and never picked it up again.

In 1939, she slipped back into Mexico, from which she had been forcibly exiled, but in early 1942, died of a purported heart attack, just as she was planning to resume her photography.

Many of Modotti's photographs would be regarded as "derivative" by some of today's more cynical critics. Examples include plates of Jean Charlot, 1924 (reminiscent of August Sander), Roses, 1925 (see painter Georgia O'Keefe), Police puppets, 1929 (Man Ray), Mella's typewriter, 1928 (Albert Renger-Patzsch), and Wine Glasses, 1925 (Laszlo Moholy-Nagy). Modotti's photographs themselves are nonetheless strikingly graphic and uniformly excellent.

Other photographs in this book, particularly here women of Tehuantepec bear her stamp alone, and her photographs of Mexican laborers and sundry elements of the social landscape, such as photographs of telephone wires and posters predate work in a similar vein by Walker Evans. Clearly, Modotti was quite an influence on the quintessential American photographer.

If only Modotti had been a greedy capitalist instead of a selfless communist, then she would have left so much more material for posterity. As it stands, though, her body of work is a testament to a great creative mind.

I really enjoyed this lovely book of Tina Modotti's photographs. I thought the selection was quite unigue, not the usual ones I've seen reproduced in other books. In fact several of the photos I'd never seen before. Also the essay helped me put her work in context by showing how she developed as a photographer. To my mind she certainly was a master of photography, as well as a fascinating woman. A good book, at a great price!

Tina Modotti was not only a good photographer, she was a GREAT one! I don't think we would even know who she was today if it wasn't for her wonderful photographs. I loved this little book and it's a perfect companion to Margaret Hooks' excellent biography: Tina Modotti, Photographer and revolutionary. All Tina fans should have this!

If you are new to the writings of Victor Sanchez, then this is an ideal place to start.

Although the second book by Victor, following on from The Teachings of Don Carlos, it gives background and spirit to where Victor experienced and learned what he teaches, and therefore this provides an ideal starting place where you can get a sense of the mood and ethos behind the techniques and tools of the first book.

While the largest portion of the book is Victor's personal story of journeying to Humun' Kulluaby and the ascent of and ritual on La' Unarre, there are many insights and a couple of related conversations and stories regarding various things including the views of the Wirrarika on missionaries who have tried to "convert" and "save" them, through to some views "anti-anthropology" and explanations of what indigenous cultures, such as the Wirrarika, actually believe regarding multiple Gods and the Great Spirit.

The comments Victor makes about Western culture "putting ourselves at the center of everything" and viewing the "worship of nature" as primitive are I feel important concepts to reflect on (for those of us with a Western heritage) as it is indeed arrogance of this kind which I believe is a limiting factor for us in our own personal evolution.

A fragment of a conversation between Victor and a Wirrarika marakame relating a conversation he had with a pastor who insisted that the tales of Christ and the bible 'made sense' compared with the very organic beliefs of the Indians, to me sums up their wisdom. "But nobody tells me about Tatei Urianaka (the Earth), I see her every day! And every day I receive her fruits, corn, water, and beans. I can touch, walk, and live on her! And Tau (the Sun). Daily I receive his heat and his nierika (light, knowledge, vision, teaching). I don't have to do anything but look up and there he is." This, to me, is the beauty of a system which embraces the natural world (rather than 'separating' it). Learning is direct and experiential, through observation and interaction.

Overall this is a powerful and moving tale of a magical journey. Reading of Victor Sanchez's experiences provides inspiration for anyone who truly wants to discover and follow their own magical path.

Pre-Colombian with an o not u

For many of us looking for answers that doctrined religions cannot quite give us, Victor Sanchez has exposed a world where faith meets reality. Through his own research and paticipation, Sanchez experiences a spiritual domain that continues to exist admist the colonization and materialism now precedent around the world. Not restricted to boundaries of religion, Sanchez takes the reader through first hand understanding of what is possible when your allow and train your mind to believe in "separate realities." In a Carlos Casteneda like approach, Sanchez writes of his experiences with a group of Native Americans in rural Mexico, who have sustained their belief system and way of life before and after Spanish colonzation. Sanchez spent 15 years with these people and is sharing the world that these people "see." Those who have been exposed to Castaneda's work would find equal enjoyment with this book and have another supporting perspective of human capabilities with spirit and energy. Sanchez provides an answer to what is real to our eyes, may be only what we've been told and trained them to see. How easy is it to believe something you can't see, and if you do, should it be excused as hallucination or paganism. To the growing number of people not completely happy with formal religion, here is a glimsp of ancient wisdom that offers a possibility of human existence on a separate reality, one that is real.

This is an enchanting book, about a miraculous world, made accessible to the rest of us because of the author's delightful, cultured and very refined style. Her life is inspiring but also disquieting. She seems to find magic in the ordinary as well as the extraordinary and this is a challence to all of us.

A wistful book, an exciting book, very revealing of Mexico, with adventures known to few. A "poppy hunt" to track opium dealers in the mountains, the JFK Assassination, a coming of age in a unique country. Beautifully written, different, readable, thought-provoking. Here is someone who is not only concerned for the future of mankind and the planet but who is willing to commit to a code of conduct. I loved this book and highly recommend it.

If you are planning to visit Mexico,and would like to understand the unique Mexican Temperament....this book is a must read..well written by a gutsy lady

I read "The Trial of Davy Crockett" by Fletcher Rhoden last week. From the moment I picked it up I couldn't put it down, and now that I've finished reading it I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. It's an extremely well-written and carefully-crafted piece, and the author obviously took great pains with his research. I'm interested in Texas history, but I'm certainly not an aficionado of the genre. What really fascinated me was the humanistic approach that Rhoden took with the meeting of these two larger-than-life historical characters, Davy Crockett and Generalissimo Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, at the battle for the Alamo. It somehow combined the fanciful, what-if philosophy of "The Last Temptation of Christ" with the delicious possibilities presented in the best episodes of "Meeting of Minds or Steve Martin's wonderful play, "Picasso at the Lapin Agile". I recommend this book to anyone interested in American history, but more importantly, to anyone who enjoys a chance to listen in on what might have transpired beween great men with great thoughts had they had the opportunity to really get into each other's heads.

The Trial of Davy Crockett offers more than simply a must for Texas history buffs. In this novella, based in fact, author Fletcher Rhoden examines a dynamic character in Santa Anna and in so doing allows the reader a compelling account of Mexican history at a time when that country was shrinking under American expansionism. A subject all too often ignored by many American historians. The character of Davy Crockett does not wane in the shadow of Santa Anna. Written in a style so unique and intelligent, the reader cannot help but to keep turning the page. Santa Anna has become a sort of ogre in American eyes because of the slaughter at the Alamo and the brutality of the massacre at Goliad. The author's presentation of this dynamic historical period through the eyes of Santa Anna, definately gives the reader a thought provoking view of Latino History.

The Trial Of Davy Crockett is a speculative fiction novella. Author Fletcher Rhoden questions whether Davy Crockett was truly killed during the battle for the Alamo - or whether he was captured and executed by the Mexicans. The Trial Of Davy Crockett presents a hypothetical dialogue between Crockett and Generalissimo Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, which collide in an articulate, wry, thought-provoking, and no-holds-barred verbal conflict regarding the Texian Revolution and America's unrestrained expansionism. Neither Crockett or Santa Anna is stereotyped in the roles of hero or villain; their opposing points of view are given a clear and fair hearing, for all to see and judge for themselves. Based entirely on the facts of the revolution, The Trial Of Davy Crockett is a "must" for Texas history buffs and not to be missed.

If the narcotics trade was a constant irritant to U.S.-Mexican relations during President "Clinton's tenure, the migration issue flared up with a vengeance after the elections of George W. Bush and Vicente Fox in 2000. At first, the news was relatively hopeful: Both men insisted they were committed to finding a more humane and rational way of regulating the flow of Mexican workers into the United States. But as Davidow explains, there was never much potential for reaching a solution, particularly after White House political director Karl Rove decided that an immigration accord might alienate voters as the country approached midterm elections in 2002. "

- Washington Post

Review of

The U.S. and Mexico: The Bear and the Porcupine
by Jeffrey Davidow

Davidow, U.S. ambassador to Mexico from 1998 to 2002, witnessed the end of 71 years of one-party rule by the Institutional Revolutionary Party and the successful election of opposition candidate Vicente Fox to the presidency in 2000. This at times indiscreet memoir provides not only fascinating vignettes of the principal actors in Mexico City, but also sharp profiles of leading U.S. politicians and diplomats as they .dealt with the always prickly issues on the U.S.-Mexican agenda, from the border and corruption to U.S. insensltivity to Mexico's concerns and Mexican hypersensitivity to perceived slights. On occasion, Davidow evidently saw himself as the bear, unable to avoid the spines of the Mexican press and politicians. (He describes one former foreign minister as "like an irascible professor who has no patience for those who do not appreciate his insights.")

Among Davidow's many notable contributions in this book is an outstanding brief analysis of migration-the role of Mexican immigrants in the United States, the reasons why this population increased so dramatically during the 1990s, and the failure, despite an enormous increase in resources and personnel on the U.S. side, to halt these flows. He also gives an insightful account of the circumstances that led to Fox's victory (and the reasons why Mexicans' high hopes have not been fulfilled) and provides fascinating insider detail on the failed attempt by Fox to bring about a comprehensive migration agreement with the United States-which, Davidow writes, had much less to do with September 11 than previously thought. This vivid account of a vital international relationship, by an ambassador so recently returned from his post, must be unique in its candor. Predictably, it is already being widely discussed in Mexico, where it appeared in Spanish translation, and it deserves an equally wide reading in the United States.

Foreign Affairs, Volume 83, no. 3

Foreign Affairs, Volume 83, no. 3

Review of

The U.S. and Mexico: The Bear and the Porcupine
by Jeffrey Davidow

Davidow, U.S. ambassador to Mexico from 1998 to 2002, witnessed the end of 71 years of one-party rule by the Institutional Revolutionary Party and the successful election of opposition candidate Vicente Fox to the presidency in 2000. This at times indiscreet memoir provides not only fascinating vignettes of the principal actors in Mexico City, but also sharp profiles of leading U.S. politicians and diplomats as they .dealt with the always prickly issues on the U.S.-Mexican agenda, from the border and corruption to U.S. insensltivity to Mexico's concerns and Mexican hypersensitivity to perceived slights. On occasion, Davidow evidently saw himself as the bear, unable to avoid the spines of the Mexican press and politicians. (He describes one former foreign minister as "like an irascible professor who has no patience for those who do not appreciate his insights.")

Among Davidow's many notable contributions in this book is an outstanding brief analysis of migration-the role of Mexican immigrants in the United States, the reasons why this population increased so dramatically during the 1990s, and the failure, despite an enormous increase in resources and personnel on the U.S. side, to halt these flows. He also gives an insightful account of the circumstances that led to Fox's victory (and the reasons why Mexicans' high hopes have not been fulfilled) and provides fascinating insider detail on the failed attempt by Fox to bring about a comprehensive migration agreement with the United States-which, Davidow writes, had much less to do with September 11 than previously thought. This vivid account of a vital international relationship, by an ambassador so recently returned from his post, must be unique in its candor. Predictably, it is already being widely discussed in Mexico, where it appeared in Spanish translation, and it deserves an equally wide reading in the United States.

This book was truely a pleasure to read. Not only is it well organized and clearly written but the author shows how under-rated the revolutionary situation in latin america is. Do yourself a favor and read this.

This book provides an excellent analytical account of guerrilla groups in Colombia, Mexico and Peru. It relies on the works of classic strategists and some post-modern thinkers. It is very accessible yet profound.

A sweeping account of the origins, ideology, and strategy of the most important guerilla organizations in the Americas today. Rochlin draws on neo-Gramscian and post-Modern insights to explain both the structural causes of poverty in Latin America and the epistemic aspect of socio-political instability. He carries out this discussion so as to relate the development of guerilla movements to the absence of ideological hegemony and conflicting systems of thought within particular countries. All-in-all, an excellent, insightful, yet ACCESSIBLE read.

Barbara Harrelson writes: "Today Santa Fe is called the 'City Different', but New Mexico writer Erna Fergusson called it the 'City Incongruous'. In the 1928 Santa Fe Fiesta Program, she told visitors that 'Santa Fe's welcome to you includes this cordial invitation: to have your kind of a good time. Be yourself, even if it includes synthetic cowboy clothes, motor goggles, and a camera.'

"Incongruous Santa Fe invites you to walk its historic streets, browsing in its shops, galleries, and museums. It is best to explore Santa Fe in comfortable walking shoes -- carrying water to drink -- with map and guidebook, watching out for old streets with uneven sidewalks (or no sidewalks). It's no wonder that Santa Fe is one of the top walking cities in the country."

Harrelson leads walks for visitors, writes regular columns for local and national publications, and has put together this excellent guide filled with factoids about the many writers and poets that found Santa Fe fascinating. A few of the many personalities include D. H. Lawrence, Willa Cather, Robert Frost, Thornton Wilder, Carl Sandburg, John Galsworthy, Sinclair Lewis, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Alice Corbin Henderson, Witter Bynner, Spud Johnson, Mary Austin, Haniel Long and Oliver La Farge. Harrelson estimates that over a hundred authors and poets live full or part time in Santa Fe today.

Two other books deal with authors who found homes or inspiration in Santa Fe. Santa Fe and Taos: The Writer's Era, 1916-1941 (Southwest Heritage Series), according to Mike Smith's Review here on Amazon, "details the dramatic histories of both the Santa Fe and Taos writers' colonies, and does so clearly and entertainingly, drawing effectively from the authors' rich knowledge of New Mexico history in general. It's full of terrific photographs, and well worth whatever you pay for it."

Mike Smith also gives Literary Pilgrims: The Santa Fe and Taos Writers' Colonies, 1917-1950 by Lynn Cline five stars: "Everyone from Mary Austin to Willa Cather is explored here, as are D.H. Lawrence and Frank Waters. Among my recent research on the many writers of Santa Fe, this was certainly among the best books I discovered on the subject."

Walks In Literary Sante Fe is portable, clearly written and very useful to visitor and resident alike.

Robert C. Ross 2008

Santa Fe is home to an amazing abundance of well-known and talented authors--literally dozens of them--and this little book is an amazing guide to the city's incredible literary history.

The book is divided into two easy walking tours--one in the plaza area and one around Canyon Road--and using those two tours to give the book a structure, this very readable little volume gives a concise and clearly written crash course in the city's literary past. What's even cooler is that you can't really tell such a history without incorporating facts from the city's broader history, so by the time you reach the last page, you're guaranteed to know the City Different much better than you ever did. It'll make you see the place differently, for sure.

This is one of three great books about literary Santa Fe (that I know of), and certainly the fastest read of the bunch. For anyone who lives in New Mexico, and especially for anyone who lives in or visits Santa Fe, I couldn't recommend it more highly.

The author also gives actual walking tours of the city (which inspired this book), and if you ever get a chance to take one, you really should. They're as good as the book--except you'll need to find a place to park.

Barbara Harrelson has put together a wonderful way to explore the very interesting city of Santa Fe. More than just a guide book to Santa Fe, it is more like a knowledgible friend taking you by the hand and leading you on adventures both historical and modern.

For example. How many of us know that the English writer D. H. Lawrence owned a ranch a few miles from Taos, New Mexico, and his wife Frieda lived out the rest of her life there after D. H. died. They are both buried on the ranch.

Have this book in hand when you explore Santa Fe and the surrouning area, or when you just want to curl up in a comfortable chair in your home to learn something about the history of the Southwest.