Mexico Books

A great book of poetry that perforates the fake texture of Cuba's opressive system. Padilla dedicated one of the poems from this book to Yanis Ritzos, the Greek poet that was jailed because of his leftist stand. In contrast, Padilla was later arrested for his criticism of an imperfect revolution which he hoped to improve. This is a crucial book in the inmortalization of history and its mistakes which if forgotten or ignored..are bound to repeat again.

This is a brilliant collection of poetry that focuses in the nausea, fear and repression the author and many of his fellow Cubans have experienced under the 41 year dictatorship of the Castro regime. This book made history and set a precedent when it was awarded the UNEAC's (Union of Cuban writer's) Julian del Casal prize which resulted in the publication of it. A publication that ,soon after, was taken out of the shelves resulting in Padilla's imprisonment. Out of the Game (Fuera del Juego) and the historical consequences of it, are a clear reflection of the reality of Cuba's political situation. Writers from the left, such as Jean-Paul Sartre, Mario Vargas Llosa and Susan Sontag (plus many others)signed a letter accusing Castro's dictatorial state and breaking their former alliance with their ideal Cuban utopia. Mr. Padilla will be coming this year of 2000 to give a lecture to USC, those interested in the event can contact me for more information.

I don't usually like History books, because they always feel like reading homework. A friend bought this book for me and I didn't think I was going to be interested--but I was! What a great adventure story--as interesting as Lewis and Clarke or Captain Cook's stories of discovery. I didn't know anything about this expedition, and I've lived in California all my life. I highly recommend this to people who like a good adventure book with some interesting history.

Gateway To Alta California: The Expedition To San Diego, 1769 by writer, photographer, and historian Harry W. Crosby is the story of the first land journey to San Diego undertaken by Europeans in 1769. Crosby draws upon original sources such as the journals of Padre Juan Crespi, Joseph deCanizares (Captain Rivera's official scribe), Padre Junipero Serra, and Gaspar de Portola, as well as recreating the overland trek himself (literally on foot and muleback) to map out the original and historic route that went through the then unexplored, unknown, desolate wilderness of northern Baja California to found the community of San Diego. A strongly recommended addition to California Historical Studies reference collections, Gateway To Alta California also lists the names of the Hispanic members of this historic expedition party.

Excellent book which moved me beyond words.

With this book, Edmunds Bunkse (Professor of Geography at the University of Delaware) has produced both a moving autobiography, and a compelling account of humanistic geography. Bunske's life experiences and his professional projects are here intertwined, each motivating or informing the other. As an autobiography, this book offers an account of Bunkse's developing "geographic sensibilities" - or "knowing how to be in a place and how to find one's way about in geographic space" (13) - as these have been affected by experiencs of war, travel, parenthood. As a defense of humanistic geography, this book offers an account of how individuals' geographic sensibilities affect their understanding of and, more profoundly, their "orientation" in the world. This a geography of "heart and soul," wonderfully illustrated with the author's own life experiences.

Bunkse's choice of metaphor is apt. He links the practice of geography, and the development of geographic sensibility (which is nothing like geography education), with the humanistic concept of an "art of life." Humanists, certainly since Montaigne, have long upheld the view that each individual human life is like a work of art; each individual should be appreciated as a work of art is appreciated. Unfortunately, in many fields of study, such as geography, this humanistic perspective is overlooked. As Bunkse states, geography as a whole is generally lacking in humanity. Humans are present in geography, but not as complex and deep individuals. Bunske's book - and the work of other humanistic geographers such as Yi-Fu Tuan - attempt to redress the lack of humanity in the field. Bunkse achieves this by revealing the intimacy or depth with which he has experienced different environments (in both natural and urban settings), and the manner in which his imagination and experiences have informed each other.

Bunkse's book appears at a very propitious moment. Geographers are increasingly taking an interest in autobiography, or, more generally, the close study of individual lives. Hopefully, this broader interest in autobiography may promote more geographers to engage with humanistic thought.

All in all, this is a fine book. It is an enjoyable read, intelligent without being 'academic', and moving without any hint of sentimentalism.

A very interesting Book written about One of New Mexico's Greatest People!! A must have for NM history students and historians. I am not just saying this because he was my Great Grand Father.

Well researched and written biography of my Great, Great Grandfather. Tales of his colorful past and the many famous people he knew.

This book contains selections from Nicholas Callaway's other O'Keeffe books- One Hundred Flowers, In the West, and New York Years. If you own only one of them, this is the one to own. There are some surprising paintings in here, especially if you've only seen the flower paintings before. The book is quite large, and the color reproductions seem pretty accurate from the few paintings I've actually been able to compare. Wonderful book!

An absolutely gorgeous book of Georgia O'Keeffe's paintings of the southwestern United States. It's large size and fine reproductions make it one of my most treasured possessions!

The poems are approached and explored with different voices and forms, but they never feel like they are straying. This writing should not be missed. On a non-literary note, the wrap-around photo cover is an incredible match for what lies within. If you feel any of the "cultural" nuance of this picture, you will be touched by the words Luis Alberto Urrea has written.

I hate most poets, but I love out-of-whack word juxtapositioning and eerie language. This nugget of a book transported me into the movie "The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez" as it might have been directed by Luis Bunuel -- starring Neal Cassidy, and with additional dialogue by Jorge Luis Borges.

Join Yolanda Sahagun in 1973 as she learns about her past, her present and what will eventually shape her future.
Ghosts of El Grullo is the touching and emotionally connecting story of family, its trials and difficulties and yet how necessary and joyful it truly is. As a tender sequel to her first book, Patricia takes us further into the challenging journey towards adulthood that we must all venture on. Her story is a poignant tome, as she relates the immigrant/everyone experience to us in a way that shows us ourselves. She takes us though the odyssey of our coming of age; the difficult father and the under-appreciated mother, the struggle for freedom in a loving, but smothering environment. She is consumed with reaching independence, yet also consumed with the need to keep her family of eight siblings together. I found the book very emotional and enjoyable at the same time. In the end, it is evident that the most powerful of all love is the unconditional love of our parents.
Great book, give us more!

Patricia Santana is the daughter of Mexican immigrants and grew up in south San Diego, California. She has published several award-winning short stories and the novel, Motorcycle Ride on the Sea of Tranquility that was selected as a Best Books for Young Adults 2003 by the American Library Association.

Santana's new book, Ghosts of El Grullo doesn't disappoint. It continues the story of Yolanda Sahagun, a young woman whose life is similar in many ways to Santana's. She is a member of a Mexican-American family with eight siblings who live, work, love, laugh and cry in the San Diego suburb of Palm City.

El Grullo is the name of the village in Jalisco, Mexico, where Yolanda's mother grew up and where her aunts still live in the family compound. Every summer, Yolanda's family piles into their station wagon and goes to Mexico to visit family members there. The compound is old and the aunts tell stories of ghosts haunting the rooms and verandas. Yolanda was a sensitive and imaginative child and was very curious about the ghosts and about the family history.

In this book it is 1973 and Yolanda is about to start college at the University of California-San Diego. She has scholarships and plans to live in the dorms - away from her father and his old-fashioned and erratic rules and moods. College life is a whole new culture. She is constantly searching for symbolism and ways to mesh her Mexican-American heritage with her new freedom and with people she meets from very different walks of life.

Family crisis, family love, and everyday events are handled with such warmth and caring that I felt like I knew the Sahagun family (or at least that I wanted to know them better). Patricia Santana has created well-developed personalities - even the neighbors and Mexican aunts are more than just names on the page. I don't know how much of the story is based on Santana's own life, but she has certainly created a fictional family full of life and love.

I truly enjoyed reading the book and hope to find and read her earlier work.

Armchair Interviews says: Well-told story of family life.

The books great. The structure helps to understand other books by author. I loved the book

"Gift of the Yucatan: A Short History" by Trudy Sauri is an important source for the study of Maya history and culture. This concise history is fascinating and provides suggested resources for further study, a complete time line, a listing of archaeological sites of ancient cities, exquisite colored pictures, maps, illustrations, and charts which add to the understanding and appreciation of the narrative.

Although featured as children's literature, the book is an excellent summary of the Maya people and of the Yucatan. I wish I had read it prior to my own visit to the state of Oaxaca, Mexico. The "Gift of the Yucatan" series has created a new interest and curiosity for me to personally delve deeper into the ancient culture of the Maya, the Aztec, and the Toltec.

The book is thoroughly researched. Sauri's narrative is well developed and logically organized both topically and sequentially. The photos are clear and representative of the culture, the topography, the archaeological finds, and the architecture of the Maya. I highly recommend the book for educational purposes, self study, and for the pure enjoyment of reading.

This is an excellent book for those who are just getting interested in Southwest or New Mexico Archaeology. Definately a must read!

This is a great book for the casual reader on archaeology! The essays are entertaining, yet still enlightening, and are beneficial for both the newcomer to New Mexico and the long-time fan.

Those of you who are looking pure information without too much commentaries and cheap talk, this is good book.

I was looking for the information about this legend in as original way as possible. With every retelling we lose something and every writer will add something from the self so original information will be less and less.
There are commentaries also in this book- some very valuable and helpful in understanding the topic, some little distracting as they represent somebodies point of view, just the way they accept it.

So if you are interested about Quetzalcoatl I would recommend this book at first and then the others. By the way there are graphic illustrations from codices by every fiew page. Yes, good book.

Well written book broken into numbered sections. Great recount of the Feathered Serpents childhood, his parents, and early education. Enjoyed the life and teachings and the commandments chapter.