Mexico Books

I got this book for my first grade son, who is intrigued by stories of early settlers. We highly recommend this book! Over several evenings, I read this book to my boys (age 6 and 4). The story was very engrossing --there was so much that my boys wanted to discuss each time we stopped reading. They enjoyed thinking about what decisions they would have made on such an expedition. The story is written very well. The pictures are fabulous.

You may have heard of Lake Powell, the man-made reservoir on the Colorado River found on the border between Arizona and Utah, that was created by the flooding of Glen Canyon. The reservoir is named for John Wesley Powell, a one-armed veteran of the Civil War who explored the river on a pair of boats in 1869, and is considered one of the most scenic lakes in the United States. "The Last River: John Wesley Powerll & the Colorado River Exploring Expedition" by Stuart Waldman, illustrated by Gregory Manchess, tells the story of an unlikely bunch of explorers. The ten men that boarded four row boats in Green River City, Wyoming in May 1869 included a one-armed geology professor, an emotional disturbed Civil War veteran, an Englishman whose knowledge of the west came from dime store novels, and a group of free-spirited westerners who did not take kindly to orders. Their mission was to explore the Colorado River, the last unexplored river in America, which flowed through hundreds of miles of canyons. Three months and a thousand miles later, only two of the boats and six of the men would emerge from the Grand Canyon.

After covering the geological origins of the Colorado River, Waldman tells how Powell, who lost his arm in the Civil War, became a professor of geology interested in the Rocky Mountains, and how the expedition was organized. The expedition itself involves running rapids and "lining" boats along the more dangerous ones, losing boats and men along the way. In addition to the paintings by Manchess there are black & white photographs of what these men saw, such as Flaming Gorge and Desolation Canyon, taken by John K. Hillers who traveled on Powell's later surveys of the Colorado River and its canyons. Often in the margins you will find sidebars containing quotes from the journals and letters of expedition members. The result is a solid introduction to the history of the expedition that will give young readers a sense of how difficult it was to explore the Colorado River. The main text ends by talking about the series of scientific expeditions Powell organized over the next decade that completed the first geological study of the Grand Canyon in 1880, so that by 1882 the map of the United States no longer had any blank spaces.

The Lewis & Clark Expedition is the greatest story of exploration and discovery in the history of the United States, and while the effort and consequences were decidedly smaller in scale, the Colorado River Exploration is in that same tradition. Waldman focuses on the story of the expedition, thereby emphasizing the journey itself rather than its results. One of the nice touches of this book is that the title page opens up to display a map of the area that traces the route of the expedition so that students can read about Powell's travels and follow them on the map at the same time. The back of the book has a section that tells what happened to the ten members of the expedition after it was over, and a list of sources, including Powell's own "The Exploration of the Colorado River and Its Canyons." Consequently, young readers who are inspired by this book to find out more about the expedition and its leader will be pointed in the right direction.

From El Planeta Platica journal - Subtitled "Reports from a didsappearing line," this book may be one of the best collection of border essays and insights. I've heard of the Cinco Puntos Press for several years, but never came across their publications until recently. The editors have wisely chosen to include some of the best writers from the region instead of the usual hash of academics. Writers, such as Maz Aguilera-Hellweg, talk about cross-cultural childhoods. Debbie Nathan eloquently describes her city - El Paso - with free trade and cholera. The ever-present Gary Paul Nabhan documents his trek looking for night-blooming cacti. When I wasn't laughing, I was crying. How often can you really say that about a book?

A wonderful book full of the rich flavor of the U.S.-Mexican border. Different writers bring the reader to the border through different reports about the region. Excellent book for border culture lovers. Different writers, different flavors of border culture.

If you like literate fly fishing books, pickup this one along with Gordon Wickstrom's 1st book. The author opines on sundry topics trout and fishing related. Shakespeare. Yeats. Fly Patterns. A very idiosynchratic book. If you like Frank Mele, Ted Leeson, Bill Barich, Mcguane at his most academic (in the best sense of the word) - you will like Wickstrom. Highly recommended.

In several of these essays, Wickstrom has stepped out of his niche as a writer on fishing to a position as a writer who uses fishing as a ledge to stand on whilst observing life its own self. I felt myself in the company of a first rate mind that has lived vividly and (much, much more important) thoughtfully in the great world beyond the banks of the stream. Melville knew that we are all drawn to the water, and that it needn't be a grim November to find us standing at the edge of whatever island we're on, looking out. Bill at the Canon City flyshop says that we go fishing because we need to stand in a river. And I think he's right. But most of us go stand in the river so as to build a cocoon of focus that excludes the great world, and so find rest and solace from its busy wounding and exhilarating interference. Wickstrom, from his ledge in the river, looks out on that great world and makes up thoughts about it. Those thoughts are refined and purified by the action of the river and his passionate attention to its denizens, but never do they use the river as a palliative or hiding place. Instead they use the river as a source of clarity and gravitas.
"Gravitas, the heavy tread of moral earnestness, becomes a bore if it is not accompanied by the light step of intelligence." So says the Oxford Dictionary, and they ought to know. Wickstrom's light step draws us in to relish and consider of his ideas.
What a fine book.

This novel is very realistic, I loved the story! The smallest details of his life come to life for the reader and you feel like you are there with Billy as he walks into court.

There is so little details about what really happened during this trial, but Boggs is very imaginative at filling in the blank spots, to put this historical event in a tangible perspective for those of us that weren't really there to be able to see how it was. He even does a good job letting the reader know what is fact and what is pure speculation, so you come away with a good sense of what really happened, all the while having read an interesting and entertaining book. Any Kid afficionado should read this one.

It's is a great book that transports you to a world full of adventures some happy and others hard, but always finding the bright side of life and of things. It made me feel the same things Renate felt and made me laugh when she enjoyed life. I think this is a superb book but also the story of her life is an example for everybody, to learn that there is only one life and one must live it to the fullest.

From Rosemary Boyd, Editor, Laurel Press: "Renate Horney is one of the most vibrant and energetic, yet 'mellow,' people I've ever met. An octogenarian who radiates youthful enthusiasm, she is constantly on the go. One could read her memoir simply to absorb the attitudes suitable for enjoying a gratifying and fruitful older age if the book weren't so much more. The following excerpted comments from some of her readers express how much more."

From Sara Reimer, writer for the NY Times: "Once I started reading "Lazarus, What's Next?" I couldn't put it down. I wish it had been twice as long--I wanted more. You've had the most extraordinary life and I loved the warm, funny, and honest voice you found to tell your tale. It was happy and sad and profound all at once. I laughed out loud..."

From Jeanne W. Frank, writer: "The book is wonderful. It has all the elements of a page-turner: spontaneity, thoughtfulness, honesty, and the joy of life."

From Laurie Linda: "I've read countless biographies and memoirs, but I found yours to be absolutely spellbinding. I literally could not put it down, enjoying every moment."

This is part 2 of Arthur Kopecky's published journals written while a member of the New Buffalo commune in the highlands of New Mexico some 35-40 years ago. It is an incredibly enlightening story that holds many a lesson for us today. The question is: will we be able to ultimately live together on this planet? At New Buffalo, the world seemed to be represented in microcosm. All the joy, sadness, achievement, failure, agreement, conflict... everything that life holds, was experienced by a group of courageous, hard working, loving (and sometimes embattled) participants in a daring social experiment. The narrative is incredibly real and filled with the kind of human detail that makes for the most compelling reading. I couldn't put it down and was profoundly impressed. Arthur's introduction and epilogue provide a point of relevance to today's world. Many of the same issues that confronted these young people are hanging over the heads of today's youth. It's just possible that we may be able to make a change by applying again some of the ideas represented in these writings... By all means, read both books, New Buffalo and Leaving New Buffalo!

At the Bolinas commune, I couldn't figure out why Arthur Kopecky was under the covers with a flashlight every night writing in his diary when everyone else was sound asleep. A couple years later when I caught up with him at New Buffalo, he was still at it. As the decades passed, I wondered if anything ever came of it. In 2004, I googled the recently published *New Buffalo, Journals of a Taos Commune,* which was published to great critical acclaim. This second book is a real cliffhanger: How will the visionary leader end up leaving New Buffalo? Arty was always criticizing everyone else for lack of commitment. He must get kicked out, but how could the world's most committed communard be forced off the farm he had coaxed up from a patch of Taos desert? Who will the bad guys turn out to be? Yes, a nail-biter, but more important, a vindication of the 60s. It is disheartening that nearing the end of oil, the media continues to denigrate the important accomplishments of the back-to-the-land movement. Arthur Kopecky's journals are living proof that the "hippie trip" had a point, and in fact was often very focused. They show that city folk, with a lot of hard work, can survive on a self-sustainable farm without food stamps (if the government will leave them alone; with the wars on drugs, terrorism, and immigrants and possibly a new draft, the government will be even more an issue in the future). As we approach the end of oil as cities become increasingly unlivable, many will by design or destiny find themselves in a country way. The successes and failures at New Buffalo are instructive, and they are entertainingly and heartbreakingly described in these journals. Most important in the demise of New Buffalo was the lack of initial structure. But this book is not a primer on how to structure a commune. For that, google the 40-year-old Twin Oaks and hundreds more at the Foundation for Intentional Communities site. Read these journals for the joy of the ride: for the beautiful descriptive passages of the land and its inhabitants and the hilarious anecdotes, for the exhausting and elating interpersonal relationships, for the late night runs across the moonlit mesa, for a high-fashion Halloween party in the kiva after the day in the dairy, for the almost-forgotten appointment at the clinic kept covered with goat cum. Read it to your children to laugh together and give them hope for the future. Who knows what the future of Arthur Kopecky, a.k.a. Answei Livingproof, will bring? I can't wait to find out, and I hope there will be more journals to read. (You don't have to read the first book to "get" this one; it briefly recaps the first.)

A Legacy Greater Than Words comes at a good time, when the anti-immigration hysteria seems to be focused on Mexicans and other Latinos. What if all the people noted in this book had not been allowed to stay, make a life, become citizens, and put themselves in harm's way for this country? I hope that many non-Latinos read the book and come to know the legacy of Mexican-Americans, my father among them.

this book contains actual interviews of hundreds of Male and female soliers, cavillians, activists, immigrants and day labors from the WW2 generation. Each tells about there experiances in WAR or taking over jobs men left to fight for our country. Storys of descrimination, pride and fear are told.

Being a direct descendant of Rafael Chacón -- his granddaughter Ernestina was my maternal grandmother -- I admit to the possibility of a biased opinion, but I truly think this is an absolutely wonderful book. Although the memoirs themselves are quite extraordinary, Jacqueline Meketa's additional biographical research and information is exceptional.

I think Meketa's own words will give you the best sense of the importance of this book -- the following is an excerpt from the last part of the Introduction, pages 8-10...

The Chacón memoirs are unique and must not be underestimated. He was an important figure in nineteenth-century New Mexico who, until now, has been overlooked. But, with the publication of this work, Rafael Chacón will assume his rightful place as the voice of literally thousands of Hispanic New Mexicans who, muted by illiteracy and overpowered by an invasive Anglo culture, were unable to communicate their values, tenets, and sentiments to both their contemporaries and to those who were to come after. By sheer strength, the English-speaking Americans were able to superimpose their own standards and mores on the Hispanic culture, which had been in place for centuries; even worse, some Anglos allowed neither their position as foreign newcomers nor their ignorance of the native language and customs to dilute, to any degree, their prejudicial judgments and attitudes.

Although a few open-minded Anglo visitors to New Mexico in the last century did give a fair rendering, in diaries, articles, and letters, of the native people, by far the majority were blinded by their own backgrounds. This typically Victorian attitude of white supremacy not only inflicted much pain but also perpetuated many untruths. Perhaps now the distorted portrait of New Mexico's earlier colonizers, seen through a glass darkly, will be corrected through the rare Hispanic perspective preserved in Chacón's account.

Rafael Chacón's captivating eye-witness accounts of life before the arrival of the Americans paint a picture of a people who, although lacking many of the advantages and trappings of a more industrial society, lived with dignity and contentment. Their very isolation and somewhat primitive circumstances had given birth to a way of life in which simple pleasures were much appreciated. Courage, self-restraint, sharing, courtesy, a willingness to work hard, and mutual respect were highly valued. And overriding everything was a deep bond to the Catholic religion, which thoroughly permeated the daily thoughts and actions of the Hispanic populace. Though they were frequently deprived of the sacraments because of the shortage of priests and the requisite cash donations, they maintained an ardent attachment to their faith.

Rafael Chacón's account of his life is a singular gem for a number of other reasons. Its very length, scope, and sweep make it unusual, but, in addition, the author was an educated man of talent who was, as far as is known, the only man present at so many critical events paramount in shaping the course of New Mexico history during the tumultuous nineteenth century. Chacón's writing is rich in anecdotes, personal insights, and stories that cannot be found in official documents or formal histories depicting the events about which he writes. It contains detailed and pertinent information, much of which was previously unknown. Even more interestingly, in several instances Chacón voiced opinions or made charges that subsequent research supported, exposing some clay feet and contradicting certain items which had been accepted as incontrovertible by many researchers and writers.

Inevitably, any written account is filtered through its author's sensibilities and must be judged thus. But the premier characteristic that Chacón's peers attributed to him was integrity, and so it seems safe to observe that he was a man of honor and scruples who tried to set down honestly and without prejudice what he remembered of past events. Research has shown that Chacón did make some errors, mainly in the area of specific dates and numbers, and these have been pointed out where known; but, overall, he did an absolutely amazing job. How many of us, in our mid-seventies, could look back over an entire life and recall events as accurately as he has done?

It was indeed providential that Rafael Chacón was blessed with a long life, for his longevity had the effect of enhancing the value of his knowledge of bygone events once time had elapsed and his contemporaries no longer survived. Unfortunately, it is often human nature to trivialize current events while still, paradoxically, assigning great value and interest to happenings of earlier times. Thus it was that after the turn of the century much more importance was attached to Rafael Chacón's memories by both historians and family and friends. This was the impetus that finally moved Chacón to labor for six years to complete his written account. It is expected that this, the most complete picture ever drawn by one man of the Mexican and early territorial periods of New Mexico history as seen through the eyes of a Hispano, will be of interest to many future generations.

Rafael Chacon (1833-1925), personally witnessed the end of the Mexican Period and was an active participant in commercial, military, and political events during the early decades of the American era from territorial status to statehood. Legacy Of Honor: The Life Of Rafael Chacon, A Nineteenth Century New Mexican is unique in its detail, anecdotal style, human interest and presents one of the few existent Hispanic points of view on the era and events surrounding the creation of New Mexico. Chacon wrote his memoirs in his seventies to record for his family the drama, adventure, and sorrow he had experienced, including his later service in the American Civil War. He fought at the Battle of Valverde, fought Indians under Kit Carson, escorted the first officials to the new established territory of Arizona, and was one of the few Hispanics to attain the rank of Major, commanding Fort Stanton at the end of the war. Chacon went on to serve several terms in the territorial legislature before homesteading near Trinidad, Colorado. Legacy Of Honor is a superbly informative, biographical contribution to academic American history collections, and fascinating reading for American history buffs.

Charles Cutter, professor at Purdue University and all-around nice guy, has written a superb overview of an often overlooked aspect of Spanish frontier history. Son of legendary Borderlands historian Donald Cutter, Charles proves himself a premier historian of the period in his own right.

Charles Cutter, professor at Purdue University and all-around nice guy, has written a superb overview of an often overlooked aspect of Spanish frontier history. Son of legendary Borderlands historian Donald Cutter, Charles proves himself a premier historian of the period in his own right.

This book is a wonderfully creative way of looking at the legend of La Llorona, as well as at a very interesting and controversial historical figure, La Malinche. The reader is able to get a fictonalized but very possible glimpse into the heart of the woman who helped Cortes bring down the Aztec empire, who bore the first mestizo children, who was considered a traitor by her people. This is definitely a book that people should read, especially those who are interested in Mexican culture, history, and legend.

This book offers a wonderfuly different and fascinating version of the legend of La Llorona, as well as another view of the very interesting and controversial historical figure La Malinche. The reader sees a fictionalized but possible glimpse into the heart of a woman who helped Cortes bring down the Aztec empire, who bore the first mestizo children, who was considered a traitor to her people. This is definitely a book people should read, especially those who are interested in Mexican culture, history, and legend.