Mexico Books

(Spanish review -- English version appears below) Por fin, este excelente tomo sobre la historia dramática e importante del Batallón de San Patricio, que luchó al lado mexicano durante la intervención yanqui 1846-48, está traducido a español. Y no solo traducido, pero traducido por un general de brigada mexicano, y un historiador sobresaliente, Clever Chávez Marin. Entonces, toda la investigación rigurosa de Hogan, y toda la poesía de la historia, está disponible al lector hispanoparlante.

De herencia irlandesa (uno de sus antepasados aparece en la placa que conmemora el batallón en San Ángel, DF), Hogan también consultó en la pelicula "Heroes o Traidores", proyecto cinematográfico mexicano-americano que explora la aventura y tragedia de los San Patricios.

El libro es una respuesta fuerte a los muchos estudios extranjeros que han defendido el "destino manifiesto" de la época, y, con su estilo muy vivaz, ha alcanzado un nivel impresionante de popularidad, en México y afuera.

Hogan nos presenta una vista de de triunfos personales y históricos durante un conflicto que aun lideres norteamericanos como Grant y Lincoln consideraba vergonzoso, nos da nuevos datos y recursos derivados de su investigaciones através de muchos años, y nos permite, ya con la colaboración de Chávez Marin, celebrar los triunfos de este episodio y sus personajes memorables.

(English version of review) Finally, this excellent volume on the dramatic and important story of the San Patricio Batallion, which fought on the Mexican side during the 1846-48 Mexican War, has been translated, by a Mexican brigadier general, Clever Chávez Marin; an outstanding historian in his own right. Thus, all the rigorous research, and all the story's poetry captured by Hogan is now available to readers of Spanish.

Of Irish descent (one of his forebears appears on the plaque in a Mexico City plaza which commemorates the batallion's valor), Hogan was also consultant on the film "One Man's Hero" -- a U.S./Mexican project which explores the San Patricios' adventures and ultimate tragedies.

The book is a compelling response to many studies which continue to defend the U.S."manifest destiny" of this era, and, with its lively style, has achieved equally impressive popularity in Mexico, the U.S. and Ireland.

Hogan gives us a view of personal and historic triumphs during a conflict which even such leaders as Grant and Lincoln considered as "shameful", he gives us new facts and resources borne of his years of research, and now, with the collaboration of Chávez Marin, he permits us to celebrate the triumphs of the memorable characters who figured in this historic episode.

En este libro se nos narra la guerra más traumática que México ha tenido, por lo cual algunos de los pasajes que el autor maneja nos harán enojar (especialmente por la incapacidad de hacer algo y por saber el desenlace que tendrá). Sin embargo, el autor nos presenta un lado totalmente nuevo respecto a esta guerra: la participación de los soldados irlandeses del lado mexicano. Nos enseña que es por esta guerra por la cual los Estados Unidos es lo que es ahora, y como los irlandeses (que en ese tiempo eran los mexicanos del siglo XIX) vieron la injusticia cometida contra alguien más débil y similar a ellos que los mismos anglosajones.
Hogan hace una investigación seria que por primera vez incluye el lado mexicano, haciendolo constatar en las citas y documentos consultados. Es muy difícil que un autor supere este libro, por no decir imposible.
Si gustan saber respecto a la historia del Batallón de San Patricio olviden los demás libros y consigan este. La traducción es excelente, debido a que el traductor está inmerso en el ambito militar, por lo cual los términos usados son precisos y no pierden el sentido original del texto.
¡Excelente libro, excelente autor, excelente traducción!

An unparalleled accomplishment. Nina Barragan combines abundant research with an artistic panache ... producing a thorough and vivid narrative of the relocation of Russian Jews to Argentina at the turn of the century. This is a remarkable, powerful story, historical fiction at it's best. Told primarily through the diary of Rifke Schulman, a fictional yet deceptively `authentic' immigrant, the story unfolds leaving an imprint of this heroic woman's life forever in our memories. A beautifully crafted book.

The format is striking and gripping in itself. An imaginary journal of a remarkable, strong willed, independent woman is interspersed with short stories. The stories are poignant, contemporary portraits of Americans, each of whom has some tenuous link to the journal. The grandeur of this vision and the urgency of the details, make it difficult for the reader to put the book down. In the journal, the dramatic politics and cultural events of the early twentieth century come alive through unforgetable characters from the white slave trade to the striking unions. In the short stories we frequently come to know wonderful, engaging personalities who share a common reality: there are some things they just don't get. An unforgetable book!

This book is well written with some wonderful photos to boot...I enjoyed this book thoroughly and very happy with the purchase. Great photos, nice layout. Definitely earned a place on my bookshelf!

What an awesome journey this was with Pete Lourie. I didn't know anything about the Chaco culture, but after reading Lourie's book, I was inspired to visit. When I got there it was exactly like Lourie had described it. I camped a few nights in the canyon. Lourie perfectly captured the mystery of the place.

I love this book! I first read it, no, utterly devoured it, when it was published a decade ago. I was 17 at the time and was supposed to be studying another novel for English class (a novel, it is fair to say, of a different, more classical caliber) - decidedly an element which made me feel I was being just a little bit wicked for reading it. Not that Love & Desire & Hate needs any added spice. Mainly set in the post-World War II Hollywood and British film industry - Collins has dealt with the setting in a highly convincing manner - it had everything I wanted in a juicy read: a lusty leading man reminiscent of Ronald Colman (but with more than a touch of Errol Flynn), a French beauty with a tumultuous past in occupied France, a young starlet-nymphomanic, and an emotionally scarred woman with haunting, tragic memories, bent on vengence and desire. And those are only some of the scandalous and evil characters you will meet in this dishy "potboiler". A long-standing fan of Joan's sister, Jackie , I defintely say - without a doubt - that Love & Desire & Hate equals anything she wrote, perhaps surpassing it, the tone being more "romantic soap opera" than "hard-core Hollywood". It has a delightfully colorful cast, foreboding atmosphere, and thrilling suspense. Once you have read it, you won't soon forget it.

I love this book! I first read it, no, utterly devoured it, when it was published a decade ago. I was 17 at the time and was supposed to be studying another novel for English class (a novel, it is fair to say, of a different, more classical caliber) - decidedly an element which made me feel I was being just a little bit wicked for reading it. Not that Love & Desire & Hate needs any added spice. Mainly set in the post-World War II Hollywood and British film industry - Collins has dealt with the setting in a highly convincing manner - it had everything I wanted in a juicy read: a lusty leading man reminiscent of Ronald Colman (but with more than a touch of Errol Flynn), a French beauty with a tumultuous past in occupied France, a young starlet-nymphomanic, and an emotionally scarred woman with haunting, tragic memories, bent on vengence and desire. And those are only some of the scandalous and evil characters you will meet in this dishy "potboiler". A long-standing fan of Joan's sister, Jackie , I defintely say - without a doubt - that Love & Desire & Hate equals anything she wrote, perhaps surpassing it, the tone being more "romantic soap opera" than "hard-core Hollywood". It has a delightfully colorful cast, foreboding atmosphere, and thrilling suspense. Once you have read it, you won't soon forget it.

I have several low-fat mexican cookbooks and find myself using this one the most. Their recipes for corn bread, beans and soup are great.

This is a perfect cookbook! Not only are the recipes mouthwateringly delicious, they are simple and easy to prepare. The ingredient lists are fairly short and readily available at the neighborhood market. Many of the dishes take under 20 minutes to prepare.

Beyond the recipes themselves, the book contains some great reference information. There's a terrific illustrated guide to peppers, a glossary of mexican spices, and helpful hints for general cooking are scattered throughout the book.

This is an amazing value! If you're interested in low fat / high flavor cooking snap this one up!

The text and the photos are nice separately; together they make a masterpiece. This is much more than a coffee table book. It is preserving a way of life. A way of life that, sadly, most of America is far removed from.

Great book to have on the coffee table. Fabulous photos and interesting stories about real life kids and cowboys. I also like to sit and read it with my Grandchildren.

This book is just beautiful. I thought the story was great and the pictures incredible. My little girl can stare at them for hours.

"In this impressive first effort from two newcomers, Manuela longs for a new yellow dress for her birthday."

"The text is gentle, a fine contrast to the striking paintings in gold, aqua, terra cotta, and green, which use decorative patterns to capture the flavor of Mexico and strong portraiture to show the loving relationships in the family. The images are so compelling that readers will want more time to savor them before the tension in the text forces them forward."

From back cover:

"Maria Sabina, visionary and shaman, has long been celebrated in her native Mexico as an extraordinarily gifted woman. She emerges as a living practitioner of religious customs stemming from pre-Columbian times, and is the fount of wisdoms long thought lost to the world. She was born in Huautla de Jimenez - by her own reckoning over 90 years ago. She still lives there, speaking only her own native Mazatec dialect."

About the author:

"Alvaro Estrada, born to the same village as Maria Sabina, now resides in Mexico City where he makes his living as an engineer and as a journalist. His work in this book is direct oral testimony based on conversations with Maria Sabina in Huautla de Jimenez and on the shamanic chants which she recited in ritual ceremonies."

I spent time with her in the early 70's. Before I was introduced to her, I had no idea who she was. Fancy that. I went to Huautla de Jimenez because a beautiful young woman, in Tampico, had told me to go there if I wanted to "see God". I was in the ministry of tourism, looking at a big map of Mexico. She saw me and remarked, I can see that you are looking for a "very special" map. I said, yes. She said, I can tell you where to go. I followed her advice, met someone who was well acquainted with Maria Sabina, and spent some time with her, participating in and learning about her Velada. Maria was in possession of a very special map, whose pathways she followed when she sang. At that time, I felt as if my entire journey had been conditioned by Strange Attractors to deliver me to this encounter at just this particular moment in time. In the Christian spiritual tradition, which Maria was apart of, there is a concept of a specific moment in time when history is swallowed up by eternity. This book is important for someone who wants a little more background information about her and wants a good translation of one of her veladas. The woman was an existential Saint. The significance of this is hard for sophisticated urbanites to entirely grasp. She was an extremely advanced and individuated master of spiritual healing. When she sang, it was as if her voice shaped space and time in such a way as to draw the perceptible boundary of another, superluminal, dimension. This book provides a little insight into her personal history, but if you are unfamiliar with her original cultural context, you will not be able to read between the lines, which is essential to understanding.

I really love this book, and I use it in many of my classes. It gives a lot practical infomation about ancient Mayan times in a fun way for kids to enjoy!

Mario's Mayan Journey is a great book. It has a very realistic story and terrific pictures. I read it just a few weeks before going to the Mayan ruins.

Markets in Mexico turned out to be a great source of information for me as I was looking for specific facts about different states in Mexico. The book provided me with all kinds of information regarding the conditions of the economies, infrastructure, business activities and consumer markets. As an investor it was important for me to have a clear understanding of the potential risks and benefits involved before deciding which of Mexico's states to invest in. I also appreciated the list of state government agencies that the book provided as a source of contact. Markets in Mexico was very beneficial to me and I hope others will find it as useful as I did.

This book contains an exhaustive volume of data and statistics about Mexico and its states that you simply can't find ANYWHERE else.

I use it in my law/consulting firm in Monterrey on a daily basis.

I have looked for other publications, and nothing exists like this book, put out by the American Chamber of Commerce.

My only worry is that if enough people find out about this, I might be out of a job!