South America Books

I was given this cookbook as a present by my Brazilian mother-in-law. It is truly a great cookbook, even though (I must be honest) I rarely cook from it. My husband (in spite of being half Brazilian-with Brazil having the world's longest continuous coastline) doesn't like fish. This book is fairly heavy on fish and seafood, as it should be.

Ofélia, a kind of Julia Child of Brazil wrote this masterpiece about brazilian cookery as the book of her life.
Recipes are fantastic and easy to do , pictures and lay out are simply wonderful.
You really will have a taste of Brazil with this book

Take this guidebook with you to Colonial Williamsburg, and it's almost like having a private tour guide showing you the high-points, and saving you wasted time getting around.

Buy it as a souvenir, and you'll have the perfect refresher of all that you've seen, with some in-depth information about the buildings and people of the town.

It's important to know that Colonial Williamsburg is, indeed, a living CITY, and there is more than can be seen in one day. The Official Guide to Colonial Williamsburg is a valuable tool for that visit.

If you are planning a trip to Colonial Williamsburg, this is the book to have! It includes detailed drawings of each building, shop, tavern, and official hotels in the historic area. This book tells about each point of interest and ticket options. If you want to read up about the historic area before or after your trip, buy this book you won't regret it

This is a great book with excellent color photography!!! Nice variety of photos, focusing on architecture, people and natural scenery. Good historical background given.

A fascinating photo essay on the Old City of San Juan, Puerto Rico, this coffee-table view book makes a wonderful addition to anyone's library. The authors and photographers did a wonderful job capturing the essence of the Old City's Spanish-influenced architecture, which were all inspired by the Santa Cruz District of Seville, Spain (Seville was the capital of trade between Spain and her colonies due to it's location). The cobblestone streets, religious buildings, and fascinating faces that bring this treasure to life are all here. Truly it gave me memories of my beloved homeland and a longing in my heart to return soon.

Whether you buy it for yourself or as a gift, the book's great price and format (it's a paperback) are great reasons to purchase it. Once you buy it , I'm sure you will be longing plan a trip to the island and walk through time.

If you are considering the military, if you just need some courage in your life, or if you just enjoy American History, this book is a must read. James Kirby Martin will become your mentor, but he will always remain a simple man. The most valuable part of this book is the reality of the American Revolution. It will open your eyes to the hardships that the ordinary soldiers had to go through so that you can sit here and read this review. READ IT...YOU'LL LOVE IT!

"Ordinary" hardly seems to be the appropriate description of one Joseph Plumb Marin. True, Martin never holds any rank of note in the Revolutionary Army, however his contribution to the cause of American independance transcends any momentary action or deed. Martin's greatest donation is this work, loaded with stories of struggle, pain and hardships that make him quite extraordinary. His colloquail style and humor, even in the face of starvation and death, gives the reader a new frame of reference with which to view the War for Independance.

This book was very well written. It provided an in-depth analysis to the politics of Latin America. Francisco Durand is a great writer and also a famous professor of poltical sciences. Good job!

Sweeping changes in many Latin American nations have transformed business elites into key political and economic players. This volume analyzes the extent to which economic and political changes have convinced business elites to strengthen their employers associations to influence the policy process. Also explored are the implications of these changes for the consolidation of democracy.

In the years after the Civil War, the South faced the challenge of redefining itself. After the initial steps made during Reconstruction, the South eventually embraced the development of a more diversified economy than the cotton-dependent antebellum period. This period is the subject of C. Vann Woodward's classic work, which chronicles the emergence of the region at the end of the 19th century.

Woodward argues that the "New" South constituted a sharp break in Southern history. In the years after Reconstruction, a group of pro-business elites (which Woodward terms "Redeemers") took power in the states of the South. These governments were run frugally, with an eye towards minimizing the tax burden on businessmen and property holders. Their policies in office were designed to maximize the benefits for their class, providing extensive economic breaks for railroads, industries, and insurance companies which succeeded in developing the region's economy. Success came at the expense of educational and social programs, which, starved of funds, failed to provide for the needs of the populace. The result was a region of great poverty, run for the benefit of financiers in the North and a small group of men within the South.

Such iron control was bound to be contested by disadvantaged groups, and Woodward spends several chapters discussing these challenges. The first came during the years immediately after Reconstruction, when the Redeemers struggled for the reins of government with groups seeking social improvements. Reformers won in a few states (most notably in Virginia), but the waning of Northern interest - and with it, federal aid - made theirs a losing struggle. The next challenge came in the 1890s with the rise of Populism, the culmination of the agrarian revolt that began with the Farmers' Alliance movement of the previous decades. While the Populists scored some notable political victories, as Woodward puts it "[i]t was pretty clear by 1892 that the controlling forces in America would be no more reconciled to a Populist South than they had been to a planter-Confederate South or a Carpetbagger-freedman South."

Close on the heels of Populism, however, was Progressivism. Though drawing to some extent on Populism, Progressivism was primarily an urban movement comprised of the middle class, particularly small businessmen. They joined with the remnants of the agrarian protestors to decry the monopolistic economic control of the region by a few (deemed "foreign") capitalist elites. Though the old Redeemer regime succeeded in blunting much of their effort, the Southern progressives did succeed in getting Woodrow Wilson elected to the presidency - the first Southerner to occupy the White House since Andrew Johnson and a powerful symbol of the South's success in returning to the national political scene.

Written over half a century ago, Woodward's book is still the starting point for understanding the modern South, shaping the way we think of the subject as few other books have. Though modified and supplemented by subsequent studies, it still informs how we view the era and how it shaped the country in which we live. As such, it remains indispensable reading for students of American history, as well as those seeking a better understanding of our nation today.

This work, along with the "Strange Career of Jim Crow" form the basis of much of scholarly study on the south for the last 40 years. Most strikingly, he shows the relationship between economic and poltical reform and the issue of race. Demagougery on the issue of race prevented reform movements liket he POpulists from ever proving relief for improverished farmers. Perhaps the most memorable line is "Progressivism was for white men only." He demonstrates how the same people who put in place reforms such as city manager governments, railraod commissions and other "good government reforms" were also the people who disenfrachised blacks and segregated public facilities. Woodward shows clearly the interrelation between race and class in the south at the end of the 19th century. A must read for any student of U.S. history.

If anyone has Portuguese or Irish ancestry, whose relatives immigrated to the Cape Cod & Islands in the 1800's, this book is a treasure trove of information.

There are family histories, celebrations, stories about what motivated them, what brought them joy. PLEASE, buy a copy for your children. NO ONE knows this history anymore.

Fran Karttunen has contributed a sumptuous clambake for islanders and the millions of 'coofs' among us, that is, off-islanders of every sort: tourists, summertime residents, historians, artists, fishing enthusiasts, day-laborers, weekend executives. And what do we find?
We discover a meticulously researched story of those who often lived behind the veil. They were those who rarely lived on Main Street where only those who counted resided, those mythical stoic Anglophile Yankee 'CAPTAINS.' But who "pulled Nantucket's oars" aboard the fragile whale boats and who labored behind the scenes, Karttunen asks? Who bunked in the fo'c'sles, hearded the sheep, cooked and served meals, erected homes then and now, lost indigenous property, or were themselves the enslaved property of others? Beyond the island's first people of color were the Canackas, Portuguese, Irish, Azorians, Jamaicans, Germans, Latvians .... They were and are us, Americans of every color and creed who have bonded together in some mysterious way by falling in love with this 'far away isle.' Fran Karttunen, herself of island stock, masterfully and compassionately unvails this untold story of the "other" islanders.

My daughter loves this book - Great Memorabilia from our trip to Washington D.C. This book has great photos!!!

Billy Wannyn

Terrific photographs. Ample coverage of the usual monuments and tourist must-stops. Refreshing attention is also paid to DC neighborhoods that make the city a great place to live as well as visit.

Page #54 is excellent.

This book celebrates Celia Cruz's life with the reverence this remarkable singer deserves. It's a wonderful book, not only for fans of Celia Cruz, but also for those families and libraries seeking to foster an appreciation for the vibrant latino culture in the Americas.

Though this book is targeted for the early elementary grades, my son, who is 22 months old, LOVES it! The text is rhythmic, engaging, and allows for different layers of depth of conversationg depending on the age of the child. The illustrations are sophisticated and add further layers of complexity to the text. I disagree very strongly with the Booklist review that says that suggests the text does little to invoke the rhythms of salsa. First, the sounds of salsa clearly resonate in the text. Second, the comment seems to come from a limited understanding of salsa music and salsa rhythms. This book is my new "everyone gets this as a birthday gift" for the children in my life!

We just moved to Michigan and our family lives in Atlanta. This book provided excellent hints and tips on keeping our child entertained for the long trip. It is full of information for entertaining pit stops. Instead of searching for ways to distract our child, now we can take a quick look at this book and plan our trip easily.

In a former life, I supervised the compilation and editing of thousands of directory pages each year. So I know a bit about the problems and goals of such information-publishing. And this one delivers. Specific information, concentrating on its topic, consistently presented. Plus, a good portion of fun and advice. If you're hitting the road down that long stretch of I-75, this is a solid and worthy investment.