South America Books

Now retired Marine Corps Colonel Williamson was a young officer when he first went to Haiti in 1958. One of the few still alive who took part in the ill-fated effort to professionalize the Haitian "Army", which was what Papa Doc Duvalier asked the U.S. to do, he is uniquely qualified to chronicle the events of a group of Marines trying to carry out their orders in a byzantine situation.

The US Naval Mission, begun with such high hopes, gradually came face to face with the reality that Duvalier's motives in asking the US to his country were anything but simple, and that a professional, well trained corps of officers and soldiers was the last thing he wanted.

As the US Mission labored to do what it had been sent to do, Duvalier, like Penelope at her loom, seemed determined to counteract every US action, cashiering the most promising officers, allowing graft, killing when he deemed necessary.

While encountering resistance from Duvalier, the Marines were also charged by Haitians opposed to Duvalier with being midwives to the birth of the feared Haitian secret police - the "Ton Ton Makouts". Drawing on many heretofore classified documents, Williamson chronicles in great detail the frustrations encountered by a highly motivated group of professionals who came to love Haiti even as their eyes were opened to the havoc wrought upon it by its Machiavellian Dictator.

Until now, the most read accounts of events in Haiti from the election of Francois Duvalier in 1957 until the tragic events of April 1963 were Diederich's and Burt's, "Papa Doc: Haiti and Its Dictator", and the Heinls' comprehensive 785 page history of Haiti, "Written in Blood". The former barely covered the military advisory missions, while the latter could afford just a few pages to this era.

No matter, because Colonel Charles T. Williamson's "The U.S. Naval Mission To Haiti 1959-1963" is now without doubt the definitive record of that episode in U.S and Haitian history.

Colonel Williamson has masterfully researched, organized and presented a story of foreign policy that started with good intentions, gung ho American military advisors. and Haitian armed forces (FAdH) officers eager for military assistance, all of which soon turned into disastrous foreign policy, disenchanted American advisors, and young Haitian officers and soldiers and their families fighting for their very lives. The author makes clear that the times were challenging, exciting, sometimes dangerous for Americans in Haiti and, sadly, always dangerous, often tragic for the Haitians.

What started as a concise monograph that might serve as an "official history" of the U.S. Naval Mission To Haiti grew rapidly as the author sifted through national archives, daily reports, contingency plans, and old military records. All the while he searched for Haitian and American friends and acquaintances of four decades ago to rekindle memories of their experiences and perceptions of the period. The book is an interesting, easy-reading chronological narrative, punctuated with anecdotal material about events and people, both Haitian and American. Williamson lists every member that served in the naval mission, even noting what a few are doing now. He presents his own incisive analyses of the U.S. foreign policy for Haiti, (especially shortcomings), the successes and frustrations of the American advisors and many of their FAdH counterparts, and the motives and intentions of Papa Doc and others. The author's commentary continually emphasizes the never-ending plight of the Haitian people.

Admittedly, it is very easy to be biased toward a book that accurately, interestingly, and minutely recounts a part of history that one has lived through. The plain fact is that Colonel Williamson has given us a great read. Graham Greene would have liked it.

This irresistible book about trains shows, in photographs in lavish color, the evolution of railways from its beginnings to the present day. And at the end of the book there are the profiles of those great railroad engineers who helped lay the foundation of this transportation system (which is far from being a part of the past; in Europe, Japan, India and China it remains the most used form of transportation). Greatly reccomended for train buffs.

I have been waiting for DK to publish a train book for adults. Ultimate Train is done in classic DK style with lots of pictures and brief, but relevant, text. This book is long-awaited and sure to be a hit with any adult (or child!) train lover.

I have read parts of this book in its pre-publication stage (because the publisher hasn't released it yet) and it is vivid, exciting, moving, personally inspiring, life changing -- everything you could possibly hope for in a book. I hope the publisher realeases it very soon so that the rest of the reading public can experience the eye-opening and heart-opening truths that this story reveals.

The day we wrote this, Anthony had just stopped by our library on the last third of his adventure. He is a wonderful young man, friendly and warm and willing to answer questions I am sure he hears every day of his trip. As soon as he left, we ordered this book, knowing that it will be a very important addition to our collection. How nice to read about this subject written from the point of view of someone who has actually retraced the steps of his forefathers! Highly recommended!

Want a grand dose of culture? One doesn't have to go much further than Bolivia. "Understanding Bolivia: A Traveler's History" explores Bolivia's rich history of cowboys, religion, carnivals, silver mines, ancient American history, and that's just the beginning. With a special look at adventurers who have traveled through Bolivia through the years, "Understanding Bolivia" is a must for anyone interested in the country or planning a visit.

This book is a treasure, so much more than just another travel guide. The information that you might find in other travel guides in short sidebars and notes (those bits that most of us find so fascinating) becomes the focus of the author's work. Bolivia has a rich history and culture, dating back over 2,600 years. The book takes us from ancient times to the modern day, chronicling events and traditions and economic and political changes along the way. Lougheed doesn't shy away from a story. Weak leaders, revolution and the "war on drugs" are covered, as are human rights issues and the working conditions of silver miners today. You get a sense, though, that the author has a deep affection for the country and the people and this comes through, in the stories and in the beautiful photographs that add so much to the book. I understand that the publisher, Harbour House, will be publishing more "Understanding..." books (the first, I believe, was Understanding Belize, and this is the second). Well done! Travellers and armchair travellers will approve. This is what travel writing should be.

"Understanding Spanish-Speaking South Americans" is the most in-depth and unbiased analysis of Latin American cultures I have encountered. It helps readers truly understand the internal logic and cultural intricacies of each country within the mosaic of South America. The author's personal experience of life in Latin America enables her to present content which is authentic, accurate and fascinating. Congratulations for such a well-written, wonderful book!

Understanding Spanish-Speaking South Americans: Bridging Hemispheres by Skye Stephenson (who draws upon his many years of experience in directing study programs abroad through South American, and especially in Chili) examines the nine Spanish-speaking nations of South America: Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Columbia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela. History; geographical influences; the mix of Spanish, African, and European cultures and settlers and their effects upon on each of the nations; and a great deal more combine nicely for a college-level, informed and informative presentation. Understanding Spanish-Speaking South Americans is a unique and highly recommended addition to International Studies reference collections in general, and South American Studies reading lists in particular.

If you are into Marine Corps history this book is a must. Marines have participated in every military conflict in U.S. history and the Civil War was one of them. Very enjoyable, and something new to learn. Semper Fidelis!

The United States Marine Corps In The Civil War: The Final Year opens with the elevation of Major Jacob Zellen to the commandant of the corps, over officers senior to him. This ended the policy of accession to that post by seniority and established the precedent of deep-selection. Civil War historian David Sullivan provides a complete account of the marines in the desperate, bloody fights at Mobile Bay, Honey Hill, Tulfinny Crossroads, and Fort Fisher. Active on all fronts during the last year of the war, marines also played a little-known role in the events surrounding the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Sullivan concludes his invaluable, highly recommended and very welcome contribution to Civil War studies with a detailed refutation of the spurious, erroneous, and derogatory conclusions that have hitherto obscured the historical record of Marine Corps involvement in the American civil war.

Living in Colombia for a year I found this book to show areas of Colombia I have seen and then some. It is one if not the most beautiful country in the world. Colombia has a bad rep, don't let the American press fool you, look at this book and let it be the start of your search for the real Colombia, one of passions, diversity and paridise. The stories go well with the pictures to paint a picture that can draw one in.

Colombia's beauty is exposed at its most: mountains, rivers, deserts, forests... its varied ecosystems -- from the rich tropical rainforest to the coastal cloud forests to the open savannas.

Ellen Bromfield Geld's new book View From the Fazenda is a delightful chronicle of her life as an immigrant to Brazil in 1961 up through today. She and her entrepreneurial husband Carson moved to Brazil as bright newlyweds, but without many material things other than the clothes on their backs. After several jobs on ranches, they accumulated enough funds to buy a small farm of 240 acres. Unlike most typical Brazilian farmers who lived in town, the Gelds quickly built a small house, making it the focal point for the recreation from a monoculture coffee farm into a diversified model. Showing a true love of the land Geld, writes of the many conservation innovations they bring to the farm with terracing, crop rotations and other ecologically friendly improvements.

Her travels throughout Brazil are interesting and well told. The best are her experiences in the fragile Amazon in Alta Floresta; Riding the riverboat on the River Sao Francisco; and the beauty of the relatively unknown Plantanal. She vividly describes the wonders she encounters in these sparsely populated, wild west areas of Brazil. While explaining these new areas, she also expresses her uneasiness and concern with how development is occurring in many of these areas relating them to the older areas of Parana that she saw develop when she first arrived in Brazil.

Several of her stories in the book are particularly humorous. Two of the better ones are how she has to show a group of Brazilian tourists that an American motel is not paid for by the hour and her experience of riding the Brazilian equivalent to the Orient Express.

Her forty year experience of adapting to a new country, raising a family of five children (all of whom study abroad but return to Brazil), and seeing the changes that occur over forty years is extremely interesting. It brought to mind what my ancestors might have faced when they came to the U. S. several generations ago to begin a new life as farmers in a very strange land.

I started the book over a weekend and couldn't put it down. It is highly recommended.

After posting my review of Geld's book, I read the review written by an unnamed person in the Publishers Weekly. This reviewer read a different book from the one I did, or worse chose only to skim it, with the thought of writing from their own biased understanding of Brazil. I would be willing to wager that this reviewer has never set foot on a farm nor taken the time to understand a country as big and diverse as the U. S.

The reviewer obviously wanted Geld to delve into the ecological problems of developing in the Amazon River basin and discards completely Gelds questioning of the long term issues related to development in the Amazon River basin. Geld very interestingly compared development in Parana, which she witnessed when she first arrived in Brazil, with what she saw occurring in the Amazon.

The political realities of agrarian reform are also lost on the reviewer. Several times in the book Geld explained how politicians in their attempt to improve conditions for small farmers, often complicate and hinder proper development of land. Geld's description of the small farmer who couldn't get title to his land, because the government was concerned that title would allow him to sell his land, but resulted in him not being able to borrow money to properly improve the land was but one example of her understanding and admirable description of these complex issues. Geld's quote of her father, "Poor people make poor soil," is very appropriate.

Your comment, "...parallels between the rich Ohio agrarian society of her youth and the subtropical poverty of a Brazilian farm economy", is laughable. I have visited Louis Bromfield's Malabar Farms twice in the past ten years and can tell you that the surrounding farms are anything but rich. Due to the diligence and innovative farming practices of her father, he slowly turned a run-down Depression era farm into a marvelous, model, working farm. Brazil's agricultural economy is far from poverty, as the country is rapidly overtaking the U. S. in farm production and productivity. This unnamed reviewers comments reflect either ignorance or some other hidden political agenda...

This is much more of a picture book than I had expected but it is a fascinating book. For the most part of it's 270 pages there are full page photos of plants, places and traditional people of Amazonia engaged in the use of medicinal plants, traditional art or music. Accompanying the photos are brief one to two paragraph descriptions of what peoples use the plant, where they are located, where the plant is found and what its traditional usage is.

The black and white photos are of places rarely seen including sacred waterfalls, rock formations, unique endemic forest and plant communities that are not often depicted in photographic books on the amazon region.

This is a great book to thumb through and read as your curiosity is caught by one page after another showing a scene of extensive forest, a cliff-side pictograph, a strikingly bizarre flower. It is not a detailed text of ethnobotany, it is more like coming across an explorer's own notes and pictures that gives you a since of privilege to view.

The collaborative work of Richard Evans Schultes (formerly Jeffrey Professor of Biology and Director of the Botanical Museum of Harvard University) and Robert F. Raffauf (formerly Professor of Pharmacognosy and Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions, Northeastern University, Bost-on), Vine Of The Soul: Medicine Men, Their Plants And Rituals In The Colombian Amazonia has been newly re-issued by Synergetic Press and is an informed and informative exploration of the religious beliefs and superstitions of the people native to the Colombian Amazon River area. Here studied are tribal sacred dances, art, petroglyphs, and architecture, hunting and fishing rituals, and more. Vine Of The Soul is wonderfully enhanced with different black-and-white photograph, and text captions describing particular aspects of the Colombian Amazonian native traditions represented therein. A beautiful and absorbing tour of faith and spirituality, Vine Of The Soul is a core addition to personal, professional, academic, and community library Amazonian Studies reading lists and South American Indian reference collections.

I am intersed in the upper amazon.
i have a web site on some thing like this
it is www.peru-hotels.com

An excellent book! De Rios explains how the visionary vine (aka ayuschua) is used in Peru/Amazon areas. First she describes the history of halligens that have been used since ancient times for medicinal purposes and for rituals. She explains how the US forbids the use of drugs for such reasons and explains why it is accepted in other countries. She explains the ethnology/demographics of the Peruvians which sheds a lot of light on why these people turn to the visionary vine in times of distress/illness or for other ritual purposes. This is a fabulous book and a must read for anyone who loves anthropology and ethnobotony!