Customer Reviews

Dueling Eagles: Reinterpreting the Mexican-U.S. War, 1846-1848

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A wonderful and mandatory book for any Mexican War enthusiast. The best article is from one of the two Mexican historians, Miguel A. Gonzalez Quiroga. He examines the humanity on both sides. Mostly ignoring whose fault the war was, he writes a beautiful eulogy of the dead of both sides. Wonderful! The worst article was the other historian from Mexico, Josefina Zoraida Vazguez. She beats a dead horse. Her argument has been argued by American historians since the 60's. However, Sam Haynes's article on relations between the US, Mexico, and Britain is superb. It not only discusses the almost inevitable conflict with Britain and the US prior to the fighting at the Rio Grande, but also points out the why the British were not coming in to help Mexico. Another superb article was by Michael Roth's article on Journalism in the war. Roth's work is a must for those interested in the cultural side of the American soldiers experience in Mexico. Overall and excellent collection of work.

Dueling Eagles is a great attempt at telling the lesser known stories of the Mexican American War. The editors have taken time to include stories of peoples and groups that are often forgotten when reading many books written about this war. The format is engaging due to the multiple authors who contributed their essays for this publication. I enjoyed reading this volume.

The only downside to this work is that it strives for balance between Mexican and American views but only includes two works by Mexican authors. It seems as if there could have been more Mexican views included if the editors truly wanted to achieve balance.

The story behind this book is almost more interesting than the book itself. In 1996, the University of Texas at Arlington hosted a symposium marking 150th anniversary of the beginning of the U.S.-Mexican War. This book consists of articles edited from the papers presented at the symposium.

Dueling Eagles might be a good starting point for serious study of the social and societal impacts of this war, however a few of the writers "wander off the farm" of objectivity by allowing personal emotions to creep into their discussion. Some take it even further by quoting historical figures, and only in those cases when those pronouncements support their own personal opinions.

Don't let this be the last book you read on the subject!

Thanks, this book is one my husband has been wanting but there was some confusion whether he wanted Dueling Eagles or Duel of Eagles, both about the battle of the Alamo. I just got both. Delivery was timely and arrived in good condition.