From Scientific American
"Your solicitation for illustrators to freely submit one or two drawings from the enclosed text, Gringolandia, is one of the most impertinent examples I have yet to witness. Your lack of professional integrity along with the contents of your material is insulting to my level of expertise..."
And Linda Garcia, of El Paso, wrote:
"I don't know where you got my name, or where you got my address, or who you think you are, but if you don't stop sending me trash like this, I will notify the postmaster for this area, and have you declared a public nuisance."
The authors respond:
"We designed Gringolandia as a merry romp among the joys and sorrows of contemporary American life, but our jolly view seems to affect different people in different ways."
They go on to suggest that perhaps the cartoonists didn't like the gibes about pet whales from Japan:
"Through biselective breeding that is, scientifically uniting minnow-marrow DNA and whalebone RNA the Japanese have created miniature Killer Whales. Measuring no more than a finger-width from tooth to tip, they fit most home aquariums where they beg scraps of krill from their owners and swim about squirting up tiny water spouts that help to aerate the system."
Review
In truth, it's a wry look at American customs, lifestyles, and ideals. For instance, on the subject of "Nannies,"
"American families believe that Mexican women make great nannies. In fact, several famous and important American women have given up their jobs in politics so they can be home with their nannies to help raise their children."
Or this, on "Public Schools:"
"Children leave early each morning to go to public schools. However, once there, they are not allowed to read books on sex or the origin of the species. Americans are very strict about this, because this keeps the children from becoming unwed teenage parents before they graduate. Fortunately, children do not mind being forbidden to read books because they don't know what books are. They only recognize words when they appear on computer screens."
The book includes a brief "History of Mexico," which includes such items as,
"The Mexican system is based on government parties like the Republicans and Democrats in the U.S. but combined into one party for simpler TV advertising. It is called the FRE. It is the only party allowed to win elections, although the other parties are permitted to hold dances and sell T-shirts. Every six years, the outgoing president devalues the peso. Shortly after, the incoming president finishes his semester at Harvard Business School and declares an austerity program." -- From the Publisher
Avid humor and cultural insights abound in this comic examination of the ironies and inconsistencies of American culture. 'Puzzled Mexicans' are the slated audience for tongue-in-cheek writings commenting on all aspects of American culture. -- Midwest Book Review
