Customer Reviews

The Human Tradition in Modern Latin America (The Human Tradition around the World series)

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

 

 

This book is an outstanding teaching tool for the undergraduate classroom, and a fine introduction to Latin American history for educated laypersons. The individual biographies cover a wide range of historical experiences, but share the unity of revealing the lives of ordinary Latin Americans from c.1800 to the 1980s. Castro, Pele, Evita & Juan Peron, etc. are not here, but the subjects are just as interesting & perhaps more representative. It is well-balanced according to gender, though coverage of individual countries is less so, with Mexico & Brazil well-represented, others less & many not at all. The level of scholarship is consistently high, and just as important, the contributors all write in an engaging & accessible style. Minor criticisms include the lack of any maps & portraits of the subjects, & much less full treatment of Latin American Indians. Further, since this work was boiled down from two larger works (19th & 20th centuries), there are fascinating lives which had to be excluded; personally I would have retained 3-5 more chapters & still kept it under c.350 pages. But one can always quibble.... Also regrettably, co-editors Judith Ewell & William Beezley--who treats his students to "Hawaiian Shirt Day" for extra credit!--justly point out the importance of humor in their intro., but have deleted many of the more exemplary chapters of that kind. Nevertheless, for many kinds of readers, "Human Tradition" is both a pleasure & a treasure.