Customer Reviews

Mexican Brick Culture in the Building of Texas, 1800s-1980s (Rio Grande/Rio Bravo: Borderlands Culture and Traditions)

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Having grown up in the Mexican brick culture along the border (South Texas and Mexico) I found it odd that so much of the book is about Anglo owned brick companies instead of Mexican owned brick companies. I knew most of these people and the way their stories are portrayed is simply not accurate. It seems that the author had an agenda as to how he wanted to perceive border brick culture and therefore was unable to be objective about much of the way the business of brick making actually transpired as well as exactly what it takes to make brick. In addition, his sources for many of his chapters are much too limited and open to question regarding the validity of the stories told. In fact, a number of the "informants" in this book are simply bending the truth, and the author doesn't take the time to check whether or not they are accurate. This is unfortunate because the story of borderland brick culture in northeastern Tamaulipas, Mexico is a fascinating story. The author simply missed too many details, i.e., he never mentions the Italian connection to brick making nor does he mention the devastation to the industry after Hurricane Beulah in 1967 or during the Reagan presidency when a campaign of misinformation was waged against Mexican brick makers and Mexican brick. In effect, too much is left out and what is included is often corrupted by poor research, scant sources, a misunderstanding of the dynamics of the brick industry, and an unwillingness to view the culture of brick making conceptually.