The Epic of Latin America, Fourth edition (Paperback)

~ John A. Crow (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Mr. Crow is a powerfully sustained narrator, able to create colorful and astounding visual pictures. . . . It is all one swift, clear adventure in reading, peopled by human beings and not mere types, alive on every page."--"The Los Angeles Times

Product Description

Uniquely comprehensive and comparative, praised for its devotion to social and cultural developments as well as politics and economics, The Epic of Latin America is once again revised and brought up to date, with chapters on the great upheavals of the 1980s. The book received the Gold Medal of the Commonwealth Club of California for outstanding literary achievement by a California author and was selected by the American Library Association as one of the "fifty best books of the year."

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Product Details

• Paperback: 992 pages
• Publisher: University of California Press; 4 edition (January 17, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0520077237
• ISBN-13: 978-0520077232
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 2.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #523,965 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars dagbop, November 18, 2000

By A Customer

This book is indeed very, very, very long, but I believe that is to be expected if one wants specific details about names, places and events that span 5 centuries. Mr. Crow's style is not as heavy as many historians, and I found the book an easy, if somewhat tedious read.

The author does get a little random in his thought processes later in the book, as though he was trying to meet a deadline, but didn't want to omit a single relevant thought.

The one theme in the book I found striking was Crow's seemingly constant need to act as an apologist for the Catholic church's role in the conquest and consolidation of the New World. He sometimes tries to justify the Church's actions before he tells the reader about the actual events, and sometimes he does this afterwards, but he does it pretty consistently. Perhaps he feels the prevailing bias against the Church's role in the conquest requires a little overstatement in the opposite direction, I don't know.

At least there is no effort to distort the facts. The author lays them out, warts and all. He just repeatedly tries to suggest that, well, "Everyone else was doing it, too!"

Another peculiarity I noted was Crow's repeated assertion that there is no racial conflict in Latin America, apparently due to the fact that early Portugese and Spanish explorers and colonists brought none of their countrywomen along, and felt free to mate with as many of the indigenous females as possible.

His book repeatedly makes it clear that the Spanish and Portuguese literally used up the indigenous people without reservation, even as they bred themselves a newer, more hardy race of mestizos, yet he consistently commends the conquerors for being so racially "open-minded". If he means being willing to make use of whatever human lifeforms one can find for breeding stock or beasts of burden, I guess maybe he's right.

Nevertheless, I thought it was good book for anyone seriously in this period of world history, and would recommend it.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great book, December 17, 2002

By	anna elmore (Chalatenango) - See all my reviews

I have read this book many times. It was my reference bibile as i majored in Latin American Studies. Although long it is an easy read. Crow does what many other authors fail to accomplish, he maintains his objectivity. It is a good book for non-Latin Americans to gain insight into Latin America. Great book, dedicate a summer to it.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars As 919-page history books go, this one is very readable!, August 26, 1999

By A Customer

Generally, this is a very comprehensive and enjoyable summary of Latin American history, starting with the Mayas, the Incas and the Aztecs. It provides particularly helpful insight on the development of government and cultural traditions. The first two hundred years of history following the European arrival in the Americas is particularly enjoyable reading, because of the storytelling style. The 19th century and 20th century history is a little tougher sledding, at times a little disjointed and perhaps long on opinion. I would have also expected more coverage on the Caribbean, especially Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. That said, this was a good read from the perspective of someone who frequently doesn't enjoy history books.