Mexican Days: Journeys into the Heart of Mexico (Hardcover)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Novelist and memoirist Cohan takes on a travel magazine assignment to make "some trips around Mexico... see how the puzzle of old and new fit together [and] write about it." Traveling south from his San Miguel home, he passes through Vera Cruz, Oaxaca and Chiapas into the Yucatán. Readers familiar with the path may enjoy traveling with him; others will long for a minimal map, an organizing principle and some photographs. As Cohan drifts through Mexico, history (e.g., the founding of Tlacotalpan sometime between A.D. 900 and 1200) and contemporary events (e.g., the barricading of mountain roads by Zapatista insurgents) are revealed. Chats with taxistas and shopkeepers, visits with friends and artists, remarks about his own work and casual references to the famous among Mexico's tourist, exile and expatriate population dot the pages (John Huston gets four pages). Cohan's description of the book as "the Mexican postcard I'm always writing home" is accurate; but postcards work best for readers who can fill in the blanks with their own sense of where the writer is coming from. Perhaps readers of Cohan's previous, well-received account (On Mexican Time: A New Life in San Miguel) will be able to do so. (May 2)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Cohan updates and expands his portrait of life in Mexico from his previous books. This journey commences in San Miguel de Allende, where Cohan finds his beloved town overrun with overbearing Hollywood movie stars filming an action picture. Their intense hypertechnological activity overshadows the town's unique and vital culture, reflecting in its own way the continuing disruption of civilization by predatory northern neighbors. In further contrast to what he witnesses in San Miguel, Cohan encounters native Mexican filmmakers intent on recording genuine Mexican culture, not simply using the land as a stage set. He also demonstrates an encyclopedic knowledge of the long history of Hollywood filmmaking in Mexico. As Cohan travels from Guanajuato to Mexico City, to Oaxaca, and to the Yucatan, the sights and the people he encounters reflect intractable problems left over from repeated disastrous collisions with first Spanish and then U.S. forces. Cohan accurately and vividly describes the riotous extremes of politics, of geography, of wealth, of smells, and of colors that make up today's Mexico. Mark Knoblauch
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Broadway; 1ST edition (April 25, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0767920902
• ISBN-13: 978-0767920902
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #830,580 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Real Mexico, May 29, 2006

By	R. Spell "raspell" (Memphis, TN USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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Don't not buy this book as a travel guide. This is a book about the "state of mind" of Mexico and those drawn to it as much as it describes unique places in the country. The majority of American's knowledge and stereotyping of Mexico are nowhere near the charm, culture and people of Mexico when you meet them in their environment.

I first read Tony Cohan's "A New Life in San Miguel" where he moved in the mid 80s when living in Mexico in the devalued peso era was not very popular. Cohan described the charm of San Miguel to perfection. This book revisits San Miguel during the filming of a movie with Salma Hayek and Antonio Banderas and relevant disruption this causes to his formerly quiet little town. In addition, his town is now overrun with American touristas, who he quietly dislikes and he also blames for runaway housing prices which helps to destroy his quiet little town's character.

An invitation to write an article of unique places to visit in Mexico leads to this book which is not a tourist guide but rather a description of these unique little towns and the effect on the soul of this expatriate American. To further this introspective traveling review, Cohan now goes through the year with minimal time seeing his wife Mosaka, an accomplished author and photographer in her own right who prepares books on Mexican Tile and Mexican color in design and architecture. Thus begins a yearly journey into the soul of Mexico and Tony Cohan.

Cohan visits many towns like Guanajuato, Xilitla, Jalpan, Oaxaca City, Xalapa, Tlacotalpan, Palenque, and Merida. All have their unique charm and geography. Many of these towns he compares to San Miguel twenty years ago before the arrival of the tourists. Some of my favorite stories are of the mountain villages with constant drizzle or chipichipi on the East Coast near the Caribbean Ocean and also the "son jarocho" music festival where Cohan studies the whole history of the music dating back to the early 1900s. But my two favorite stories are of Katanchel in the Yucatan jungle and Palenque. Katanchel is described as an enchanting place which a subsequent tragedy brings into perspective. Palenque is the site of a documentary filming of a famous Mayan ruin. Cohan weaves a great story of lovers, honeymooners, hippies and other members of society who check out into the jungle on their own quest.

This is an excellent internal perspective that Cohan shares with his readers. I strongly recommend that you read "A New Life in San Miguel" first and then the continuation of the journey in this book. There are many parts of this book to discuss but would be giving up the story. In many respects Cohan seems to be enjoying his life but struggling through his personal relationships and his love of Mexico which he doesn't want to see change.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Read, March 1, 2007

By	Judy Watt "judywatt" (Land's End, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I spent a month in SMA in 2004 partly as a result of reading Tony's first book. I realize SMA is not what it was like in the 80's and earlier - in some ways I assume it is worse but in some ways I am sure it's better. Same as where I've lived for 37 years - San Francisco, a major tourist town (much more major than SMA).

So my only complaint about his books is when he grumbles about SMA not being the way it used to be, too many touristas now, getting more expensive to live there, yada yada - that kind of stuff is boring to read, especially for people who did not move down there 25 years ago and buy a house there dirt cheap which now must be worth five times as much.

But anyway overall, his books are good reads and I enjoyed my month in SMA very much, even though it's not however it was 25 years ago. I have a feeling I would not have liked it so much back then anyway - I enjoyed having phone and internet access and cable TV in the house we rented. :)

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Magical Mexico: Cohan Opens a New Door to Mexican Travel, July 24, 2007

By	Christine Zibas "AnythngArt" (Just Outside Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mexican Days: Journeys into the Heart of Mexico (Paperback)

Without having read any of Cohan's other books, discovering "Mexican Days" was like finding a new friend. I loved Cohan's writing, and more than that, I came away from the book having been truly inspired to return to Mexico. In the meantime, I have a whole list of new things to explore through the Internet and other books. Cohan has piqued my interest in a variety of topics: new Mexican artists to discover, details about Mayan history to flush out, new dishes to make, and a list of places to visit on my return.

As an expat, Cohan's approach to travel writing is among the best that I have found. His tastes and interests parallel mine; he writes about much of what I would like to explore myself, never getting bogged down. His infusion of personal friendships and meetings into his writing makes it feel like you are there with Cohan, as the ultimate insider.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves travel or Mexico. There is much to enjoy here. I really feel like Cohan has given me a new door into a country that I thought I knew. It doesn't get any better than that.