Rain of Gold
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Best book I have read in a while
  • engrossing
  • Wonderful
  • This is a Masterpiece
  • Rain of Gold
Rain of Gold
Víctor E. Villaseñor
Manufacturer: Delta
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

AuthorsAuthors | Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
MexicoMexico | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
CaliforniaCalifornia | State & Local | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
Minority StudiesMinority Studies | Special Groups | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 038531177X
Release Date: 1992-09-01

Book Description


Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Best book I have read in a while.......2007-08-24

"Rain of Gold" was an absolutely brilliant novel! Once you start reading, you will stay up many nights to finish this book. The way Villasenor depicts every-day life, from the religious to the illegal aspects, is just amazing. Before I picked up this book, I did not know what I would be getting into. At first I thought that the idea of reading about a family that just immigrated from a war-torn Mexico into the United States would be dull. The book depicts what a movie or television could never depict; it expresses every thought and feeling of the main character, and the drama fails to disappoint. You will be filled with emotions along every chapter. READ THIS BOOK!

4 out of 5 stars engrossing.......2007-07-11

For such a thick book, Rain of Gold moves amazingly fast. The characters are likeable, mostly, and the book presents the story of Mexico, Mexican families, and being a US immigrant from Mexico early in this century. I haven't had a chance to read many books that share this particular story, and this one was refreshing.

The author is proud of his family, and it shows. Rain of Gold fell short of making me cry or reconsider how I live, but it was thought-provoking. It's worth a read.

5 out of 5 stars Wonderful.......2007-06-27

This book has been my favorite book for over ten years, since I read it in high school. The writing is so easy to read, yet rich and complex at the same time. Villasenor brings to life every member of his family so that the reader feels like a member as well. He also excels at making the extraordinary seem possible.

5 out of 5 stars This is a Masterpiece.......2007-03-26

I read this book at least five years ago and at the time I thought it was one of the best books I ever read. I still do. I wrote a review of it then but somehow it has disappeared. Why did I love this book? First of all it is beautifully written, the language is lyrical, almost spellbinding. The images are stunning, almost hypnotic. And the characters are memorable. This book celebrates the extraordinary and irrepressible power of life at one's humblest level, gratitude in one's darkest hour, and forgiveness as the very heart of love.

5 out of 5 stars Rain of Gold.......2007-03-13

What a wonderful book, I enjoyed it very much. Once I started reading Rain of Gold I couldn't put the book down. Highly recommed all books by this author.
Ancient Mexico and Central America: Archaeology and Culture History
Average customer rating: Not rated
    Ancient Mexico and Central America: Archaeology and Culture History
    Susan Toby Evans
    Manufacturer: Thames & Hudson
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Paperback

    GeneralGeneral | Caribbean & West Indies | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
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    ASIN: 0500284407
    Ancient Mexico: The History and Culture of the Maya, Aztects and Other Pre-Columbian Peoples
    Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    • Nice oversize catalog of Mesoamerican art and culture, with problems: 3.7 stars
    • An exhaustive pictoral tour of the areas mesoamerican ruins
    • A gorgeous book of ancient cultures
    • Not for archaeology buffs only!
    Ancient Mexico: The History and Culture of the Maya, Aztects and Other Pre-Columbian Peoples
    Maria Longhena
    Manufacturer: Stewart, Tabori and Chang
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Hardcover

    MexicoMexico | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
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    1. An Illustrated Dictionary of the Gods and Symbols of Ancient Mexico and the Maya An Illustrated Dictionary of the Gods and Symbols of Ancient Mexico and the Maya

    ASIN: 1556708262

    Amazon.com

    First-rate color photography makes this look at the cultures of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica a valuable addition to any art lover's library collection. Among the civilizations represented in nearly 450 illustrations are the Maya, the Aztecs, and the Toltecs. Readers will learn not only about the mighty pyramids of Tenochtitlan and Cacaxtla, the Temple of the Paintings at Bonampak, and the ball courts of El Tajin, but about smaller ceramic vessels, jade figurines, and other ceremonial objects. Although the text does acknowledge the near-complete destruction of these vibrant cultures by Spanish conquistadors, the majority of its contents are devoted to celebrating what the Mesoamericans did accomplish--and what has been preserved for us to remember those accomplishments.

    Customer Reviews:

    4 out of 5 stars Nice oversize catalog of Mesoamerican art and culture, with problems: 3.7 stars.......2007-01-31

    This oversize coffee-table book has beautifully reproduced, well-chosen photographs, but significant drawbacks.

    Pluses:
    * Excellent photos of iconic objects
    * Good cross-section of prehispanic Mesoamerican artwork/artifacts
    * Nice feature articles on many major archaeological sites in Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras

    Neutral:
    * Average-quality text (translated from Italian)

    Negatives:
    * No decent overall map of the area
    * Maps of cultures are so general as to be almost useless

    So, this shouldn't be your only guide to prehispanic Mesoamerican history. But the high quality of the photos makes it worthwhile if you find an inexpensive copy. I haven't seen the recent B&N reprint.

    Happy reading--
    Peter D. Tillman

    5 out of 5 stars An exhaustive pictoral tour of the areas mesoamerican ruins.......2003-04-12

    BEAUTIFUL enormous glossy full-color photos that do more justice to the Mexican ruins than any other book I have EVER SEEN!! I love this book SO MUCH that, since I couldn't afford to BUY it, I went in to the bookstore about once every month or 2 for a YEAR AND A HALF to visit it, pore over it and covet it until a friend took pity on me and bought it for me as a gift! I have BEEN to several of the ruins pictured here, and they are MASTERFULLY captured in the photographs. The author even includes some of the little, lesser-known sites, such as Dzibilchaltun, especially dear to me as my Mexican host family took me there on a family day outing!! This book is just AWESOME!!!

    5 out of 5 stars A gorgeous book of ancient cultures.......2002-01-19

    This book is packed with information and color photographs of the ancient cultures of Mexico, from the Olmecs to the Zapotecs to the Mayas to the Aztecs. The author even includes sections on the lesser known and understood cultures of Western Mexico. With a fold-out time line and detailed maps of the most famous archaeological sites, this book gives a good overview of the history of these cultures - and then hones in on specifics such as dress, burial customs, religion, war, and games. Extensive attention is also given to the major cities representing these peoples. With color photographs on nearly every page, this is a gorgeous addition to any library. As a reference book, or even as a coffee table book to browse through occasionally, ANCIENT MEXICO can't be beat.

    5 out of 5 stars Not for archaeology buffs only!.......2001-05-23

    This book takes the reader thorough the history of pre-columbian mesoamerica, the daily life of the people and then tours a number of important archaeological sites in Mexico and nearby countries. It includes wonderful photos of amazing artifacts decorative pieces, ceramics and jeewlry and the archaeological sites. It is a stunning book and serves to emphasize the colossal loss the Americas sustained with the conquest. If you've been to Mexico and love it, this book is a nice memento. If you havn't, this will make you want to go.
    Mexican Calendar Girls: Chicas de calendarios Mexicanos
    Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    • unbelieveable--historical--exciting
    • Highly Recommended insight into Mexican Culture
    • Excellent gift for the Latina feminist!
    • Las Chicas
    Mexican Calendar Girls: Chicas de calendarios Mexicanos
    Angela Villalba
    Manufacturer: Chronicle Books
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Paperback

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    Accessories:
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    ASIN: 0811853152

    Book Description

    A truly popular art form, the glamorous paintings of Mexican calendar girls have a long and fascinating history as advertisements, enticements, and emblems of Mexican cultural heritage and pride. The result of years of research, this playful and informative book reproduces more than 150 vibrantly colorful calendar images, plus archival photographs and other materials that illuminate their creation. A fully bilingual text gives an overview of the calendars' social and cultural history, along with biographies of the talented artists who created them. Also including a foreword by the renowned Mexican cultural critic Carlos Monsiv is, Mexican Calendar Girls presents this popular and delightful art as never before.

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars unbelieveable--historical--exciting.......2007-03-16

    very well written. interesting historical account of artists and their methods and subjects. have never seen a greater accumulation of beautiful images, colorful-exiting-romantic portraits. full of 'old time' detail and glamour. hard to put down.

    5 out of 5 stars Highly Recommended insight into Mexican Culture.......2007-02-12

    I highly recommend the picture book on Mexican Calendar Girls. The author really did her homework and touched on an aspect of Mexican Popular Art that played on cultural symbols. From La Adelita to La Malinche and even the venerated Virgen de Guadalupe, this artwork found in kitchens, neighborhood tienditas or bakeries evoked an idealized Mexico and its various viewpoints of womenhood. These images are the cultural equivalent of the Norman Rockwell paintings that evoked an idealized North American culture to generations. Angela Villaba hit a homerun with her book as far as my family was concerned. I gave it to my mother who is an educational advocate for multicultural education here in the Southwest and she could not put the book down.
    Sergio S. Guerrero Jr.
    El Paso, Texas

    5 out of 5 stars Excellent gift for the Latina feminist!.......2007-01-09

    This book is a compilation of the many important roles Mexican women have played in history through the use of calendar art. The photos are colorful and demonstrate the diversity of Mexicanas. What a delightful way to teach the history! This book will surely be appreciated and enjoyed by art lovers, history lovers, women and men alike.

    5 out of 5 stars Las Chicas.......2007-01-04

    Beautiful! I have been looking for something like this for a long time. I love the period art and the history-thank you!
    Cycles of Time and Meaning in the Mexican Books of Fate (Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long Series in Latin American and Latino Art and Culture)
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      Cycles of Time and Meaning in the Mexican Books of Fate (Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long Series in Latin American and Latino Art and Culture)
      Elizabeth Hill Boone
      Manufacturer: University of Texas Press
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Hardcover

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      ASIN: 0292712634

      Book Description

      In communities throughout precontact Mesoamerica, calendar priests and diviners relied on pictographic almanacs to predict the fate of newborns, to guide people in choosing marriage partners and auspicious wedding dates, to know when to plant and harvest crops, and to be successful in many of life's activities. As the Spanish colonized Mesoamerica in the sixteenth century, they made a determined effort to destroy these books, in which the Aztec and neighboring peoples recorded their understanding of the invisible world of the sacred calendar and the cosmic forces and supernaturals that adhered to time. Today, only a few of these divinatory codices survive. Visually complex, esoteric, and strikingly beautiful, painted books such as the famous Codex Borgia and Codex Borbonicus still serve as portals into the ancient Mexican calendrical systems and the cycles of time and meaning they encode.

      In this comprehensive study, Elizabeth Hill Boone analyzes the entire extant corpus of Mexican divinatory codices and offers a masterful explanation of the genre as a whole. She introduces the sacred, divinatory calendar and the calendar priests and diviners who owned and used the books. Boone then explains the graphic vocabulary of the calendar and its prophetic forces and describes the organizing principles that structure the codices. She shows how they form almanacs that either offer general purpose guidance or focus topically on specific aspects of life, such as birth, marriage, agriculture and rain, travel, and the forces of the planet Venus. Boone also tackles two major areas of controversy—the great narrative passage in the Codex Borgia, which she freshly interprets as a cosmic narrative of creation, and the disputed origins of the codices, which, she argues, grew out of a single religious and divinatory system.

      Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo
      Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
      • There is no better Frida Kahlo biography available
      • Biography of Frida Kahlo
      • The definitive Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo Y Calderón
      • Viva la Vida
      • what's with the cover?
      Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo
      Hayden Herrera
      Manufacturer: Harper Perennial
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Paperback

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      5. Frida Frida

      ASIN: 0060085894
      Release Date: 2002-10-01

      Book Description

      Hailed by readers and critics across the country, this engrossing biography of Mexican painter Frida Kahlo reveals a woman of extreme magnetism and originality, an artist whose sensual vibrancy came straight from her own experiences: her childhood near Mexico City during the Mexican Revolution; a devastating accident at age eighteen that left her crippled and unable to bear children; her tempestuous marriage to muralist Diego Rivera and intermittent love affairs with men as diverse as Isamu Noguchi and Leon Trotsky; her association with the Communist Party; her absorption in Mexican folklore and culture; and her dramatic love of spectacle.

      Here is the tumultuous life of an extraordinary twentieth-century woman -- with illustrations as rich and haunting as her legend.

      Customer Reviews:

      5 out of 5 stars There is no better Frida Kahlo biography available.......2007-06-10

      Since her death, Frida Kahlo has become something of an exalted icon, representing for millions of people the alegría of a life fully lived. Hayden Herrera's insightful book both supports the artist's status, and provides devotees who never met Frida the chance to know their idol in depth, to familiarize themselves with her happiness and suffering, to experience her highs and lows.

      The book's mixture of intimate biographical details (a thorough chronology and evocative descriptions of events), psychological analysis and art criticism create an intensely vivid picture of Frida Kahlo, the world in which she lived, and the means by which her art conveyed her mind and body's pain. Objectivity is retained throughout; unflattering and negative aspects of Frida's personality are discussed with attention equal to that devoted to the subject's positive traits.

      As Hayden Herrera's biography shows, the benefits to Frida of putting brush to easel - with her deliberate, small strokes - were manifold: not only was painting a solace and diversion, it was also a visual expression of the pain resulting from a terrible bus accident in which she was involved when she was 18, miscarriages, and the hurt of her husband Diego Rivera's infidelities. She also used painting as a means of earning money and limiting her financial dependence on Diego after they married for a second time. (While during her lifetime one of Frida's paintings might fetch $200 from a private buyer, nowadays even small-scale works have sold for over $1,000,000 at auction.)

      To me, an appealing aspect of Herrera's bio is its lack of pretense (appropriately, as pretension is something Frida disliked in any form): you won't find any flowery, purple prose here, nor do the author's analyses and assertions smack of arrogance. It is quite apparent that Hayden Herrera knows her subject top to bottom, but I never felt as if facts and dates were crammed into the text superfluously, simply as proof that she knew them.

      If it happens at all, it will be many years before Hayden Herrera's "Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo" is replaced as the definitive biography on the subject. Having read it cover to cover three times, I can't imagine a better-written or more stimulating study of this truly unique, truly gifted person.

      4 out of 5 stars Biography of Frida Kahlo.......2007-01-27

      An inspiring Biography of famous Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. It was comprehensive, read like a documentary and at some points was long and boring with gory details. Frida was such an interesting person it was worth the struggle to get to the end. I now understand her and her works so much better. I think she was an odd and eccentric person that was gifted with natural artistic talent. I recommend looking at her paintings at the same time you listen to the audio since the audio is so descriptive almost like a narrative from a museum. It doesn't make sense unless you see the works at the same time. I found them on a website dedicated to her. There is nothing like her art, she is truly original!

      5 out of 5 stars The definitive Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo Y Calderón.......2006-09-11

      The are many good books on the market that show some of Frida's best work and many that have a good overview of her life as the daughter of Wilhelm Kahlo and the "on and off wife" of the famous mural painter Diego Rivera.

      What sets this book out from the multitude is the attention to detail. There are actual correspondences from and to Frida. Also many things that may be glossed over are covered well enough that you feel you were there.

      I originally saw the movie based on this book "Frida" (2002) with Salma Hayek. Many of the references in the movie were not covered even in the extensive commentaries. The book also has the time to cover the background of Frida's parents, grandparents, her friends and their relatives. We know about her trolley accident but not that much about her bout with polio.

      The plates, some in color others of monochrome photos are placed on groups but referenced through out the book. Agree the descriptions they can be appreciated for not only themselves but what they meant to Frida and her friends. We also get a small glimpse of Mexico before and after the revolution.

      5 out of 5 stars Viva la Vida.......2006-07-04

      I bought this book with a minimum of enthusiasm, to assist with my having to do a term paper in a Latin American history class at FSU. I knew who Frida was, but not much other than she was the artist-wife of Diego Rivera. Now I consider Diego Rivera as the artist-husband of the fascinating and heroic Frida. The author has succeeded in bringing this colorful and immensely brave woman to life in an engaging biography that almost reads like a novel. Watch Salma Hayek's "Frida" (Miramax 2002) and then satiate your whetted curiosity by reading the book that inspired the movie.

      4 out of 5 stars what's with the cover?.......2005-09-05

      An excellent biography, but I am totally disturbed by the cover photo. Why put an image of a living actress on the cover of a biography of a person of which there are thousands of suitable photographs? The movie was wonderful; I adore Salma Hayek. But she has no business being on the cover of the book.
      Secrets of Ancient Cultures: The Maya--Activities and Crafts from a Mysterious Land
      Average customer rating: Not rated
        Secrets of Ancient Cultures: The Maya--Activities and Crafts from a Mysterious Land
        Arlette N. Braman
        Manufacturer: Jossey-Bass
        ProductGroup: Book
        Binding: Paperback

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        ASIN: 0471219819

        Book Description

        Discover the ancient Maya culture with these fun games and activities!

        Make a Maya pyramid. Mix up a Chili Chocolate Drink. Create a macaw headdress. While reading The Maya, you'll have a great time exploring the cultural traditions of this innovative people as you learn to write in the Mayan language, make a mosaic jade mask in the likeness of one of their rulers, and test your skills as you play Maya games.

        This book is filled with activities and projects that will show you how the Maya people lived and played, as well as how they managed to create a civilization that lasted almost 4,000 years! You'll learn about the bravery of Maya warriors as you construct a war shield. You'll discover how to read ancient Maya hieroglyphs and even create your own glyph rubbing, just like the scribes used to do! You'll get to solve math problems using Maya numbers-and then come up with your own problems to try on your friends! Plus, you'll find lots of amazing Maya facts on topics ranging from history and government to foods and arts to science and architecture. So be prepared for lots of fun as you discover the ancient secrets of The Maya.
        Encyclopedia of Mexico : History, Society & Culture (2 Volume Set)
        Average customer rating: Not rated
          Encyclopedia of Mexico : History, Society & Culture (2 Volume Set)
          Michael Werner
          Manufacturer: Routledge
          ProductGroup: Book
          Binding: Hardcover

          GeneralGeneral | Central America | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
          MexicoMexico | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
          GeneralGeneral | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
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          ASIN: 1884964311

          Book Description

          The Encyclopedia of Mexico presents a processual view of Mexican history, society and culture from ancient civilizations to the present day. The primary emphasis is on broad historiographic issues, although the encyclopedia includes many supplementary entries on people and specific events. The encyclopedia provides students, academics, librarians and the general reader with convenient access to basic bibliographic and factual data on specific events and broad processes in Mexican history. It promotes scholarly dialogue across disciplinary and national borders and provides a useful component for multi-disciplinary courses on Mexico. This two-volume encyclopedia contains some 600 entries and represents a collaborative effort that has involved more than 350 leading scholars from around the world.

          Lourdes Grobet: Lucha Libre
          Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
          • Excellent Historical Pictoral History...
          • Viva ! La Lucha Libre
          • great insight into lucha libre culture
          • Lucha Libre Es Muy Bueno
          • THESE LUCHADORS WILL HAUNT YOUR DREAMS
          Lourdes Grobet: Lucha Libre
          Carlos Monsivais
          Manufacturer: D.A.P./Trilce
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          ASIN: 1933045051
          Release Date: 2005-03-15

          Book Description

          Description: 8Sexo y violencia! Take one part Mexi-Monster cinema, one part Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, throw in a little Zoro, the WWF, and the knit-costume-wearing performance art collective, Forcefield, and you come up with the raw, vivid, and psychologically unhinged world of Lucha Librethe sports-entertainment phenomenon that first swept Mexico and now the world. Photographer Lourdes Grobet's penentrating study of Mexican professional wrestling culture features over 500 photographs of luchadores like Blue Demon, Santo, The Witch, Adorable Rub', El Solitario, and Hurricane Ramirez, as well as pictures of their families, friends, and fans--onstage, backstage, and even at home. Lucha Libre also includes photographs of stickers, flyers, postcards, stills from Mexi-lucha-cinema, interviews with the wrestlers, essays, and much, much more! In this comprehensive 20-year study, Grobet has put together the definitive look at Mexico's masked superstars. Viva la Lucha Libre!

          Customer Reviews:

          5 out of 5 stars Excellent Historical Pictoral History..........2007-05-15

          An amazing collection of photos, stories, and history from the archives of the most noted lucha photographer ever... Lordes Grobet thrusts the reader into the world of lucha libre and immerses them in the moments that made history...

          5 out of 5 stars Viva ! La Lucha Libre.......2007-05-14

          A wonderful journey into the history of Lucha Libre, The faces, the masks, the people and the great cities that were all part of this amazing book! Wonderful pictures and a great treasure to have this book!

          4 out of 5 stars great insight into lucha libre culture.......2007-01-06

          I found the book to be the best title on the wrestlers and their lives. The culture of Mexican wrestling is so rich and colorful.

          4 out of 5 stars Lucha Libre Es Muy Bueno .......2006-08-24

          This book is a visually stunning, warmly heartfelt, and emotionally powerful pictorial history of Lucha Libre compiled by the genre's most talented and prolific photographer. Ms. Grobet can only be thought of as the high priestess of the "theater of headbutt theology," as she so amusingly puts it. Lucha Libre shows a side of wrestling life unavailable anywhere else. There are luchadoras feeding their babies, enmascarados helping their wives with the dishes, and space giants hanging out with their Ewoks -- to name but a few images.

          Lucha Libre is also a surprisingly large and thick book. Although it has a "softback" cover, it is in every way a coffee table book suitable for impressing a houseguest... assuming that he can be impressed by a full color pictorial history of masked wrestling. It has captions in both Spanish as well as glorious, unpretentious Spanglish that are a genuine pleasure to read. It's only flaws are that it isn't indexed (a pet peeve of mine) and that it's binding is a bit weak. Still, for the price this book is an absolute steal.

          You would have to be a no-account Rudo not to buy this book.

          4 out of 5 stars THESE LUCHADORS WILL HAUNT YOUR DREAMS.......2006-07-06

          I purchased this book for research and I was not dissapointed. First of all the book is large, and at over 300 pages there's plenty of eye candy. A lot of the pictures have a photo journalist feel to them bringing you deeper into the world that is Mexican Wrestling. This book is worth every penny. Do purchase.
          True Tales from Another Mexico: The Lynch Mob, the Popsicle Kings, Chalino, and the Bronx
          Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
          • Not the tourist destination, not the paradise for expats
          • Leadership in plural in Mexico.
          • Give us more!
          • Chalino is the bomb!!!
          • A must read.
          True Tales from Another Mexico: The Lynch Mob, the Popsicle Kings, Chalino, and the Bronx
          Sam Quinones
          Manufacturer: University of New Mexico Press
          ProductGroup: Book
          Binding: Hardcover

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          Similar Items:
          1. Antonio's Gun and Delfino's Dream: True Tales of Mexican Migration Antonio's Gun and Delfino's Dream: True Tales of Mexican Migration
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          ASIN: 0826322956

          Book Description

          As journalist Sam Quinones convincingly demonstrates, much of Mexico was already changing before the July 2000 presidential elections which ousted the PRI and presented the world with President-elect Vincente Fox. Fox's victory marked the triumph of another Mexico, a vital, energetic, and creative Mexico tracked by Quinones for over six years.

          "This side of Mexico gets very little press. . . . yet it is the best of the country. . . . people who have the spunk to imagine something else and instinctively flee the enfeebling embrace of PRI paternalism. . . . newly realistic telenovellas show the gray government censor that the country is too lively to abide his boss's dictates. . . . Some twelve million Mexicans reside year-round in the United States. . . . [so] the United States is now part of the Mexican reality and is where this other side of Mexico is often found, reinventing itself."--from the introduction.

          Quinones merges keen observation with astute interviews and storytelling in his search for an authentic modern Mexico. He finds it in part in emigrants, people who use wits and imagination to strike out on their own. In poignant stories from north of the border--about Oaxacan basketball leagues in southern California and the late singing legend Chalino Sánchez whose songs of drug smugglers spurred the popularity of the narcocorrido--Quinones shows how another Mexico is reinventing itself in America today. But most of his stories are from deep inside Mexico itself. There a dynamic sector exists. It is made up of those who instinctively shunned the enfeebling embrace of the PRI's paternalism, including scrappy entrepreneurs such as the Popsicle Kings of Tocumbo and Indian migrant farmworkers who found a future in the desert of Baja California. Here, too, are true tales from ignored margins of society, including accounts of drag queens and lynchings. From the fringes of the country, Quinones suggests, emerge some of the most telling and central truths about modern Mexico and how it is changing.

          "This book expands our knowledge of modern Mexico many times over. Quinones unearths a wealth of material that has in fact gone unnoticed or been hidden."--Professor Francisco Lomelí, University of California, Santa Barbara

          Customer Reviews:

          5 out of 5 stars Not the tourist destination, not the paradise for expats.......2007-06-04

          Another reviewer pointed out that Quinones' accounts are "researched", and this is true; he's done what he needed to do to find his facts. But I would add that the overwhelming note, for me, is that the man has "been there". I heard about "True Tales" from a reviewer of Elijah Wald's "Narcocorrido", and would now agree with that reviewer that the Quinones piece on Chalino Sanchez tells us a lot more about his world than Wald's book, valuable but a bit touristy, a bit arch, and a bit academic. There is an immediacy in these chapters by Quinones, of grittiness, suffering, delusion, terror, helplessness, of all the qualities of the many Mexicans Quinones met and listened to. His description of the lynching is the most direct, realistic and frightening I've ever read; this can happen anywhere, anytime. These stories are unadorned realities of Mexico and the Border, and the entire world as well.
          As Edward Abbey said, of the same country, "this is the real world, muchachos, and you are in it."

          5 out of 5 stars Leadership in plural in Mexico........2005-08-26

          It is clear from the book there is more than one Mexico. It's not what you think. The border is a focus but hardly all. Gangs are a focus. The book raises a major question. Is Mexico changing and how?Quinones presents many portraits from gangbanger singer Chalino Sanchez to the dead women of Juarez. Each sketch adds a different and fascinating dimension to a complex perception of what Mexico is. No other book presents that plurality as well. The book is a page turner, a fast paced quick read. It is not, however, superficial but in-depth coverage. It is fascinating.

          5 out of 5 stars Give us more!.......2004-09-01

          This book will blow your mind. Quinones is able to totally take you into worlds rarely heard about before. Who knew there was a thriving basketball hotbed in Oaxaca that has been transported to LA? The whole genre of narcocorridos (basically, traditional Mexican "country" [ranchero] music with a gangsta slant) started in LA, too.

          The topics of lynchings in rural Mexico, the popularity of telenovelas at home and in Eastern Europe(?) and the religious cult at Neuva Jerusalen are all so fascinating and far beyond anything anyone has probably imagined Mexico to be.

          He has an inate ability to dig up and find the most fascinating stories in the most out-of-the-way places yet also show how they often are a microcosmic reflection of how Mexican society operates in general.

          The question is: When is Sam Quinones going to compile a Tales 2?

          5 out of 5 stars Chalino is the bomb!!!.......2003-10-09

          IN MANY OF THE STATEMENTS THAT I READ I SEEN THAT MANY SAID A LOT ABOUT THE WRITTER WELL WE ALL HAVE MANY OPINIONS I PERSONALLY HAVE MY OWN OPINION I THINK IS ONE MY GREAT BOOKS THAT I HAVE TO READ IN MY FREE TIME LIKE SCHOOL OR JUST ABOUT ANYWHERE BUT JUST WANTED TO ADD THAT I LOVE CHALINO AS THE PERSON HE WAS A WHILE BACK WITH HIS MUSIC I ADMIRE HIM AS A FATHER AND I AM IN LOVE WITH HIS SON 4-SHO!!!

          5 out of 5 stars A must read........2002-02-07

          This book is fantastic. I don't often actually buy non-fiction because I usually don't plan to re-read it. This is a rare exception. Quinones is 1st & foremost a great storyteller. You'd hardly notice that it's all true if it weren't for the fact that these tales are simply too good to be fiction. Quinones has a knack for noticing the seemingly invisible. The best example being the tale of Chalino Sanchez (who graces the cover). How could someone who completely misses the U.S. radar of popular culture become a folk hero and single-handedly create a musical genre selling millions of copies of albums in the process & then having at least 1,500 songs written about him? Quinones manages to make it sound perfectly believable. If you're anything like me you'll be mesmerized by these essays.

          Books:

          1. Religious Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know--And Doesn't
          2. Rick Steves' Croatia and Slovenia 2007 (Rick Steves)
          3. Rise & Fall Of The British Empire
          4. Rome: An Oxford Archaeological Guide (Oxford Archaeological Guides)
          5. Safari: A Chronicle of Adventure
          6. Schaum's Outline of Fluid Dynamics (Schaum's)
          7. Sea of Glory: America's Voyage of Discovery, the U.S. Exploring Expedition, 1838-1842
          8. Seasons of Delight
          9. Shadow Dance: A Novel
          10. Shakespeare's Victorian Stage: Performing History in the Theatre of Charles Kean

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