When this book's photos were being shot on June 8th, 1986, I was a boy in Soviet Union. The word "perestroika" was not yet invented, and the "iron curtain" was alive and well. Quite naturally, foreign countries seemed more like other planets to us then. Now I live in Canada, and what I find the most revelational about this book is that from today's viewpoint, Canada of 1986 was surprisingly more like the Soviet Union of the same time than it is like modern Canada or modern Russia. Cars, fashions, appliances, even people's smiles and expressions, let alone the book's design and print quality are all unmistakably the "deep into 1980s" style, and many things in the book look like they're from my own childhood. When you live through changes you tend to miss them, and it takes a book like this to remind you of how even the smallest things in life may change within a decade. These changes constitute the real history of our world, not the sequences of prime ministers or general secretaries. I'd highly recommend this book for its historical interest alone - and besides, it has some really great pictures, too.

Jorge P. Osterling writes a comprehensive and thoughtful book. Moreover, "Democracy in Colombia: Clientelist Politics and Guerrilla Warfare" is essential reading in order to decipher the complexities of Colombia's democracy.

Osterling explains that Colombia differs from other hemispheric nations in that it is a country of semi-autonomous regions, each with its own cultural, economic, political, and social structure. Bogota, the nation's capital is the administrative center of Colombia but its citizens are quite different from those in Medellin, Cali, Barranquilla, Bucaramanga, Cucuta, Manizales, and Pereira, according to Osterling. This simple observation is key to understanding Colombia's regional rivalries.

Still and all, the author's major point is that inequalities in income distribution is a significant socio-economic problem. Osterling points out that, "A small, privileged minority controls a disproportionate percentage of the national resources and uses them for their own benefit, while a larger, less privileged majority lives under tighter budgets." Finally, Osterling warns, "In theory all Colombian nationals are equal before the law; however, in practice, there are sizable inequalities of access to effective enforcement of civil, economic, political, and social rights."

Osterling is an outstanding scholar. This 1989 publication identifies key fundamentals that haunt Colombia today.

Bert Ruiz

This book has the value to show clear and professionally the history of Argentina during the horrible days of militar dictadura. Its is using in Argentina and in others latinamerica countries as curriculum material for secondary and university levels. Authors are three young women, all of them conspicuos History Proffesors.

This book is probably one of the most interesting books found on the subject of Afro-Latin American civilization. Its detailed accounts on neighboring cultures in Latin America have brought it some unity and understanding. It expands and adds to the history of African slavery and not to mention is an important link from the African to the Latin American. It will definitely be on my shelf once I get the money!

Taylor has created beautiful book out of a horrendous period in Argentina. She is a wonderful writer, and the book left me with a prfound sense of sadness and a desire to save the world. I am currently studying the Dirty War and I found this book has been the meat of my studies. She looks at the Dirty War at many different angles and ties them together masterfully. From its theatricality, its war against women, and what we, as Americans, must do as spectators to this Dirty War, Taylor urges that the spectators have the greatest role of all. Even twenty years after the war has ended, Taylor has created a book that forces Americans to evaluate our situation as spectators and contributors to the darkest period of Argentina's recent history. A must read...the book is easy to understand even if you know next to nothing about Argentina.

This book is a gem. Full of wonderful photographs and informative, detailed history. Seale's thorough text and Kvalsvik's evocative photography create an impressive guide of the American landscape. I was particularly impressed by Mr. Kvalsvik's photographs. Rich in color and mood, one can imagine moving from room to room, glimpsing the lives of people who once walked the corridors of these historic landmarks. One can see more of Kvalsvik's photographs in a book titled The White House Garden

A really delightful introduction to the Dominican Republic. The photography is superb and both the pictures and the text are sophisticated enough for adults.

The book helps students learn about the historical, geographical, sociological, and economic aspects of the Dominican Republic in interesting and simple stories.

A definite help to young students from the DR who do not have information about their native land. An excellent tool for Spanish speakers of all ages to learn English with the background of their homeland. Teachers of ESL do not overlook this book.

In the famous musical EVITA, Eva Peron sings to her followers, the "descamisados" (Spanish for "the shirtless ones"). Dona Maria, the subject of DONA MARIA'S STORY, was a real life descamisada. She was a follower of Juan and Eva Peron. Therefore, I believe this is an important book because this is the first time an account of someone who was actually there - someone favorable to the Perons - has been the subject of a widely available book in the United States. As Dona Maria points out, very rarely do we in the United States hear anything positive about the Perons, especially where Evita is concerned.

DONA MARIA'S STORY is not always an easy read, however. That is due in part to the fact that it is mostly based on the author's interviews with Dona Maria, which were conducted in Spanish and then translated into English. As is almost always the case, some things are lost in the translation (Dona Maria refers to Evita's bravery and humanity, commenting that she was not afraid to visit the very poor in the slums "where everything was full of puss"). But what does come through vibrantly is the tight-knit working class community of Barisso that Dona Maria spent most of her life in, as well as the intense emotions that the "descamisados" had - and still have - for Juan and Eva Peron. The author mentions attending political rallies and seeing images of the Perons everywhere, and being both moved and a little frightened by the intensity of the emotion aroused.

The bittersweet aspect to the story is that the memory of the Perons, and therefore the rhetorical sweep of Peronism, is largely being relegated to the realm of nastalgia, being compressed into a mythic golden age (rather than having evolved into a present objective reality). The danger in this is that the younger generations are not as enthralled because they didn't experience the Perons firsthand. The author reasons that it was the job of the monuments to the Perons that stand in the town square to pass on the legacy of Peronist magic, but it may not be working. The younger generation of Argentines are perhaps as familiar with Madonna's version of "Evita" as they are with the real historical woman who at one time was the most powerful woman in their country and all of Latin America.

I was very moved by DONA MARIA'S STORY.

This is one awesome book for showing you how rural Canadians live. Lots of excellent photos, and the interesting tales behind them. A great coffee table or educational book. Educational for a photographer or someone learning about Canada.