Excellent one-volume history of Mexico for the casual reader. The chapters are all short, and the writing is anecdotal in style. The author has a good command of all the historical events, and then add little tidbits of trivia.

For instance, here is Mr. Grabman’s story about the invention of chewing gum: “In exile, Santa Ana did more for the Mexican economy than he ever did as president. Typical for him, it was a result of his personal vanity, and he was unable to understand its importance. For a time, he lived on Staten Island, New York, where he rented a room from a candy maker. North Americans had poor dental hygiene and paid no attention to how their teeth looked. Mexicans, including Santa Ana, worried about their teeth, which they kept clean by chewing chicle, a rubbery plant sap. The candy maker thought the ex-general’s chicle tasted awful but wasn’t bad if it was mixed with mint and dipped in sugar. He sold Santa Ana’s candy-coated tooth-cleanser as Chiclets. Mr. Adams, the landlord, became rich and famous as the inventor of chewing gum and created an entirely new agricultural export for Mexican farmers. Santa Ana never received the credit nor any profit from the idea.” ( )

Wow: a bit frightening how many gringos feel the need to write their own Mexican history without sufficient preparation -- or humility, or...