Modern Latin America

Tackling the history of a continent of nation-states poses a dilemma: one either lands on the horn of excessive detail (as in Hubert Herring's general history) or the horn of precarious generalizations supported by haphazard examples. But Skidmore & Peter Smith split the difference quite nicely. Two chapters sketch the trends of common experience, with emphasis on the economic constraints of political progress. A final chapter considers the 800-lb. gorilla to the north. Central America and the Caribbean islands each get their own chapter. The bulk of the book delves into the particulars of 6 major countries (including Cuba); and since the 19th century is usually disposed of in a few pages, detail can be lavished on the 20th. Even with show more all these shortcuts, Skidmore & Smith tuck a superbly satisfying text into their 400-page package. show less

Textbook for my Latin American History class. I learned quite a bit from reading this book, it makes me wish I had bought it instead of renting it. If you are interested in a great overview of the various Latin American countries and their history I highly suggest this book.

Caught up in Hitler's final solution to annihilate Europe's Jews, fifteen-year-old Jack Mandelbaum is torn from his family and thrown into the nightmarish world of the concentration camps.

FROM THE PUBLISHER
The leading survey in its field, this lively interpretive history has been brought up to date in all areas, especially in its treatment of recent developments in this vastly important region. The new edition examines the implications of the end of the Cold War on U.S.-Latin American relations, such recent developments as international drug trafficking, and the ongoing trend away from authoritarian regimes towards civilian leaders and elected governments. The authors illustrate such central themes as European-Indian and European-African interaction, large-scale immigration in the late 19th and 20th centuries, populist political leadership, military takeovers, and U.S. intervention in Latin America, examining the show more influence of economic forces and social tensions on political conflict in each case and discusses recent economic developments in clear, jargon-free language. Lucidly written and enhanced by insights from social science, Modern Latin America remains the preeminent treatment of this crucial subject. show less