Books About Mexico
Reviews Of Books About Or Relating To Mexico (and my book on how to stop cluttering)
Many good authors write about Mexico, from cultural aspects, history and travel. Here are some of my favorite books about, or relating to, Mexico.
Modern Mexico Through the Eyes of Modern Mexicans by "Mexico" Mike Nelson. If you really want to understand the Mexican people (the silent majority, if you will) who work and keep the country working, read this book. There are 30 stories about people from all over Mexico talking about what it is like to be a Mexican in modern Mexico. Published by the Univeristy of Texas, Pan American Press.
Traveler's Guide To Mexican Camping by Mike and Terri Church.
This very large book about RV'ing in Mexico has long been the best RV book about traveling by RV or trailer to Mexico. Frequently updated and well-done.
Have Mercy, Confessions of the Original Rock 'N' Roll Animal, by Wolfman Jack, Byron Laurson ISBN 0-446-51742-9
Let's start off with Wolfman Jack. How many of is were lucky to grow up listening to Wolfman Jack broadcasting from XERF (Cd. Acuna/Del Rio) and XERB (Tijuana)? Great music, odd station full of radio evangelists selling baby chicks (er chickens) and prayer shawls until the Wolfman came on with his raunchy blues and rock and roll. But did you know that the Wolfman had to fortify the station with barbed wire, machine gun nests and an antiaircraft gun? Want to read about the shootout? Of course it has more about the early and middle days of rock and roll including his hanging around with all the blues greats and rock greats including John Lennon. It is a hell of a read.
Doing Business In Mexico by Christopher Engholm and Scott Grimes ISBN 0132607387
Although printed in 1997, this is a good basic book for understanding how to do business in Mexico. It features several interviews with a variety of people, from government officials, american and Mexican businessmen and my old friend Stan Gotleib in Oaxaca. Generally out-of-print, but worth looking for.
Mexican Lives by Judith Adler Hellman ISBN 1-56584-177-8
This is a different book than the recently reprinted The Mexicans by Patrick Olster. It's a good glimpse into the lives of ordinary Mexicans. Although revised with an afterword in 1999, it was mainly about the early 1990's up to its 1994 publication date. Thus, it talks a lot about the expected effects of NAFTA on various Mexicans, from those who sell used clothing in the Mexico City markets to farmers, large and small, and big businessmen. Although the author wanted to convey the optimism and adaptability of the Mexican people (a cornerstone of The Mexicans, which is why I liked it so well), I came away with a little bit of a down feeling. By all means, read it and learn, but remember that this is just one author's (a journalist) impression.
The People's Guide To Mexico by Carl Franz and Lorena Havens Edited by Steve Rogers
Some books are destined to be classics. This one has fulfilled its destiny. I have been friends with Carl and Lorena for a decade or so (we even shared their fire-heated wooden hot tub at their home in the 1990's in northern Washington state where they lived off the grid), and have been a fan or theirs since the 1970's. This book is funny, educational and a real romp among Mexico and its people. They update it every few years so the stories and observations cover four decades. They give you a glimpse of the Mexico few of us get to see, from camping in out-of-the-way spots, to driving or bussing wherever there is a road. They will show you why they (and you) have fallen in love with the Mexican people. They meet ordinary people and bring you into their lives. Every aspect of Mexico seems to be covered in some way from shopping in markets, to cooking, to just hanging out. Mikey gives it 5 stars.
Bordering On Chaos by Andres Oppenheimer
I had a personally autographed copy of this, dedicated to Dan Sanborn, which was lost in my house fire. I've read it twice. It is excellent. If you really want to understand Mexico, read this book. It covers the end of President Salinas's term, the Zapatista uprising, the election of President Zedillo, NAFTA and Mexico's economic crises of 1994. Although I generally don't like books by journalists (to me, they focus on the negative), this one is different. It gives a clear story with both sides. I particularly liked that the author admitted that he, and every other journalist, was duped by Subcomandante Marcos. That the Zapatista dolls were created by a journalist's suggestion to a street vendor, and that journalists were the main buyers, gives you an idea of honest journalism.
file on spratling by William Spratling
The short version is that Spratling [1900-1967] was a rich silversmith and artist originally from Alabama and New York. Spratling taught at Tulane University in New Orleans. He was roommates with and collaborated with William Faulkner on Sherwood Anderson and Other Famous Creoles. Spratling moved to Mexico City in 1929. He was friends with Diego Rivera and the artistic set in Mexico City. Spratling was responsible for Diego Rivera’s exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. He moved to Taxco in the 1931 and was instrumental in making Taxco a silver jewelry and a center for artisans].
Fascinating autobiography of the gringo from Alabama who introduced silver-making to Taxco. Full of life and characters, including most every artist and author from Mexico and the US and some from Europe, it's quite a story. Lots of drugs, booze and sex, though some insiders would point out that Spratling wasn't entirely honest about all of his sexual preferences, it is not for the prim to read. Out-of-print, but sometimes available used from Amazon. LOC # 67-21097 from Little, Brown and Co, published 1932, 1967.
More recent books about Spratling include The Color of Silver: William Spratling, His Life and Art by Helen Delpar as well as The Silver Gringo: William Spratling and Taxco by Joann Mark. Spratling claims he invented the margarita. A movie of his life, Hollywood-style was made in 1948, called The Man from New Orleans, by Warner Brothers.
Choose Mexico by John Howells 9th Edition
My book on living in Mexico is not the only one out there. Today the market is flooded. Way back when, this was the only one. I've spoken to John in the past and he is an okay guy. We are not in competition, rather, we offer different views of living in Mexico. Your research before moving will only be enriched by having both of our books. He addresses mainly retirees and has some different views about things than I do. It can't hurt to compare and see what fits better for you.
Terry's Guide To Mexico, by T. Philip Terry, revised in 1962 by James Norman
This is another true classic. With 833 pages of information, this book has more tidbits of information about places never covered by any guidebook than any other, except perhaps the old Sanborn's Travelogs. Originally written from 1906 to 1938 it has unique writing and descriptions of places and why they should be visited including markets and local customs. Every Mexicophile should have a copy. The pictures alone make it a real gem.
Opening Mexico, by Julia Preston and Samuel Dikkon (The Making of a Democracy)
Printed in 2004. ISBN 0-374-22668-7 -- These Pulitzer Prize-winning reporters for The New York Times have done a bang-up job of tracing the birth of democracy (i.e. the demise of the PRI) from 1995 to the election of Vicente Fox in 2000. It's a big book, 517 pages of text, but reads like a mystery novel.