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Summary: 'La Mandadera' is a meaningful subtitle
Review: A friend sent me this book for Christmas, and I wasn't certain what to expect from a 'fictionalized memoir,' set in the 1970s in a small town in Mexico. Within a chapter, I was hooked; Stuart beautifully weaves together his own story, about trying to find a niche as a white American in this small, working-class town, with vivid descriptions of the lives of the Mexican people he came to know. The book has a lovely rhythm-- the rhythm of the town itself and of the closely interwoven networks of people that comprise it.
Most notable to me were two aspects: first, the way Stuart writes about the spirit of the people around him. They are poor; he never romanticizes this but does find much to admire: "Socially, [Mexico] was one immense network of human relationships that radiated outward from millions who cherished the concept of corazon (heart)." We come to know those in Stuart's own network, as he finds a way to make enough money to live, and especially as he connects with Lupita, an 11 -year- old girl of enormous resourcefulness, living on the street. And here is the second aspect of the book I wish to highlight: Stuart's honesty in recounting his relationship with Lupita. It's a complicated relationship, and I think it's far too easy to dismiss Stuart as 'neglecting' her as a reviewer before me has done. Stuart is a very young man in the time period depicted; he grows emotionally during the course of the story, as he gets closer to, and takes on more responsibility for, Lupita, and realizes the depths of his own feelings for her. His every action may not be ideal, but he doesn't flinch from telling us what really happened. Part of what occurs is tragic, and will move readers, none more than those of us with young children ourselves. When you read this book, keep in mind the double meaning of Lupita's nickname "La Mandadera": she was a messenger in a literal sense (conveying and obtaining information for Stuart through the town's networks), but in a far more meaningful sense as well, for she awakened Stuart to all sorts of new knowledge.
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Summary: Guaymas Chronicles Considered
Review: David Stuart's GUAYMAS CHRONICLES is an intensely personal human story of great beauty and honesty, skillfully and honestly told. No one could fail to identify with either the author/narrator, or the central figure in this true story, young Lupita, a girl of Mexico's streets, whose story of abandonment by her prostitute mother, and brief but wonderfully revealed redemption through friendship with the narrator was as moving to me as Jack London's immortal tale of relationship between two beings, CALL OF THE WILD.As a work of anthropology, it reveals the true social structure of Mexico with great force, clarity, and simplicity, including much of the conflicted nature of Mexico's relationship with Los Estados Unidos. A book I can recommend wholeheartedly to anyone, because it speaks directly and vividly to all the eternal themes of the human condition.
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Summary: 'La Mandadera' is a meaningful subtitle
Review: I really wanted to give the full 5-star rating on this book. It is well written and I couldn't put the book down. While reading it, I squealed in delight because the author deliciously resonated warmth and sensuality. The author shares precious moments of society in Guaymas which I gobbled up and will think about for a long time. The author in his youth was an educated anthropologist. He makes vivid distinctions between right and wrong, being American and being Mexican. The author admits that he "novelized" the story in significant ways, therefore, it is difficult to ascertain how much blame he should accept for lovely Lupita. He loves her early in the story, yet he neglects her, along with the rest of his chummy locals. Not much cultural difference at that level. If the story had been pure fiction, I would instantly award the 5-star rating because it was extremely intense and alive. If the story was entirely true, I am sad that Lupita put her fate into the hands of a foolish man.
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Summary: Stuart captures Mexican street life of 1970
Review: Is this the adventurous story of a young man's coming of age, or a fitting tribute to an indomitable human spirit embodied in a fascinating little girl? This book is both, for one tale cannot be told without the other. Many thanks to the author for baring the trials and tribulations of youth in order to share with us the story of Lupita, one who ranks among the greatest of persons for all her young years. Entertwined with these two tales are the lives of the people of Guaymas, accompanied by the author's profound insights into the lessons their culture can teach us. This is a book written with humility and grace -- a well-told tale that cannot be put down once it is begun.
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Summary: La Mandadera
Review: Stuart's book is at once touching, funny, and heart breaking. It tells the story of his life in Guaymas, Mexico in 1970 and how his life was changed with the influance of a scruffy street urchin who he made his Mansasera. Although only 10 years old, she knew more about 'la movida' (the moves' than he ever expected. Together they enter busdiness and manage to 'do things for people'. Together with an assorment of other colourful characters, Stuarts portrait of life in Guaymas is one of those books that is contagious - buy it and get one for a friend.
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Summary: Mexico, by an outsider looking from within
Review: The premise of "The Guaymas Chronicles" (TGC) is simple enough: a young twenties American grad student, unsure of where he fits in and what he wants to do with his life, settles into a daily routine in the Mexican fishing and tourist town of Guaymas, on the Sea of Cortez, and makes friends with a large number of the townspeople, before finally figuring out what next to do in his life. What makes TGC special is what it reveals about the lives of the poor and the working class in Mexico. Those with an interest in Mexico's people will find TGC to be enlightening, poignant, and an engrossing read. David Stuart chose the right profession when he decided to become an anthropologist - he loves observing his fellow man. For reasons not entirely explained in the book (this is one of the minor deficiencies), he had a rough childhood, leading him to feel alienated from America and its people. Instead, he finds his (apparently) ideal social network among the taxi drivers, bartenders, waitresses, prostitutes and street people of Guaymas. Even though he tries, he can never fully fit in with these people because, as one of his friends tells him, he has too many options and choices in life that they, his Mexican friends, will never have. But that doesn't prevent David Stuart from providing a fairly intimate look at how these people conduct their lives, how they find happiness, and how they respond to the challenges life presents them. There are many lessons to be learned from TGC. Life is much more fragile in Mexico, due to a poorer health care system. We may complain about the cost of health care here in the U.S., and push health care to a somewhat dubious extreme (cosmetic surgery and botox injections), but this book shows the cost of not having a good health care system. Moral choices do have significant consequences; in TGC, several instances of promiscuity have severe results. And yet, through it all, most all of the Mexicans that David Stuart meets find enjoyment in life, primarily through warm-hearted social interactions and support networks. There are lessons that we in the U.S. can learn from Mexicans.
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Summary: Don't pass this up
Review: This non-fiction book covers several months in the life of the author during his stay in Guaymas, Mexico in the early 1970s. Jilted by his fiancee and soured on grad school, Stuart stays in town with vague ideas about making a life for himself there. What happens as he tries to make plans is woven with threads from the lives of the people who come to mean so much to him. Chief among these is the orphan street-child Lupita, and the author's friendship with her is the axis around which the story spins.
Stuart's prose style is not the most sophisticated, but his keen insight into humanity and culture more than compensate. Guaymas and its people are vividly described--with both honesty and respect--and reflect well the delicate mix of emotions Stuart must confront as a foreigner in their midst.
There were times I missed sleep because I couldn't put this book down; there were others when the story was so intense I had to leave it alone for a while. One can hardly ask for more.
Don't wait--read this book now.
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