<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: Accurate, yet delightfully written!
Review: Dr. Vanderwood, a recognized authority of the Mexican Revolution, has produced yet another valuable work for this segment of history. His ability to gather primary source information written in Spanish and miraculously transcribe into beautiful English prose not only compliments but also lends respect to the Mexican social consciousness that he knows all too well.This is a "must read" for any student of modern Mexican history.
Rating:
Summary: Accurate, yet delightfully written!
Review: Dr. Vanderwood, a recognized authority of the Mexican Revolution, has produced yet another valuable work for this segment of history. His ability to gather primary source information written in Spanish and miraculously transcribe into beautiful English prose not only compliments but also lends respect to the Mexican social consciousness that he knows all too well. This is a "must read" for any student of modern Mexican history.
Rating: 
Summary: Illuminating and Entertaining
Review: In this book Vanderwood achieves what he sets out to achieve and does so in colorful style. What stands out in this study of the 1892 religious revolt in Tomochic, Mexico is its fullness. Good historical scholarship is always an exploration of cause and effect. Here Vanderwood hunts down every person/group thought to be involved and searches for motivation - it's like a busy painting in which every detail is attended to. The conflict involved such a complex clashing of beliefs and values that a solid context is needed to even begin explaining it - fortunately the author realizes this and dives in headfirst. He gives a quite vivid account of the political, economic, social and religious aspects of the incident. What mixture of circumstances could have led 50 townspeople to so resolutely reject modernity and Mexican government and place their trust entirely in God? And why did the bloody culmination happen as it did? Vanderwood addresses these questions and, in many ways, answers them. He falls short, however, in that he doesn't really get to the philosophical and ideological roots of the conflict. (I'm not criticizing Vanderwood's execution as much as his choice of approach itself). At bottom this conflict was about vastly different views of the world. It was about what it means to be Catholic, Mexican, an individual in a society. It was about the nature of property rights, social/political autonomy, religiosity. It was about reason v. faith and modernity v. tradition. Vanderwood doesn't tackle such intellectual matters; I realize they are enormous issues and beyond his scope, but some mention of them would've been nice, especially given their glaring presence (and fundamentality) in the incident. In short, to truly understand what happened we need to know how and why those involved thought what they thought. Vanderwood's account is exhaustive but lacks this kind of depth. Another drawback is the author's general tone of admiration for the religious rebels. Whether their cause was admirable is not within his scope and certainly not supported one way or the other in the text, nor is it uncontroversial. Nevertheless, Vanderwood's book is an engaging read. He really has a wonderful writing style and a nuanced sense of presentation. And for sure, he displays excellent scholarship. Given what he sets out to do, his execution is beautiful.
Rating:
Summary: Sets highest standards in historical reconstruction
Review: WINNER OF THOMAS F. MCGANN MEMORIAL PRIZE FOR BEST BOOK of 1998. The prize committee said in part: "Vanderwood's beautiful prose can only be compared to Mario Vargas Llosa's The War at the End of the World. The primary difference between these two grand books is that Vargas Llosa made it up. Vanderwood, by contrast, provides solid archival evidence for every line for his insightful reconstruction of Mexican popular religion and mentalidad. In short, Vanderwood's book is a classic. It sets the parameters for practioners of the New Cultural History, and is a model for the highest standards in historical reconstruction for Latin American scholars, indeed all scholars, everywhere."
<< 1 >>
| 
