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jackwwang's review
5.0
Great layman's history of Mexico. In under 700 pages Fehrenbach manages to cover from a survey of pre-colombian history through the close of the 20th century in satisfying detail as well as a criticality and vocality that delivers pointed perspectives that spices up the simple accounting of facts and events. The author has an eye for broader perspectives, he is not afraid to deliver sweeping judgements on hispanic culture, causality of the Mexican condition, and the hairy issues of race, war, poverty, and religion. He does back up most of his perspectives with historic evidence, and although you may not agree with all his perspectives, one cannot deny that they are well-informed.
Ultimately the author is a sympathetic historian, his empathy for the Mexican culture and people bleeds through this work, but so does an undeniable sense of North American exceptionalism. If you're at all interested in addressing the general ignorance we have of our southern neighbor, this book is as good a place to start as any.
Ultimately the author is a sympathetic historian, his empathy for the Mexican culture and people bleeds through this work, but so does an undeniable sense of North American exceptionalism. If you're at all interested in addressing the general ignorance we have of our southern neighbor, this book is as good a place to start as any.
prof_pelon's review
2.0
While this is a decent overview of Mexican history, words matter. The word choice in this book is do modern and Euro-centric.
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