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A review by cam_smith7
Silver, Sword, and Stone: Three Crucibles in the Latin American Story by Marie Arana
5.0
Dang I had a whole review written out and then my app crashed on me…
This has been an essential companion over my last month in Bolivia. Although the book is by no means comprehensive, it’s a great high-level review of Latin American history, and I also learned so much new information throughout. The first third focused on mining and extraction was the most impactful to me, especially after visiting the mines in Potosí. I really have not thought much about the mining of precious metals, but after this book/trip, I know it will be a topic that haunts me.
The second part that traced violence through Indigenous empires to colonialism to (often US-backed) dictatorships to gang violence was interesting but hard to read. I can imagine especially for people with roots in the region, this book could be very challenging. The third follows the use of religion for control of the population, but by that point, I felt most of the major themes/implications had already been revealed (although I certainly learned new things in that section too, and I liked the review of the origins of liberation theory).
I really liked how this book was written - the author is a journalist and she does a great job weaving in historical figures as complex characters, and I also liked how the timeline jumped around. It was easy to read, and I thought the organization around 3 major themes helped me have very strong takeaways from the book. I wasn’t a huge fan of the epigenetics tie-ins intro/conclusion, but otherwise thought the framing was effective.
I’ve mentioned things I’ve learned from this book so many times on this trip (especially when they relate directly to Bolivia) - I think my friends are sick of hearing “oh, my book mentioned…” It definitely focuses the most on the Andean region relative to other parts of Latin America (the author is Peruvian), but still touches on other places too.
All in all, an impactful thematic read will stay in my mind for a long time; hopefully it will also compel me to continue studying the region.
This has been an essential companion over my last month in Bolivia. Although the book is by no means comprehensive, it’s a great high-level review of Latin American history, and I also learned so much new information throughout. The first third focused on mining and extraction was the most impactful to me, especially after visiting the mines in Potosí. I really have not thought much about the mining of precious metals, but after this book/trip, I know it will be a topic that haunts me.
The second part that traced violence through Indigenous empires to colonialism to (often US-backed) dictatorships to gang violence was interesting but hard to read. I can imagine especially for people with roots in the region, this book could be very challenging. The third follows the use of religion for control of the population, but by that point, I felt most of the major themes/implications had already been revealed (although I certainly learned new things in that section too, and I liked the review of the origins of liberation theory).
I really liked how this book was written - the author is a journalist and she does a great job weaving in historical figures as complex characters, and I also liked how the timeline jumped around. It was easy to read, and I thought the organization around 3 major themes helped me have very strong takeaways from the book. I wasn’t a huge fan of the epigenetics tie-ins intro/conclusion, but otherwise thought the framing was effective.
I’ve mentioned things I’ve learned from this book so many times on this trip (especially when they relate directly to Bolivia) - I think my friends are sick of hearing “oh, my book mentioned…” It definitely focuses the most on the Andean region relative to other parts of Latin America (the author is Peruvian), but still touches on other places too.
All in all, an impactful thematic read will stay in my mind for a long time; hopefully it will also compel me to continue studying the region.