The Panama Canal: The Crisis in Historical Perspective by Walter LaFeber. Oxford University Press, 1978, 248 pp., $24.95 (cloth). Excellent introduction to the his- tory of U.S.-Panamanian relations vis- a-vis the canal. Written to support pas- sage of the Carter treaty and challenge the assumptions of conservatives who opposed it, LaFeber puts forth a his- torical context which argues that Pan- ama did not mature at Theodore Roosev- elt’s command. Instead, he stresses, Panamanians had developed their own sense of independent nationalism by the middle of the 19th century. The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal 1870- 1914 by David McCullough. Simon & Schuster, 1977, 698 pp., $13.95 (pa- per). A sweeping, epical account of the building of the canal, from the days of the French expedition to the North American takeover. Though rich in detail and including rare photographs, McCullough’s journalistic account lacks political analysis. Most memorable are his descriptions of the human toll suffered by the black West Indian la- borers who built the canal and the back room machinations that went into Panama’s independence from Colom- bia. Mi General Torrijos by Jos6 de Je- sus Martinez. Casa de las Americas, 1987, 271 pp. The former philosophy professor who became Torrijos’ bodyguard and confidante has written a passionate memoir of his adventures with Pan- ama’s national hero. Includes the in- side stories of Torrijos’ support for the Sandinista revolution, and the se- cret canal treaty negotiations with Carter in the basement of the White House. Panama Odyssey by William J. Jor- den. University of Texas Press, 1984, 725 pp., $27.50 (cloth). Written by the former U.S. Am- bassador to Panama, this is a dramatic anecdotal account of the negotiation of the Torrijos-Carter Treaties on the Panama Canal. Jorden’s first-hand knowledge of the events make the book fine and valuable reading. The Civil Wars in Chile (Or the Bourgeois Revolutions That Never Were) by Maurice Zeitlin. Princeton University Press, 1984, 265 pp., $14.95 (paper). An historical and sociological ac- count of the two major civil wars in 19th-century Chile. Analyzing the class- state conflict in each war, the author shows how the defeat of these bour- geois revolutions decisively established Chile as a relatively stable capitalist democracy. This interesting examina- tion of two formative periods in Chil- ean history explores the significance of class relations in shaping a coun- try’s international position. Ecuador: An Andean Enigma by David W. Schodt. Westview Press, 1987, 188 pp., $26.50 (cloth). A highly readable and informative introduction to the country of Ecuador by a former peace corps volunteer and economist. From conquest to 19th- century civil wars, from integration into the world market through cacao and banana exports, to the enduring dominance of the populist caudillo Jos6 Maria Velasco Ibarra, from military dictatorship to the return of civilian rule, this straightforward descriptive narrative is an attempt to correct the general neglect of Ecuador by An- deanists. Contadora and the Diplomacy of Peace in Central America, Volume I: The United States, Central Amer- ica and Contadora edited by Bruce M. Bagley. Westview Press, 1987, 275 pp., $32.50 (cloth). A collection of ten essays that look critically at Contadora, U.S. policy and alternative avenues for change. Several are marred by their narrow East-West vision, and the authors are generally pessimistic about Contadora. However, most acknowledge the valu- able lessons it offers for addressing issues of U.S. hegemony, Soviet in- fluence and internal political problems of the region. La Jaula de la Melancolia: Identi- dad y metamorfosis del mexicano by Roger Bartra. Grijalbo (Mexico), 1987, 234 pp. (paper). According to Bartra, Octavio Paz’s Labyrinth of Solitude (widely read and believed in this country) was one of several key books written in this cen- tury to invent the myth of “Mexican identity,” used so effectively by the state to promote conformity with the system. In this great work of cultural anthropology, at once deadly serious and bitingly witty, sociologist Bartra destroys Paz’s vision and offers in- stead the axolote, a pre-Colombian amphibious animal, as the essential metaphor for understanding Mexico and Mexicans. A State of Fear: Memories of Argen- tina’s Nightmare by Andrew Gra- ham-Yooll. Eland, London & Hippo- crene, 1986, 180 pp., $9.95 (paper). A powerfully descriptive autobio- graphical account of one journalist’s experiences during Argentina’s “dirty war.” Graham-Yooll was the news editor of the Buenos Aires Herald in the 1960s and 70s, during which time his political writings made him ene- mies on all sides. An insider who sipped wine at guerrilla press confer- ences and power-lunched with assorted military-industrial brass on a weekly basis, he was eventually driven to exile in Britain. More effectively than Didion in Salvador, Graham-Yooll evokes the creeping fear that overtakes life in a police state. Colombia, An Amnesty Interna- tional Briefing . Amnesty Interna- tional, 1988, 16 pp., $5 (paper). The famed human rights organiza- tion’s briefing on Colombia, where murder is the principal cause of death for men aged 15 to 44, is a striking indictment of that country’s armed forces. It documents the use of death squads, disappearances and torture against trade unionists, Indians and suspected guerrillas. At War in Nicaragua: The Reagan Doctrine & the Politics of Nostalgia by E. Bradford Bums. Harper & Row, 1988, 211 pp., $6.95 (paper). In this well-documented account of U.S. intervention, the author breaks down the conflict to the essen- tial battle between an obsessed White House and a poor nation struggling to overcome dependency and underde- velopment. A great source of facts and figures.
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