—The Economics of Interdependence: Mexico and the United States edited by William Glade and Cassio Luiselli, Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies, University of California, San Diego, 1989, 183 pp., $16 (paper).
The essays that make up this fine collection — two on macroeconomic trends and five on patterns in the binational relationship — were prepared for the Bilateral Commission on the Future of United States-Mexican Relations, a liberal group of establishment notables from both sides of the border who gather information useful for policy-making in both countries. The authors are clearly well-informed, their articles replete with data, and, given the nature of the audience, the presentation is surprisingly straightforward.
—Distorted Development: Mexico in the World Economy by David Barkin, Westview Press, 1990, 162 pp., $25 (paper).
Economist David Barkin has followed developments in the Mexican countryside for decades. In this work he broadens his focus to examine overall development policy, pinpointing the successes and failures of the Mexican miracle and the crisis it engendered. He argues convincingly that latent productive potential in traditional agriculture and consumer goods industry is vital for national development. His sharp critique of stabilization policy and the opening of Mexico to the world economy is complemented by a proposed alternative development strategy to benefit all sectors of society. A well-argued, thoughtful book by a trained observer.
—Where North Meets South: Cities, Space and Politics on the United States-Mexican Border by Lawrence A. Herzog, Univ. of Texas Press, 289 pp., $24.95 (cloth), $12.95 (paper).
On the U.S.-Mexico border, businesses, families and politics are often entwined as tightly as the chain-linked fence which attempts to keep them apart. This book provides a facinating look at the emergence of a new “transfrontier metropolis” along the world’s most populous border region.
—Todos Santos: The Survivors a film by Olivia Carrescia, distributed by First Run/Icarus Films, 1989, 58 minutes, color, $895 (16nim), $450 (video), $125 (rental/16mm).
In this haunting film, the villagers of the highland Guatemalan town of Todos Santos Cuchumatán break the wall of silence that surrounds the oppression of Mayan peoples. Anthropologist Olivia Carrescia, who has chronicled life in Todos Santos since the late 1970s, examines the aftermath of the war which traumatized and devastated much of the country. Villagers recount with surprising frankness the attempts by guerrillas to recruit them, the brutal repression at the hands of the military that followed, and how they have sought to retain their integrity under continuing military threat. Above all, the film documents the community’s undaunted determination to survive.
—A Question of Conscience: The murder of the Jesuit Priests in EI Salvador, a film by Ilan Ziv, Icarus/Tazmouz Media, 1990, 43 minutes, color, $325 (sale), $75 (rental).
The brutal slaying of six priests, their housekeeper and her daughter on November 16, 1989 shook EI Salvador and the United States. This film gives us a wrenching visual depiction of the crime, delves into the motives of the killers, and offers a moving portrait of the victims’ lives. Part detective story, part political documentary, part moral tale, this film is a testament to the power of religious commitment.
—The Book of Embraces by Eduardo Galeano, translated by Cedric Belfrage, W.W. Norton, 1991, 281 pp., $19.95 (cloth).
The author of Memory of Fire and The Open Veins of Latin America now regales us with vignettes from his life and the lives of his friends. Personal and political, brutal and beautiful, these stories are a joy. The accompanying surreal illustrations and collages attest to Galeano’s artistic skill. Cedric Belfrage’s rendering of the Spanish original, his final work before his death last year, is simply marvelous.
—Feeding the Crisis: U.S. Food Aid and Farm Policy in Central America by Rachel Garst and Tom Barry, Univ. of Nebraska Press, 1990, 275 pp., $12.95 (paper).
In this meticulously researched exposé, the authors show how U.S. food aid not only bolsters counterinsurgency programs in Central America, but is dramatically — and with little scrutiny — altering consumption patterns and agricultural policies throughout the isthmus. A ground-breaking look at one of the U.S. government’s most insidious foreign policy tools.
—Closer to Houston by Richard Fagen, John Daniel and Company, 1990, 160 pp., $8.95 (paper).
A fast-paced adventure set in an unnamed Central American country in the 1980s, Closer to Houston is part romance novel and part political commentary. Its two North American protagonists — Charlie, a consultant for a U.S. aid agency, and Michelle, a foreign correspondent — are motivated at first by curiosity and a sense of adventure. After a trip to into the mountain to interview guerrillas of the “National Liberation Front,” they find themselves embroiled in a drama they scarcely understand.
—Grenada Revisited: Lessons for Today, a video by the Center for Defense Information (1500 Mass. Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20005), 1991, 28 min., $25 (VHS purchase).
A well-done, engaging look at the 1983 U.S. invasion of Grenada, offering a wealth of information in less than half an hour. Former Grenadian and U.S. officials are among those interviewed. Although the video’s introduction seems to date the piece a bit by tying it to the Gulf war, the serious questions it raises remain pertinent.
—In the Parish of the Poor: Writings From Haiti by Jean-Bertrand Aristide, translated by Amy Wilentz, Orbis Books, 1991, 112 pp., $10.95 (paper),
Father Jean-Bertrand Aristide, the new president of Haiti and a long-time outspoken representative of the Ti Legliz, the progressive wing of the Catholic Church in Haiti, demands economic justice and liberation from the military regimes of the past. In this book, Aristide gives a personal narrative of his experiences, which include six attempts on his life and the burning down of his church, as well as an eloquent message of hope and courage
