Time again for my end-of-the-semester book recommendations! I try to make a short list of “fun” books to read at the end of every semester, which I send out to my current students. I post it here for former students & anyone else interested. I also welcome additional suggestions.
Every year this gets harder, since I don't want to keep recommending the same books over & over again. So you can see a longer selection of books from across the years (in no order, just as they appear) in my Pronto* recommends book list.
A number of these are waiting for me during the Christmas/New Years break (in between all the family activities, of course), although I've started poking at some of the essay collections.
Miguel, I've ordered some of recommendations from Amazon, thanks.
Don't know if I ever mentioned it (or if you've already read it), but I liked Howard Wiarda's "The Soul of Latin America". I happen to be a Harrisonite (as in, Larry Harrison), so I like his books (considered heretical, and certainly controversial in some circles), and Carlos Rangel's "The Latin Americans" (which I'm not sure is in print any more).
I'm actually not such a big Wiarda fan. I think he focuses too much on political culture (though much less so than Huntington!) To explain Latin American politics. Though he does often make some brilliant observations.
Click on the Pronto* books linke (above); there's a list of book specifically on Latin American politics that I recommend. If you like Wiarda, but want to move in a slightly different direction, I highly recommend "The Populist Seduction:The Ecuadorian Experience" by Carlos de la Torre. For a great overview of the region from a perspective different from Wiarda's, I suggest "Building Democracy in Latin America" by John Peeler.
Just finished Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers. A light and pleasant read.
I recommend some books I got from a recent Singapore writers festival:
A Case of Exploding Mangoes, Mohammed Hanif
Resistance: A Childhood Fighting for East Timor, Naldo Rei
The Harmony Silk Factory, Tash Aw
"50 States" is also a fabulously cheap stocking stuffer or New Years Eve party favor. Its cosmic clockwork to see everyone take one glance at the book sitting on a table at a party, and immediately pick it up and dive into their home state's essay.