Argentina, 1516-1987: From Spanish Colonization to Alphonsín. (Updated)

Customer Reviews:

The best start to Argentina's History.......2007-01-27

David Rock writes one of the most definitive accounts of Argentine history to date. His book dates from the Spanish colonization through the election of Alfonsin. He looks at the limited number of Spaniards that came to colonize Argentina and their effects on the buildup of Buenos Ares compared with the interior. There is only a little attention paid to the mission systems in the Chaco and other surrounding areas. (for more on the Chaco See The Chaco Mission Frontier by James Saeger). This book does provide an excellent overview of the countries history without going into too much depth. Economics is a major focus of the book as well as the politics of the peronist era. The Falklands conflict is one of the last major pieces covered and is done very well. This is a great book to get a bearing on Argentina's history and then decide where you want to read more. Whether you are a beginner or an expert this is an essential book for South American history.

Well-written panorama of Argentine history.......2004-02-18

From 16th Century colonial foundations to the colapse of the vicious dictatorships of the 1980s and the election of Raoul Alfonsin, Rock's history gives us a sweeping, clear view of Argentina's past. His style is readable and vey well organized. He takes the country's turbulent centuries in simple chronological order, introducing the reader to the leaders of politics, the economy, social classes, the military and, to some extent, the arts. Rock has a penchant for the economic details pulling the country up and down, supporting his conclusions with much specific data. I enjoyed his presentation of long-lasting Argentine themes, such as the conflicts between Buenos Aires and the interior and the rich and workers. The economic and social influence of other nations is traced with care, starting, of course, with Spain, but also including Brazil, England and the US.

I read this in preparation for my first trip to Argentina, leaving a few days after I write this. I feel the book has given me a much deeper understanding of the society I am about to explore.

A concise, comprehensive review of Argentina.......1998-07-05

I found the book relatively easy to follow and well thought out. There is a good discussion of economic, political, and social problems and developments, helping the reader to fully understand the events of the day, providing an excellent introduction to Argentina's history.

Between Revolution and the Ballot Box: The Origins of the Argentine Radical Party in the 1890s (Cambridge Latin American Studies)

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Between Revolution and the Ballot Box: The Origins of the Argentine Radical Party in the 1890s (Cambridge Latin American Studies)
Paula Alonso
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Book Description

Founded in 1891, the Unión Cívica Radical, generally known as the Radical Party, is the oldest national political party in Argentina. As the strongest opposition party during the 1890s, a pivotal decade in the birth of Argentina's party system, the Radical Party effected a critical development in Argentine politics: it created a system of open confrontation and political competition. This study offers not merely a revised version of the party's story but also a new perspective on the politics of the nation as a whole.

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EUROPE IN LATIN AMERICA
The best pictures and story of Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires
Gonzalo Monterroso
Manufacturer: El Ateneo
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 9879471032

Book Description

The most representative picture postcards of the capital city of the country. The photographs are arranged in the order of the various tour circuits the visitor may follow. From the port - Puerto Madero and Catalinas, Retiro - the political and commercial center is visited, a walk through San Telmo to visit Plaza Dorrego and the antique shops, moves on to the Boca, on to the Riachuelo and return to the elegant neighborhoods of Recoleta and Palermo where the Rosedal rose garden in Tres de Febrero Park will be admired, to end up placing a bet on the horses of the race track, watching a polo match, cheering in a one of the more traditional soccer stadiums (River Plate or Boca Juniors). The hours of darkness are reserved for the Tango, for eating in traditional restaurants where the barbecue is in full view, or for a cultural evening in the Colon Theatre.

It is all in the book for the visitor to recall or share the city's attractions with friends or relatives who have not been to this European city on the banks of the River Plate. Gonzalo Monterroso's texts set the postcards in their epoch and help us to understand Porteños, the natives of Buenos Aires. In a pleasing style, with many a wink and hint at secrets known only to the initiated, the text nicely complements the illustrations.

Customer Reviews:

EUROPE IN LATIN AMERICA.......2006-03-28

Buenos Aires is by far the most European of the great Latin American cities, it is a city of cafe's and grand avenues. This book captures the essence of this unique city, it gets up close and personal and gets the flavor of the town. I must confess I knew very little about Buenos Aries before picking up this book, I just knew about Evita, uh thank you Madonna, and I had seen pictures of the capitol building, but I really had no idea what a beautiful city this was, well at the very least it photographs well. The people are very Western and sophisicated and don't ever forget these are the people that created the Tango. If you have any interest in this great city, then I highly recommend this book.

The best pictures and story of Buenos Aires.......2002-10-26

Truly great picture postcard photography of the 'Paris' of South America - Buenos Aires, tango, great food, neighborhood coffee shops, wide avenues and beautiful peoples, most everything you'd what to see, everywhere you wish you had time to visit, all in a book at a really gerat price.

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Argentine Mauser Rifles 1871-1959
Colin Webster
Manufacturer: Schiffer Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Military Science | History | Subjects | Books

History of Technology | Technology | Science | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0764318683

Product Description

This is the complete story of Argentina's contract Mauser rifles from the purchase of their first Model 1871's to the disposal of the last shipment of surplus rifles received in the United States in May 2002. Between 1891-1959 Argentina bought or manufactured nearly 500,000 Mauser rifles and carbines for itself as well as for its neighbors Peru, Bolivia, Uruguay and Paraguay. It also supplied Spain with rifles to help suppress the Melilla revolt in Morocco, which were eventually used against the United States during the Spanish American War of 1898. The Argentine Commissions relentless pursuit of tactical superiority resulted in a major contribution to the development of Mausers now famous bolt-action system. The combined efforts of the Belgian, Turkish and Argentine arms commissions between 1889 and 1892 produced the origins of what became the Model 98 bolt-action system that is still in use today over 110 years later. Book includes: thirty-seven identified variants; the history behind each purchase and the technical description of each variant; contract-by-contract, and in the case of the Model 1891, 1909 and 1947 weapons a month-by-month, detail of production and shipping data; over 400 pictures, illustrations, documents and blueprints; history and details of the manufacturing facilities in Europe and in Argentina as well as a description of the manufacturing process used by the "Matheu" (DGFM-FMAP) small arms factory in Argentina; interesting and colorful anecdotes about the people involved, including revelations about spying and secret alliances never before revealed.

A Lexicon of Terror: Argentina and the Legacies of Torture (Oxford World's Classics)

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An Incredible Narrative
Lexicon is what you get
Comprehensive and Well Written
Painful but Great
A thorough depiction of the atmosphere of repression

A Lexicon of Terror: Argentina and the Legacies of Torture (Oxford World's Classics)
Marguerite Feitlowitz
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0195134168

Amazon.com

Argentina still struggles as a nation with the shame and horror of the so-called "dirty-war" of the decade following Juan Peron's death. During that horrific time, torture and kidnapping were the instruments of choice for the enforcement of political will. Feitlowitz unflinchingly examines life under sadistic military rule with detailed descriptions of the experiences of prisoners in concentration camps. The Argentinean vocabulary now includes words like desaparacido (disappeared person) and chupado (sucked up or kidnapped), vivid reminders of how commonplace kidnapping and murder became. Victims, often guilty only of nothing more than practicing psychology or journalism or being Jewish, have not been forgotten.

Though Feitlowitz touches on the linguistic effects of government terrorism in Argentina, her book's greatest strength lies in the voice it gives the victims. The author spent years talking to survivors of the terror as well as some of the people responsible for instigating it. What A Lexicon of Terror does particularly well is capture the ongoing consequences of the dirty war--victims encountering their tormentors on the streets, Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo still marching to remind their government that the fates of thousands of disappeared are still not known, a government held hostage by the fear of army uprisings should any attempt to bring culprits to justice be made. Argentina is the subject of this particular Lexicon, but surely the citizens of other nations such as Chile, Guatemala, and El Salvador might see their own experiences mirrored here.

Book Description

"We were all out in la charca, and there they were, coming over the ridge, a battalion ready for war, against a schoolhut full of children." Tanks roaring over farmlands, pregnant mothers tortured, their babies stolen and sold on the black market, homes raided in the dead of night, ordinary citizens kidnapped and never seen again--such were the horrors of Argentina's Dirty War. Now, in A Lexicon of Terror, Marguerite Feitlowitz fully exposes the nightmare of sadism, paranoia, and deception the military dictatorship unleashed on the Argentine people, a nightmare that would claim over 30,000 civilians from 1976 to 1983 and whose leaders were recently issued warrants by a Spanish court for the crime of genocide. Feitlowitz explores the perversion of language under state terrorism, both as it's used to conceal and confuse ("The Parliament must be disbanded to rejuvenate democracy") and to domesticate torture and murder. Thus, citizens kidnapped and held in secret concentration camps were "disappeared"; torture was referred to as "intensive therapy"; prisoners thrown alive from airplanes over the ocean were called "fish food." Based on six years of research and moving interviews with peasants, intellectuals, activists, and bystanders, A Lexicon of Terror examines the full impact of this catastrophic period from its inception to the present, in which former torturers, having been pardoned and released from prison, live side by side with those they tortured. Passionately written and impossible to put down, Feitlowitz shows us both the horror of the war and the heroism of those who resisted and survived--their courage, their endurance, their eloquent refusal to be dehumanized in the face of torments even Dante could not have imagined.

Customer Reviews:

An Incredible Narrative.......2007-09-29

This is a compelling and relentless book that jumps off from the starting point that subtle Orwellian language manipulation is an essential component of political repression, by showing how the adjustment and subversion of words, the theft of meaning, enabled the Argentine Generals to torture, loot, and murder tens of thousands of quite innocent civilians (and unwanted military or anyone else in the way). In a literate society the body parts can remain hidden, and the words will do the work of subduing dissent.

By exploring the personal stories and interviews with survivors, families of the 'disappeared,' willfully ignorant or complicit 'bystanders,' vain or conscience-stricken perpetrators, and so on, the book moves far beyond a linguistic or philosophical analysis. It is personal, angry, and tragic.

What froze me to the bone is recognizing little linguistic echoes and hints from our own government as it moves the war on terror increasingly to a domestic front. One thing the author underplays, I think, is the extent to which a large proportion of the Argentine society actually was fine with the degree of brutality and repression, as long as they didn't have to actually see and 'know about' the mutilated carcasses of their neighbors' kids. They were convinced by words and the climate of paranoia that there was (indeed) an invisible war against terrorists going on all around them. 'Torture... is the secret weapon in the war without rules.'

Not a stunningly brilliant work like Scarry's 'The Body in Pain,' but 'Lexicon of Terror' has the great advantage that it's very readable and accessible.

Lexicon is what you get.......2005-08-09

If you're looking for an historical overview of the subject -- go elsewhere.
Unless you're fascinated by the etiology of the language which evolved on the subject matter, this is a very disappointing read on the subject of the terrorism in Argentina.

Comprehensive and Well Written.......2003-04-22

The title of this book, The Lexicon of Terror, really only covers one chapter and an occassional reference here and there to how the junta manipulated language to influence the minds of the people. The book mostly covered the context of the Dirty War, the main bad guys, and many stories of victims.

After interviewing the victims, Feitlowitz has no mercy for the military perpatrators of the war. Even when she interviews Balza, the army cheif of staff in 1996 who seemed like one of the more repantant of the military guys, she isn't afraid to ask him tough questions.

She covers the book in both dichronic and synchronic time. She goes through chronology from the coup that put Videla in charge to the recovery of the country that was still going on when she finished her book in 1997. But in addition to that, she covers the stories of the individuals involved in the atrocities. One of the details that struck me the most was when she talked about former desaparecidos running into their former captors on the street. One captor even asked a victim how her family was doing.

Feitlowitz also tells about Scilingo, a former navy officer tortured by his memories of throwing living but drugged "subversives" from a plane on the infamous night flights. His life was ruined by his participation. She even makes an effort to explain that complicity in the army was guaranteed because if a member of the army did not follow orders or expressed concern with what was happening, they would soon disappear themselves. The excuse rings a little hollow, though, because of the brutalness of the torture.

History is frightening. I enjoyed how she talked about the way words were used as propaganda because it is an aspect of all governments. While I don't think our current administration is on par with Videla by any means, they certainly twist words to influence the way we thing about things, that play on our patriotism (the Patriot Act for instance) and our fear of terrorism. I don't think there is a government that doesn't try to influence the vocabulary of its people for their own purposes. Being able to recognize what they are doing allows us to maintain our freedom.

Painful but Great.......2001-08-07

This is a shocking and painful book to read. There are other books which document the torture and atrocities of the Argentinian Dirty War in more detail, but none that reveals the horror of it all by providing examples and analysis of the words, phrases and verbal concepts of the perpetrators and their victims. The title, "Lexicon of Terror," could not have been chosen better for seemingly neutural words like "process" and "change" and dozend of others are shown to have been corrupted intellectually so that the physical corruption which followed was almost inevitable.

The book combines three disciplines that are rarely treated in the same volume, much less understood by the same person. But history, lexicography, and journalism are intertwined to such a degree that the blend is complete.

The author, in her low key style, deals with occurances and happenings that for most of us would cry out for justice. But by limiting her treatment to understanding the problem, she is even more effective on motivating the reader to search for soloution.

Most of us are familiar with the phrase that knowledge is power, but this relatively short book is a great example of the power (in this case for evil) of language. The reader will never look at partisan political dialogue in the same way again.

One annoying feature is terribly small type, so those who need reading glasses, do not forget them. The rest of the work is brilliant and terrible in the literal meaning of the word, which is what makes it so wonderful, thoudh disconcerting and depressing as well.

Reading this volume is a must for anyone who loves and respects language, freedom, and human rights for you will learn how intertwined they can be.

A thorough depiction of the atmosphere of repression.......2001-06-29

What really struck me about this book was how well Maruerite Feitlowitz captured the subtleties of the effects terror and repression had on the Argentine population. For example, she discusses how a popular women's magazine, Para Ti, incorporated pro-Proceso rhetoric and even military-inspired fashion into its message during the war. The book is based extensively on first-person testimonials, many of which come from interviews conducted by Feitlowitz herself. Two chapters I found especially revealing dealt with the failure of Jewish leadership to defend its people during the crisis, and with the crippling effect of repression on one rural agrarian league. Two minor complaints: There was little discussion of the systematic repression of union leaders, which intended to (and succeeded in) severely weakening labor's role in Argentina. Also, at least in the paperback version, the print was tiny! If your eyes are getting weak, reading glasses are a must!

Revolutionizing Motherhood: The Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo (Latin American Silhouettes)

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life changing
A New Argentine Mother

Revolutionizing Motherhood: The Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo (Latin American Silhouettes)
Marguerite Guzman Bouvard
Manufacturer: SR Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Civil Rights & Liberties | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0842024875

Amazon.com

The 1976 Argentine junta that overthrew the ragged Peronista government launched a campaign of terror to crush dissent. "Ford Falcons without license plates would slide through the streets like sharks," says one witness, remembering nights when security forces "disappeared" hordes of people. Though many were tortured and executed in detention centers, junta leaders denied any knowledge of this. Determined to learn the fates of their sons and daughters, a group of middle-aged women who called themselves Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo braved beatings, threats, and abductions to spotlight the flagrant violations of human rights. This scholarly, somewhat dry book tells of their radicalization and activism, which helped galvanize world pressure against the junta and slow the tide of disappearances. Though stiff writing sometimes undermines their affecting, painful stories, this is an amazing and rewarding blueprint for cooperative struggle against abuses of power.

Book Description

Revolutionizing Motherhood examines one of the most astonishing human rights movements of recent years. During the Argentine junta's Dirty War against subversives, as tens of thousands were abducted, tortured, and disappeared, a group of women forge

Customer Reviews:

life changing.......2004-11-29

I was directed to read this for a class. I had no idea that it would cause me to change my way of thinking. We all know that the atrocities of disappearances exist, and we might even place a bit of distance between ourselves and the subjects of this book so we can feel better about our own place in life. However, getting close to this subject brings an awareness and sense that something needs to be done, not donation of money, or thinking about it every now and then, (although these actions help) but everyday we need to be doing something. What the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo did was revolutionary. What they did, and how they went about organizing, spreading the word and surviving as they did in the roles that they were as mothers unfamiliar with is astounding. We can learn alot from the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo. I hope that everyone who has been politically disheartened or disenfranchised reads this book! I believe the other review on this book may have articulated the response to it more thoroughly; nonetheless, I hope to get across that this is a must-read for those interested in social justice issues, activism and more.

A New Argentine Mother.......2000-04-01

This is an academic look at the organization of middle-aged Argentine mothers that began in the wake of widespread political and state sponsored terrorism in the period of 1976-1982, more commonly called the Dirty War. It began as a network of mothers who met while trying in vain to search for their children who had been `disappeared' by the government and grew into an internationally recognized and admired group committed to changing the structure of the Argentine political system from the bottom up. This book focuses on the journey of these women from traditional housewives, many with no formal education, confined to the private sphere of home and family, to a highly politicized, ever present and very out spoken activist organization. They have taken the traditional role of `mother' and used it to their advantage to bring to light the atrocities committed by the military junta against their children. As the title suggests, their organization has revolutionized the concept of motherhood by taking the concerns and duties of mothers out of the private sphere into the public and even international political arena. This book is an interesting documentation of the group and includes interviews with many members as well as commentary from many Argentine and international publications about the Mothers. It discusses their activities from the group's conception during the Dirty War through the transition to democracy as well as their continuing struggle in Argentine political life today. The book also documents the enormous obstacles they faced and continue to face economically, socially, and within their own families as well as their political struggles. It also talks about their interaction and reception in the international sphere, as they captured the attention of human rights and women's organizations from all over the world. It even discusses the ideological split among the Mothers after the return to democracy in 1982 that caused some Mothers to break away from the original group to form another group of Mothers with slightly different ideologies. One of the most interesting aspects of this book is the focus on the development of the women themselves. A great deal of time is devoted to the transformation that has taken place among these women as they came together to find solace in each other that only someone experiencing the purgatory of not knowing the fate of their children could offer. It documents the courage, dedication, successes and disappointments of a group of women who came together to help each other look for answers. It is detailed documentation of a very personal and painful journey of political awakening through collective struggle and pain. It is one of the most valuable and moving aspects of this book. By focusing on this personal transformation, one begins to understand the almost incomprehensible corruption and brutality of the government. For these women, protesting meant standing in the face all traditional social, religious and cultural roles for women, especially middle-aged women. By the end of the book, one can't help but share in their frustrations and pain as they continue to fight for the integrity of the family and the supreme sanctity of human life. It is ironic that it was precisely because they were quintessential Argentine mothers that they became political activists that began to transform the concept of motherhood and the role of women in Argentine society. The abduction of their children was not only a painful, emotional loss, but also a direct assault on the institution of the family. It is interesting to note that throughout the book they emphasize their occupation, as a mother, has remained intact. However, the activities involved with being a mother have changed. To them, now to be a mother also meant fighting for the rights of their children, left voiceless by the government and carrying on their children's work and memory in their absence. This book is an excellent source of information about the Mothers themselves as well as about the atmosphere of Argentina as a whole during this time. It has many pictures of the mothers from the past and present and mixes academic fact easily with first person accounts, quotes and interview. It equally discusses successes and mistakes of the group, as well as various controversies that have surrounded the group's history. It's content and style make it an emotional and informative book.

The Last Cowboys at the End of the World: The Story of the Gauchos of Patagonia

Average customer rating:

Lose yourself in order to find yourself
A Fascinating Person and a Fascinating Story
Gauchos are not chilean
A Great Read!!!
A book you won't forget

The Last Cowboys at the End of the World: The Story of the Gauchos of Patagonia
Nick Reding
Manufacturer: Crown
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Amazon.com

Some people will go to the ends of the earth for a good story; Nick Reding went to the end of the road, which turned out to be one and the same. When the Pan American Highway was extended into Chilean Patagonia, it exposed a people long believed to be extinct--the gauchos. While the gauchos had struggled for centuries with the hantavirus, extreme isolation, and visits by the devil, what the road brought was truly overwhelming. Reding befriends the likes of Duck, an alcoholic slowly breaking from the pressure of the outside; John of the Cows, a cattle thief on the lam; and Don Luis, an aging gaucho with terrific stories to tell. From its dramatic opening to its turbulent end, this elegant, brutal, and funny dispatch from one of the world's most forlorn places attempts to answer the inconceivable: What happens when you suddenly find yourself two centuries in the future? --Lesley Reed

Book Description

Gaucho conjures up an image as iconic as the word cowboy. But according to historians and anthropologists, their semi-nomadic culture disappeared at the end of the nineteenth century, and no one has seen the gauchos since. Until now.

Twenty-five years ago, the government of Chile began building a road into Chilean Patagonia, one of the least-populated regions in the world. In 1995, when Nick Reding traveled down that still-unfinished road into an unmapped river valley, he found himself in a closed chapter of history: a last, undetected, and unexplored outpost of gauchos so isolated that many of them, some of whom are boys as young as thirteen, still live completely alone with their herds, hours on horseback from the nearest neighbors. In 1998, Nick returned to the valley to witness what happens when time catches up to a people whom history has forgotten.

Reding’s account of the ten months he spent in Middle Cisnes, Patagonia, is a riveting, novelistic exploration of the longing for change by a people and a culture that, according to history books and the Chilean government, do not even exist. There’s Duck, the alcoholic with whom Reding lives and who takes Reding on long cattle drives, teaching him to ride and work as gauchos have for centuries; Duck’s wife, Edith, who is convinced she is reliving the life of her estranged mother, who was, according to legend, wed to the Devil; John of the Cows, a famed cattle thief wanted for murder who takes Reding to the secret place in the mountains where he hides his stolen stock; and Don Tito and Alfredo, two brothers who are unsure of their age and communicate with each other through smoke signals.

In Middle Cisnes, Reding watches a singular—and ultimately murderous—conflict take hold between those who want to trade life in the nineteenth century for life in the twenty-first and those who want to keep living as gauchos have for hundreds of years. What all of them understand is the near impossibility of a journey through a world where everything from the fierce landscape to a ravaging disease conspires against them, a journey whose terminus—the Outside, the only town in central Patagonia’s 42,000 square miles—is a place where the gauchos are not only ill-equipped to live, but clearly unwelcome.

The Last Cowboys at the End of the World is a story of regeneration through violence and tragedy. When the people of Middle Cisnes finally try to take their place in the modern world, the results are as horrifying and surprising as they are heroic. In the collision of the gaucho past, our present, and an unknown future, Nick Reding captures a moment in time that we have never before seen and will never see again.

Customer Reviews:

Lose yourself in order to find yourself.......2006-04-26

This is an exceptional study of the Patagonian gauchos and their life style and habitat before it is extinguished forever by western values, money and culture. As a tourist in Patagonia it should be required reading, especially if you are attempting a riding trip there as we were, across the Andes. For a moment you can understand what you are seeing and experiencing, for a second you are part of the scenary, not just watching it voyeuristically unfold before you. I don't think I understood travel until I read this book.I will never travel again with my eyes open and my mind closed.

A Fascinating Person and a Fascinating Story.......2003-05-24

I had the pleasure of meeting Nick Reding earlier this year, and as I chatted with him over some drinks, I was really struck by the thought, "This guy has led a really amazing life!" As a result, I went out and grabbed this book and as I read it, I became even more amazed.

Nick tells the story of his experiences in the Chilean Patagonia in a way that draw you in to every moment. The vividness of his writing and the beauty of some of his comparisons made this quite an enjoyable read. His attention to detail leaves the reader with a feeling that they are right there staring over Nick's shoulder as he goes about life in a very different part of the world.

Nick has that knack that some of the best writers have of being able to see the common thread that exists between very different experiences and places. This book is also extremely well researched with a lot of attention to historical detail, but this detail is not integrated in a dry textbook like manner. Instead when Nick feels it is neccessary to illuminate the reader about a particular piece of history to provide context for an event, he explains that history without distracting from the main storyline.

Overall, this is an excellent piece of writing and I look forward to future books by Nick (he assures me at least one more is on the way).

Gauchos are not chilean.......2003-01-13

This is just to correct a gross mistake from one of the other reviewers. Gauchos are the archetypical argentine country men, not chilean. and Patagonia is argentinean in more than 90% of its extension.
Gaucho literature is almost exclusively argentinian. An obligatory introduction to the world of gauchos is José Hernández' Martin Fierro. See this book first to get a glance at the gaucho's rough life before embarking in a second-hand misleading historiography.

A Great Read!!!.......2002-06-16

If you have been to Cisnes,Patagonia (or want to go there) this is a must book to read. I spent 10 days in this area in February, 2002 and saw some of the people that Nick writes about. In reading the book Nick made me feel that I was back there as I could visualize where the events were taking place. The changes to Coyhaique have continued since 1999 as I found it to be a very modern town. After reading this book I would like to make a return trip.

A book you won't forget.......2002-06-16

If you cherish the ways in which John McPhee and Barry Lopez make meaning out of landscape, if you appreciate a writer with an observant heart and a feel for language, and if you wonder how people manage to live--for well and for ill--in a world turned inside out, this is the book for you. By turns harrowing, hilarious, and touching, "The Last Cowboys" will command your attention and remain in your thoughts long after you have read the last page.

And the Money Kept Rolling In (and Out): Wall Street, the IMF, and the Bankrupting of Argentina

Average customer rating:

Superb book - reads like a fiction, hits like reality!
A wonderful look at how an economy collapsed
Objective chronicle of a nation's collapse
Another Winner from Blustein
Economics of Debt

And the Money Kept Rolling In (and Out): Wall Street, the IMF, and the Bankrupting of Argentina
Paul Blustein
Manufacturer: PublicAffairs
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Economic History | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1586482459
Release Date: 2005-03-01

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It's not often--or maybe ever--that a book steeped in emerging-market economic theory reads like a thriller. But And the Money Kept Rolling In (and Out) has cliffhangers and plot twists equal to a detective's tale, as Paul Blustein chronicles the spectacular rise and fall of Argentina's economy at the turn of the 21st century. The book has its flaws, of course, including the author's insistence on using goofy metaphors from the overripe Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Evita (from which the book takes its awkward title). But by and large, Blustein, a staff writer at the Washington Post, tells a cynic's tale of greed run amok on a massive scale.

While policy wonks at the International Monetary Fund had much to do with Argentina's implosion, Blustein also holds the country's own government responsible. Conventional wisdom says that the influence of the world's investors keeps everyone in line--a key tenet of the pro-globalization argument--but in practice, Blustein writes, "foreign funds numbed Argentine policymakers into minimizing the perils of their policies. The effect was similar to a dose of steroids, giving the economy a short-term boost while insidiously increasing the risk of a breakdown in the long run." From that point on, only devastation lay ahead for many average Argentineans, who could no longer remove savings from their banks, and for international investors, who saw their returns vanish in a flash. Blustein effectively makes the case that Argentina wasn't a rare example or a perfect storm of problems, but--bearing "striking parallels" to Enron and other financial scandals of the era--a preview of more meltdowns to come. It's a compelling cautionary tale well worth telling. --Jennifer Buckendorff

Book Description

The dramatic, definitive account of the most spectacular economic meltdown of modern times exposes the dangerous flaws of our global financial system.

In the 1990s, few countries were more lionized than Argentina for its efforts to join the club of wealthy nations. Argentina's policies drew enthusiastic applause from the IMF, the World Bank and Wall Street. But the club has a disturbing propensity to turn its back on arrivistes and cast them out. That was what happened in 2001, when Argentina suffered one of the most spectacular crashes in modern history. With it came appalling social and political chaos, a collapse of the peso, and a wrenching downturn that threw millions into poverty and left nearly one quarter of the workforce unemployed.

Paul Blustein, whose book about the IMF, The Chastening, was called "gripping, often frightening" by The Economist and lauded by the Wall Street Journal as "a superbly reported and skillfully woven story," now gets right inside Argentina's rise and fall in a dramatic account based on hundreds of interviews with top policymakers and financial market players as well as reams of internal documents. He shows how the IMF turned a blind eye to the vulnerabilities of its star pupil, and exposes the conduct of global financial market players in Argentina as redolent of the scandals-like those at Enron, WorldCom and Global Crossing- that rocked Wall Street in recent years. By going behind the scenes of Argentina's debacle, Blustein shows with unmistakable clarity how sadly elusive the path of hope and progress remains to the great bulk of humanity still mired in poverty and underdevelopment.

Customer Reviews:

Superb book - reads like a fiction, hits like reality!.......2007-10-10

This is a short book, easy to read and boy, does it deliver! An account of Argentina during it's economy's heyday and the fall, this book is a fascinating read. It starts off with a brief review of Argentina during the late 1800s and early 1900s but jumps right on the main topic after that. The author explains in extremely lucid prose (no finance knowledge required whatsoever) how the economy was fueled by international funds and how it went bust. Excellent examples, and written like a thriller ... 5 stars all the way!

A wonderful look at how an economy collapsed.......2007-07-09

This book seeks to understand how and why Argentina sank into financial chaos in the early 2000's. The book looks at the role of the IMF, US treasury, private markets, and the Argentinean government in the overall downfall of the country. The author writes very well about his subject and has a good understanding of international economics. The IMF is not completely vilified as it is in many of the current financial crisis's and although it shares a large amount of the blame the book hands it out equally. There is quite a bit of conspiracy theory and engaging in theories behind the IMF and Wall Street as well as the Bush administration. The author acknowledges in most cases that these are conspiracies but they did not really need to be discussed. The most interesting part of the story has to do with the role that the markets played in Argentina. It is an interesting foreshadow for the future of emerging markets and looking at the self fulfilling prophecies of debt and equity. This book deserves its credit for focusing on real issues without engaging in much ideology or theory. If you want to understand how financial markets are impacting areas overseas this is a great book to start with.

Objective chronicle of a nation's collapse.......2007-06-10

This book examines the economic history of Argentina from the early 20th century to 2004, with an emphasis on the time period from 1989 to 2002. The focus is on the financial sector of the economy, and how actions by the government and international financial institutions first ballooned Argentina's economy over a decade, and then collapsed it in just under 2 years. The point of view is from the top, as the book follows multiple important figures throughout this time, including officials at the IMF, officials in Argentina's government, and financial bigwigs in the US and Europe, both public and private.

The author is quite objective and impartial, and lays blame all around. The IMF gets some blame for not being more forceful in getting Argentina to change its ways. International banks and lenders get blame for contributing willingly to the financial bubble of the country. And the Argentinan government gets blame for refusing to consider floating its currency, devaluing it, or restructuring its debt before it was too late. Unfortunately, it was the citizens, mainly poor and middle class, of Argentina who took it in the pocketbooks. All in all a great book, with equal emphasis on economics, public policy, and historical analysis. I highly recommend this book.

Another Winner from Blustein.......2006-10-15

Paul Blustein may have have created a new genre: the real-life financial crisis thriller. Having dissected the Asian financial crisis in "The Chastening," he now turns to Argentina in "And the Money Kept Rolling in (and Out)." The book tells the fascinating story of how Argentina, after being lionized as the poster child of free market reform in the early 1990s, became hooked on foreign debt that ballooned far faster than its ability to service it. The outcome was default and financial ruin in 2001-02, with vast economic hardship for the Argentine population.

As in "The Chasterning," Blustein's narrative is clearly-written and based on in-depth interviews with decision-makers in government, the IMF, and the financial community. He takes aim at perverse institutional incentives and herd-behavior among investors who poured money into Argentina long after it was clear that the country couldn't pay its bills. This profligacy encouraged an attitude of policy-complacency in Buenos Aires that made the final reckoning all the more painful for foreign bond-holders and Argentines alike. Highly recommended.

Economics of Debt.......2006-09-18

This was a very interesting book about the IMF and its dealing with Argentina. Argentina has had a colorful past of financial blunders including one in 1890 which almost brought down Barings Bank when it defaulted on its bond payments. So it was not surprising when Argentina bankrupted again.

Not only does this book have the inner workings of the IMF with regard to Argentina but it also contains some short stories of average people and the catastrophies that befell them because of Argentina's currency devaluation. I found it interesting that because Argentina guaranteed an exchange rate between its currency and the dollar that a lot of people had taken out loans in dollars which proved to be disasterous when the peso was devalued.

All the information about the behind the scenes action of the IMF was very insightful as to the inner workings of global financing of emerging nations. The author did a good job bringing home the facts and helping the reader get to know the players in both the IMF and the Argentine government. In summary this was a good lesson on the economics of what debt can do to a country.

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Argentina since Independence

Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Renaissance | Schools, Periods & Styles | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0521439884

Book Description

Argentina Since Independence brings together seven chapters from Volumes 3, 5, and 8 of The Cambridge History of Latin America to provide in a single volume an economic, social, and political history of Argentina since independence. Each chapter is accompanied by a bibliographical essay.

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The best biography of Evita
La Razon di mi Vida - the violent myth of Eva Peron
Evita: The Real Life of Evita Peron
The legend lives on
Definitely not Evita the musical

Evita: The Real Life of Eva Peron
Nicholas Fraser , and Marysa Navarro
Manufacturer: W. W. Norton & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0393315754

Customer Reviews:

The best biography of Evita.......2006-12-28

When I was assigned to read this book I was afraid it was going to be a boring biography that went nowhere. I was pleasantly surprised at how well written and interesting her life is. Evita shaped the culture of Argentina and brought the country on the world stage. She was laughed at in the capitals of Europe on the Rainbow tour and her society was riddled with corruption. Her life is well shown here and it provides an excellent look into the culture of the country. Fraser's translation is very well done and Navarro's work is the definition of academic scholarship. For those who want to learn about Evita there is no better book.

La Razon di mi Vida - the violent myth of Eva Peron.......2006-04-06

One of the most misunderstood, adored, reviled women in the 20th century ... Eva Peron's fierce anger and rage against injustice fueled an ascent from third rate actress to First Lady supreme. Many myths, rumors, outright lies surround her legacy. This is one book that attempts to deconstruct it all.

Evita: The Real Life of Evita Peron.......2006-03-22

Very interesting and well written but somewhat biased toward Juan and Evita Peron. There was no mention of their Swiss bank accounts and little mention of the many schoolgirls (some as young as twelve years old) that he bedded after Evita's death.

The legend lives on.......2006-03-18

The book is written with a rather academic tone of detached interest. There are few personal opinions, and the position regarding Evita is neutral. This could be either an advantage or a drawback, for Evita was both worshipped and hated by millions. In the words of one Life reporter at her death, "They were genuine and deep and demonstrated that Evita, who had contributed so strongly to the totalitarianism and bankruptcy of her country, had also won its love." There's been a lot of controversy regarding her actions during the Peron presidency. She campaigned for her husband; she chaired numerous organizations to help the poor, and appeared on one end to be the giver of goodwill. On the other end of the spectrum, she got rid of all political enemies, spent lavishly.

In account of what she achieved in her life, it's really surprising to think that Eva had no education past the 8th grade; she arrived in Buenos Aires at the age of 15 with nothing but the clothes on her back, endured years of misfortune as an actress, to be permanently entombed as the savior, the termagant, the heroine, and villain, but always, Evita, the legend. In fact, at her death, the phrase, "permanently entombed" became rather literal. She was embalmed by Dr. Pedro Ara, Professor of anatomy, who specialized in what, at the time, he called, "the art of death". Years later, as Peron was ousted from power, her body, a monument of the age of Peronism, a symbol from which her supporters could rally, was hidden away by political rivals. The entire process increased the enigma that had always shrouded Eva, and will continue to do so into eternity.

As much as her biography does her no justice, it highlighted the main points in her life, gave information regarding her ambiguous past and even more ambiguous future, and was a wholly well written, well documented book. It's not a book for pleasure reading, even less for research. It's simply a book for a person who is curious about a subject and truly wants to learn. Because it has no plot, nor any high points of drama, it's not a book that has you "racing through the pages", but plowing stolidly through it. Eva Peron is strangely reminiscent of both "From Emperor to Citizen", the autobiography of last emperor of China, and "the Stories of my experiments with truth", the final work of Ghandi. Although both are written from different perspectives, both reflect the lives of national leaders, who during their time changed themselves and others. Today, Eva lays in an unmarked tomb in Recoleta Cemetery, supposedly bomb-proof, fire proof, and buglar proof. It reflects a fear, a fear that the body of the woman who had inspired so much hate, and love, would disappear, while the woman herself, or rather her insuppressible myth, would live on.

Definitely not Evita the musical.......2005-08-03

This book puts into perspective many of the myths and half-truths surrounding the life and death of Eva Peron. If you believe that she was 1/4 of what the musical and the movie said she was, for heaven's sake, read this book! This is the fifth book I've read on this subject and it is by far the best. I would encourage you to follow it up with "Evita In My Own Words" - which is her alleged deathbed manuscript.

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