This book captures the essence of Tequila from the perspective of making it and drinking it. I found it especially interesting in giving the reader a glimpse into the day to day activities of the tequila business.

Lance and Sandys adventure in the land of Tequila is not only entertaining but a highly informative read on the growing world of tequila. A must-have reference guide to take you thru the various types available, written by someone who obviously has had a few! I like the tasting pyramid too.

For the tequila lover, this book is worth checking out simply for the explanation of the different ways that tequila is produced, from archaic to ultra modern. The information on the different types of tequila, the different nuances of types, basic information about traveling in the region, and the food of the region are a huge plus.

Over the last year I have visited Western New Mexico on numerous occasions, including many of the settings of Trinity Fields and its sequel, Ariel's Crossing. Morrow's description of the New Mexican countryside and its people is exquisite, allowing me to see that beautiful State with a fresh appreciation of its natural, historical, and spiritual beauty.

Morrow's treatise on the human affinity for and in the end the banality of war-particularly Vietnam-is worthy of another Pulitzer. The metaphorical power of the friendship of Kip and Brice is best understood as complementary alter egos, forces and instincts that exist side by side within many of us.

I read Ariel's Crossing prior to reading Trinity Fields. While I also loved the sequel, I recommend reading Trinity first, since Ariel builds on the characterizaions so carefully wrought in Trinity. Read them both for a great literary experience.

Philip argues with Victor about his love for Chloe as Victor claims he's too young to know what love really is. When their argument heats up, Victor grounds him for having low grades and being distracted by Chloe. Stefano overhears Brandon pleading with Lexie to give Isaac to Hope where he belongs. Stefano first offers him money to keep quiet and then threatens him but Brandon isn't frightened which worries Lexie. When Stefano complains to Rolf about this trouble, Rolf decides to kill Brandon. Belle and Chloe look for Bo and Hope to tell them about what Belle saw at the river. Hearing the fire department found nothing after dragging the river again, Bo decides Hope's right that J.T. is still alive. This, folks, is the wonderful world of "Trinity Fields." Read it and learn the meaning of the word "enthralled." Here's how many tiny yet flamingly intense white dwarfs I give it: ****************************************************************************. Wow!

Brad Morrow has a way with words ... He crafts them into exquisite sentences, paragraphs and mental pictures that are wonderfully refreshing. The story is compelling ... His Characters believable. I loved it! Great job, Brad!

This book is fantastic. I don't often actually buy non-fiction because I usually don't plan to re-read it. This is a rare exception. Quinones is 1st & foremost a great storyteller. You'd hardly notice that it's all true if it weren't for the fact that these tales are simply too good to be fiction. Quinones has a knack for noticing the seemingly invisible. The best example being the tale of Chalino Sanchez (who graces the cover). How could someone who completely misses the U.S. radar of popular culture become a folk hero and single-handedly create a musical genre selling millions of copies of albums in the process & then having at least 1,500 songs written about him? Quinones manages to make it sound perfectly believable. If you're anything like me you'll be mesmerized by these essays.

"This beautifully written collection of essays is a wonder and a delight. . . . Quinones has succeeded in finding 'another Mexico'. Intimately tied to the United States, it is at times far from God, but as this splendid book shows, it is also in the midst of a transformation."-Wilson Quarterly

Quinones' reporting gives you the best of both worlds--the clear-eyed objectivity and perspective of an extremely knowledgeable news reporter, with a feature writer's ability to dig into revealing street-level stories. Quinones belongs to the rare breed of reporter who can tell a compelling human-interest story without getting all weepy and sentimental about the people he's profiling. And he can keep a popular perspective while writing about the people pulling the levers of power, never mimicking their bureaucratic jargon or relying too much on dubious statistics. If everyone could combine the best qualities of news and feature reporting the way Quinones does, American journalism would be in much better shape.

The only time I sense him getting too close to a source is in his "Popsicle Kings of Tocumbo" where he misses the obvious parallels between the ice-cream vendors and Amway salesmen. (Maybe Amway would be more successful if it followed the popsicle kings' example and actually sold products people wanted at reasonable prices.) On the whole, however, he does a fantastic job, doing some especially intriguing fact-finding in the "Lynching In Huejutla" chapter.

Joan Leslie Woodruff is one of the most refreshing, original voices in current American fiction. Her books rank well in the company of such writers as Barbara Kingsolver and Amy Tan. "Neighbors" is a quirky story, humorous yet spiritually deep. The Native American sensibilities are authentic, derived from the writer's ancestry and her experiences in New Mexico. The heroine, Dana Whitehawk, moves from Los Angeles to New Mexico, where she discovers that some of her 'neighbors' are not ordinary folks. The beauty of Woodruff's tale is in the language. She explores the boundary between magic and reality, leaving readers to make up their own minds about some of the book's questions. Both comparatively short and generally upbeat, "Neighbors" is a good read for someone with a tight schedule who would like a "feel good" book. If you like this one, try "The Shiloh Renewal" -- it's topically different, but told with similar skill.

A hilarious and heartfelt detour through New Mexico's hinterlands. Its portrayal of the protagonist's pueblo neighbors leaves more stereotyped "colorful native characters" whimpering in the dust.

Joan Leslie Woodruff writes with a voice that warms the heart and makes the reader smile. I couldn't put this book down. The characters are quirky and entertaining and the story held me in its grip from page one.

This is the book to have to begin tracing your Spanish heritage in New Mexico. Fray Angélico was a blessing sent to New Mexico genealogists. His years of dedicated research have aided those with roots in early New Mexico find their lineages. And a big thank you also goes to José Antonio Esquibel for going "Beyond Origins" and updating Fray Angélico's research.

Primos, find your roots and remember your ancestors with pride!

This book stands out in genealogical research for the commom person who is just beginning to do research. Although, I found that there were some errors after doing more detailed research, it certainly gave me enough information to lead me to documents that corrected them for me. I highly recommend this book to all New Mexicans who have lines to the early colonists of New Mexico. I am happy to say that it contained much information about my ancestry. I recommended this to all my NM cousins who
were doing their own research into New Mexico settlers and I certainly thank Fr. Chavez for doing most of my research for me.

I am an amateur genealogist who belongs to a couple of genealogy groups in New Mexico. I have found Fray Chavez's book, "Origins of New Mexico Families" to be an extremely useful book.

Although present-day genealogists have found a few errors in Chavez's work, for the most part he did very sound research. All the New Mexican genealogists that I know refer to this book consistently. The book is well referenced, so the researcher can check the facts himself. The serious New Mexican genealogist should have a copy of this book in his collection.

That's why I gave it four stars. This book is amazing. If you've ever read anything by Dan Millman or Ken Wilber, you'll like this. A lot of the same stuff, and a lot of it is really hard to understand. I've read it once, and I didn't get it too well, but I'm about halfway done with yet again and it really is a great book. This is the first Castaneda book I've read, and I think that maybe I should have started with The Teachings of Don Juan, because alot of this subject matter is way out there, but I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants to see things differently.

This book chose me to read it and became a savior. Never a adamant reader how ever finished this book in a few days. As it turned out this book brought light to my shadows of darkness and showed me that I am not alone but rather part of all that is. Teaching me how to stalk myself was like finally getting a major obstacle out of the way. Still if one has not attained an understanding of certain fundamental & spiritual concepts and incorporated them into a quest for at least a basic quest for knowledge, the book can only serve as entertainment.

By far one of the best Castaneda`s books revealing very profound and important explanations. Useful only if the one who reads it has certain achievements in "stopping the world", "seeing", etc. Otherwise save it for later - don`t think upon it,won`t help you. Just read it and wait till you get positive results in your own practice. The book is very clear to understand with one`s mind but as always that doesn`t help at all - the problem in achieving practical results remains. If you are looking just for another interesting book - well, I guess you`ve found it. But if you are serious about it I hope my comments might be of some use to you.

Catalina Guzmán, the heroine of this novel, is based on the wife of powerful Mexican General Maximino Ávila Camacho, who is named "Andres Ascencio" in the book. This man was a ruthless political boss of Puebla, whose brother, Manuel, was Mexico's President from 1940 to 1946. Maximino was an exploitator, a corrupt and violent man and a womanizer. But he was very rich and powerful, and so everybody feared and hated him. Even his Presidential brother couldn't cope with him.

This hilarious but sensitive novel is narrated in the first person, like the memoirs of the character, a beautiful and brave woman who married the General, despite his being 20 years older. Mastretta has done a fine job at describing this excellent female character. Living in an extremely "machistic" society, where women's role was utterly limited to household and silence, Catalina never lets her husband overwhelm her. She is a truly free spirit, fighting her way with dignity and malice. Her story develops amidst political turmoil and violence, but she manages to survive, have her little revenges, and come up alive and kicking. Even though the subsequent production of Mastretta has a very inferior quality, this book deserves to be read, and not just by women, but by whoever enjoys a good story well told. Its sense of humor is very good, it has really hilarious moments, and the depiction of Mexican society in the 30's and 40's is superb.

I loved this book! Anyone who has preconceived notions of the female in Mexican society should read this book. The protagonist is gorgeous, lusty, feisty, sympathetic and a survivor. Interestingly, the brutal, egomaniacal general is not one-dimensional and has moments of pathos. Fabulous and often hilarious read. Can't wait to read Mastretta's earlier work, Lovesick.

Those who have read The Death of Artemio Cruz should take a close look at Mastretta's Tear This Heart Out. Cruz's wife, Catalina, becomes Catalina Guzman, protagonist of Mastretta's novel. The similarities and differences are fascinating. Mastretta's novel makes an excellent choice to follow a classroom discussion of Fuentes' great novel.

A great book. Gives you most of the information you could need. Accurate in the directions. Since I don't have Spanish, I would have liked to have had a translation of the various road signs. Many of the signs don't translate from a dictionary or electronic translator. One could spend an hour or so studying the signs before you went in.

We wouldn't dream of going anywhere in Mexico without the Churches' "bible". It's accurate down to the tiniest detail. However, as nothing stays static some info needs to be updated, i.e. As of February 2000 we discovered the toll road fees in Mexico seem to have increased by at least 50% since last year. We drive a 3/4 ton supercab truck and pull a 29' 5th wheel and in February 1999 we paid 310 pesos from Guadalajara to Tepic. In February 2000 tolls on the same road were 451P. Our friends were driving the same length unit except their truck has dual wheels and they paid 2/3's of what we paid at every toll booth between Tepic to Guadalajara to Morelia and back and then from Guadalajara to Laredo, Texas. We could never figure that one out! I complained at the second toll booth about the increase and was told that as of January 2000 the tolls had been increased 50%.

The remarkable thing about the Church's and their excellent book is that they actually nosed into hundreds of side streets, obscure frontage roads, and bouncy cobblestone alleyways ferreting out most of the RV parks in this vast country.

I have stayed at (an uncounted) number of the parks listed and can verify that their comments about the facilities and overall condition is right-on-the-money.

Maps, are key to exploring and finding new things and places and each campground is served in the book with both an explanation and a sketch map that specifically describes "Large Rig" access from the nearest highway. I can't tell you how much this means at 5:00 PM when the sun is setting and the holding tank is threatening to burst.

As a thirty-six year veteran of RV travel in Mexico, I can say with some degree of authority that The Traveler's Guide to Mexican Camping is the milepost by which other's will have to reckon if they wish to write their own guide.

This book is quite good, and to my knowledge, the only one available covering Varo's work. As such, it is essential for her devotees, and even to some extent, for fans of surrealism. Both Varo and her fellow artist Leonora Carrington, (whose works are thematically and technically very similar) deserve wider appreciation. It is, however, excessive to award the book five stars. The reader might compare it to Druick's "Redon", which, with its simultaneously wide-ranging and penetrating scholarship and analysis, and luminous reproductions epitomizes a five-star art book. Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed Kaplan's book.

I greatly enjoy this book. She was part of the Surrealism and the book gives an excellent overview of Remedios Varo's life, her artworks, and her surrealists friends. The book shows a great compilation of her works and her great contribution to Mexican Art. Eventhough she born in Spain, she called Mexico her home.If you want to learn more about Spanish Surrealists this is a great artist to read about.

Unexpected Journeys is one of my all-time favorite books. Not only did it give me the opportunity to connect with Remedios Varo, but it expanded my understanding of surrealism, and feminism. The prints are amazing. I couldn't put it down. Thoroughly informative. Kaplan displays rare insight.

I got interested in Marina from a Discovery special on the Spanish Conquisitors and sought more information. Voice of the Vanquished by Helen Gordon was one of the few books I found but I'm glad I did. She brings this amazing story to life in such a vivid manner despite so little historical information.
Many times I couldn't put this book down, as often it brought tears to my eyes pondering these people and events. Marina certainly was one of the most facinating and misunderstood women in all of history. If more people heard her story it would certainly be the subject of a grand Hollywood production it is that amazing. I honestly don't know how she has escaped attention for so long.
Read this book and you'll understand.

I first heard the story of Marina on a Discovery special about the Spanish conquests and was hooked and thirsty for more.
After searching I found this book and ordered it.
What a great read! Rarely do historical charactors come alive and inspire us as much as this one did for me.
I suspected Marina was a facinating woman but thanks to Helen Gordon I know.
How this story of an 18 year old Indian slave girl who was almost certainly singularly responsible for Cortes' success escaped attention I don't know.
Marina had to be one of the most intelligent and clever people who ever lived to pull off her feats.
Get this book and enjoy a story you'll never forget.

Author Helen Gordon skillfully inserts us into the pre-conquest days when the Aztecs ruled many subdued tribes in the Valley of Mexico. For me, VOICE OF THE VANQUISHED provided an eye-opening reinterpretation of the conquest of Mexico by Hernan Cortes and his small band. Customs, religion, social order of the indigenous peoples are vividly re-created in the lives of fictional villagers who must endure the arrogant demands of the Aztec priests for human sacrifice and tribute. Gordon's portrait of the historical character Malinalli/Marina, drawn from 16th Century Spanish sources and codices of Aztec artists, shows her to be a young woman of intelligence, beauty and ourage. Following her wise father's admonition: "Never yearn for something you cannot have," Marina grasps at what few options she does have. The astonishing result is that she becomes an interpreter and major advisor for Cortes, helping him to form alliances with enemies of Aztec Emperor Moctezuma II. The portrait of Hernan Cortes, drawn from historical documents including his own reports, reveals him to be much more complex than just a cruel and insensitive conqueror. He becomes an understandable and admirable -- though flawed -- man of his time. I felt a fresh breeze of truth and the warm sun of added knowledge in this history in fiction form.