Well researched and full of lively detail that only ten years plus worth of in-the-field experience could command, Disparate Diasporas is a thoroughly satisfying ethnography of one of Nicaragua's least understood ethnic groups.

The book is valuable not only for its insightful ethnographic and political observations, but also for its compilation and consolidation of useful and hard to find ethnohistorical information about Nicaragua's coastal Creole populations.

Activists, scholars, and others familiar with the turbulent Nicaragua of the 1980's will find the perspective presented in this volume to be useful. While the book is not a political analysis, its description of events, and, more importantly, Creole interpretation of those events, should provide many "lessons learned" for those interested in re-evaluating what went right and what went wrong in 1980's Nicaragua.

"Bluefield" is a great collection of many photos of the Bluefield, WV area covering many years. The price is a little steep for a paperback book, but this is a must for anyone interested in Bluefield.