Born in Blood and Fire: A Concise History of Latin America

I was assigned to read this book for my class in Latin American Studies. I especially liked the time line the author inserts before chapter 1 and the time lines he inserts for each period. The information in this book is extensive and serves well as a textbook.

This book tells the tale of the total inequalities that have infested so much of Latin America over the past five hundred years. The legacy of colonial and Spanish rule is a legacy of serfdom verses elitism. The stories of Cuba and the communist rebellions were totally understandable when appreciated in light of the historical context that this book presents. The history of Brazil, how it was once the seat of the Portuguese royal family, and the various nations on the southern tip of South America that have struggled with development offered a fascinating glimpse at a rarely talked about region of the world. The Cold War and the effects of globalization after de-colonization in Latin America was also fascinating. The analysis of the class structures, and how they have continued in different forms from government to government was detailed and convincing. Also I found the stories of the heroes and heroines of the attempted revolutions penetrating. Mostly I got a sense for the dramatic story that these many diverse and connected peoples have experienced.

Born In Blood And Fire is a superbly presented and concise history of Latin America which covers six centuries and twenty countries, linking accounts of individuals, economics, politics and social structure in a uniform, logical progression of events which will delight both general readers and students seeking an introduction to the region's history. Chapters provide many insights on Latin issues in the process of revealing the history of different nations. Born In Blood And Fire is an invaluable introduction and survey for students of Latin American history.

The author knows his Latin America history and deploys the knowledge adroitly and, indeed, concisely. What I enjoyed is his using of the comparative cases of the various nations as a way of developing some general observations about how nations develop. For me that takes the book from merely informative to riveting.

A good fast read. If this is your first exposure to Spanish influence on the Americas (New World) it's a good, concise, historically time capsule. Alot of related events transpired over a broad geographic area during the Spanish colonization and Chasteen seems to move very smoothly between the players and the countries involved. This is truly the best historical insight to Latin America I have found in one book. I would recommend this book very highly. It put's everything in prespective if your new to Latin American history.