Distant Neighbors: A Portrait of the Mexicans

I bought and read this book twice in a time span of ten years. I was fascinated since I read it the first time. Being a mexican, Distant Neighbors provided me with insight from a foreigners perspective. It is not a plain book and can not be differet. As Mr. Riding explains so clearly, mexicans complexity and contradictions are due to the mixture of occidental and indian concepts.I can see myself in this book.In practice, the author speculates, the PRI would not survive in a democratic environment without provoking its own destruction. In theory it would have to change so much to the point of becoming unrecognizable. As I write this line, the PRI is in such stages! The words of Alan Riding are becoming a prophecy.

As someone who has lived in Mexico, studied the country for over 15 years, and now teaches classes on Mexico, let me say that Riding's book is a classic. I have yet to find a single volume that offers so many insights into the country. Each chapter focuses on a different topic (e.g., the economy, the political system, culture, Mexico City, the indigenous communities, etc.) and each are readable apart from the others... There is an entire chapter, "Corruption: Oil and Glue," devoted to the corrupt nature of the political system.The most biting "criticism" that can be leveled against this book is that it has become outdated. Chapters on the economy and the political system are obviously out of date. Significant economic, political, and social changes have taken place. But if you want to read ONE book on Mexico to understand the context for change today, you would be hard pressed to find a selection...

For too many Americans, Mexico is terra incognita. Even most U.S. visitors have only partial impressions of this vast and variegated country based on a quick trip to the border, a holiday in Cancun, or a brief stopover in Mexico City. To make Mexico less of a distant neighbor for Americans, Alan Riding has written a superb, highly readable synthesis of Mexican psychology, history, politics, social issues, and regional diversity. Sure, "Distant Neighbors" is a bit dated at 16 years old, but it's still well worth reading today.The first chapter is a lucid description of national character to rival Thucydides or de Tocqueville. Mexicans may object to Riding's stereotypes but he's dead-on 95% of the time. Equally insightful is the way he deals with social issues (land, Indians, social well-being, and the family) and regional diversity. These six incisive chapters get to the heart of the nation's urgent problems and survey the country's dramatic contrasts. The historical and political sections are models of brevity and perspicuity. Even though the Mexican political system has changed out of all recognition since 1984, Mexico will be a long time dealing with, coming to terms with, or ridding itself of the 71-year legacy of one-party rule that Riding describes so well.Of course, every book has its weaknesses. The last chapter, a sort of "whither Mexico" postscript, should be read as an object lesson on the pitfalls of prognostication. The chapter on Central America is interesting but irrelevant. Although the overview of U.S.-Mexico relations provides good historical background, NAFTA has overthrown most of Riding's judgments on that score. The economy and culture sections are lucid but superficial.In sum, I highly recommend "Distant Neighbors" as a first-rate work of formidable breadth and depth written with exceptional grace and edited with meticulous care (amazingly, I couldn't find a single solecism).

The book was given to me as a gift when I first started working in Mexico in 1992. I found it extremely insightful. It helped me understand better what drives the morals, values and thought processes of the Mexican people. Over the years I have purchased many copies and given them away as gifts to friends who traveled to Mexico for work. This is NOT a travel guide. This book is for the person who will be considerable time with the Mexican people. This is for someone who is willing to invest time and deep thought to better understand what drives these beautiful loving people.

I am surprised that people seem to be critical of Alan Riding's excellent work. The key here is an objectivity that is so seldom seen in this type of work. This is not a travel guide...it is a guide to understanding the differences that are real, profound, and do exist between two cultures. I was able to enjoy Riding's book as I purchased it shortly after moving to Mexico to work in 1993. It helped me so much that I have loaned copies (yes I have purchased more than one copy) and given them to visitors and other ex-pats working in Mexico. I am a Canadian citizen who is married to a Mexican citizen. This book has not only helped me understand Mexicans it has helped my marriage too! It is not Mr. Riding's place to critique or spew contempt for the PRI party, he merely provides the truth and lets the reader make up their mind. As far as Mexican people enjoying this book, I have passed it for review and commentary to Mexicans of all social classes and they all enjoyed the book and offered little in the way of unfavorable reviews. I have read Octavio Paz and the Labyrinth of Solitude and it is very introspective but very subjective. Riding may not be a poet, but he is also not a Mexican author who is subjectively speaking for an entire population. Alan Riding is a keen observer and he presents the facts! Read it and make up your own mind!