Endangered Mexico

This book was recommended to me by the BBC correspondent for Central America, Nick Miles. I was extremely impressed by the careful research and documentation undertaken by Simon. I consider this book essential reading for any student of Latin American environmental affairs. Simon's exploration of the much mythologized Cardenas land reforms and its relationship to the current desperate situation faced by much of Mexico's agrarian sector is without equal. His analysis of Mexico's failed oil extraction industry is eye opening. This work, so critical of Mexican federal policy, might easily be ignored except for Simon's impressive cridentials. Here is a writer who clearly respects Mexico, people and country. I give the work four stars instead of five only because it is now slightly dated. I hope Simon will consider a second edition soon.

I think that the search required to write this book can be considered deep and risky, because it implied to go to dangerous places where drug dealers are trafficking or powerful people in the government who won't like some of the things that are said in the book. So I consider this is a very valiant work. But not only that, it is very well written, very clear with current information about environment in different areas of México, like Cancún coral reefs, Michoacán, México City, forestland in Chihuahua, pollution caused by twin plants (maquiladoras)and in addition it includes very valuable historic information related with all of the mentioned cases.