Modern Latin America

Written in English, this is a nice supplement to my "Latin American Culture" Spanish class. So far I have covered material that explains the tumultuous rise and fall of various governing styles in Latin America. It is an easy read -- for the student using this book, I recommend taking notes as you go to keep the material fresh in your mind.

I'm in a Latin America master's program, and I have used this book as a source for just about every paper I've done - it's a great overview but has enough specific information for each major area/country that you're silly NOT to use it.

Thomas Skidmore is simply a genius. Modern Latin America brings a insightful and precise analysis of Latin America. Skidmore is neither superficial nor boring. He presents the reader a very smart and interesting analysis of Latin America. After reading this book one gets pretty much the idea of why "There is no sin south the Equator".

This is an excellent textbook for anyone who wants a summary of Latin America. It covers all of the regions in very clear detail and excellent prose. You hardly feel like you are reading a text book at all. For those who have no background in Latin American history this is a great place to start. For those who have read widely they will find this an invaluable summary and an essential addition to any Latin American History library.

How many North Americans really know what Latin America is like? How many can name more than six countries in the region? The history and politics of the region are rich and complex. Skidmore and Smith make this rich region understandable for a layperson who is not a specialist in the Latin American region. The first two chapters of the book are a general historical overview, beginning with pre-Columbian times right up until the present. After that, it looks at a variety of case studies within the region, including Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Peru, Mexico, Cuba, the Caribbean, and Central America. The authors are successful at presenting not only the common threads that bind the region (for example dependencia theory) but also the distinctions between the countries (for example the lack of a local working class in Argentina compared to the oversupply of indigenous labor in Mexico) and explains how that affects each individual country in the region. For most of the second half of the 19th century as well as the 20th century, the United States is the primary foreign actor in the region. How they resolve their relations with the U.S. and with one another is a driving force in the political development of the region. From the 1950s (and especially from the 1960s), the Soviets enter the fray. While the Soviets are now gone, as can be seen from the news today, the legacy of leftism (which predated the Soviet influence in the region) is still an active part of Latin American politics. While many in North America may think that the leftist movements in Latin America (i.e. Venezuela and Bolivia) are a knee-jerk anti-American reaction, the roots are far deeper than that. One can't help but come out of reading this book with an appreciation of the spirit of the Latin American and a deeper understanding of not only their challenges, but also their frustrations. This is a fantastic read for someone wishing to get their feet wet into the scholarship of this region.