As the largest growing ethnic group in the United States, Latinos/Hispanics have made inroads in many fields due to their strength, organization, and family values. Although differences among Latinos are as common as differences in other groups distinguished by a common language root (e.g., Slavs, Arabs, Romance languages speakers, etc.) the common struggle of all nationalities that are found in this classification is the same: success.

Edited by one of the greatest activists and advocates for Latinos all around the world, actor Edward James Olmos, "Americanos: Latino Life in the United States" is a collection of beautiful photographs and stories of Latinos throughout the United States. From Mexican-Americans in California to Puerto Ricans in New York City, Olmos and a team of other editors have produced a book that perfectly and respectfully captures the beauty and realities of Latinos all around. Available in hardbound and paperback editions, "Americanos: Latino Life in the United States" is a must have for Latino/Hispanic Studies students/enthuasists or for anyone who tuly appreciates cultural photography. The book, which was accompanied by a U.S. museum tour of photographs featured in the book, is truly a milestone for a community that has risen from a long sleep and awakened to become the most dynamic and promising group in the Americas.

If I can use two words to describe this book, I would use "moving" and "beautiful." It's a must have book in your library, especially if you're Latino.

Esto es un libro hecho muy bien con el editation gráfico muy bueno hecho por Manuel Monterrey. Recomend I él.

This is a very well done book with very good graphical editation done by Manuel Monterrey. I recomend it.

Edward James Olmos has done alot of WOnderful things in his career. and this Project is one of them.it's very Important to Show the World The Beauty of the Latino World.every culture deserves the right to be seen and heard at full Zenith.everybody wants a better Future and to Be Respected.This Book is very much like the book i have of African-AMericans in America the Many different shades of us and the many visions.it's important to Know the World around You.

This book is absolutely spellbinding and captivating in it's presentation that is both an excellent narrative and artistic with imagery to further enhance the experience. The editorial review here at Amazon by Kirkus Reviews is a good synopsis to get a good idea about the books contents. Also there are many sample pages available for your perusal. From a readers perspective this book is one to cherish after the reading experience is over. Carlos Fuentes presents the subject of Spain and it's influence on the new world with clarity and makes his points with the precision of a sugeon, clean and accurate. Beginning with the ancient imagery of the bull found in caves in Spain Fuentes begins his analysis showing how this imagery continues in the arts and culture in such diverse domains as the works of Goya and Picasso, advertisements for brandy and of course the Spanish spectacle of bullfighting. He picks and chooses his historical path, weaving through the centuries concluding with the the growth of Hispanic USA. The book is full oh historical facts, little known bits of information abound as Fuentes draws analogies that stimulate the mind, stimulating the reader to conclude further inferences. The book reminds me of Bronowski's "The Ascent of Man" only on a smaller scope, from a perspective that makes connections between Spain and Latin America as oppossed to the whole of humanity. The "mother" countries influence is expounded upon as only Fuentes can, his use of language is powerful, insightful and revealing all the while showing his keen intelligence and sharp eye for details. The accompanying artwork throughout the book is fantastic and helps the reader to further understand the subject. A moving narrative is delivered by Fuentes and I highly suggest this book to anyone interested in the history of Spain and it's long lasting influence in the Americas. A natural outcome of reading this book is to further explore one of the many topics introduced. Included is a complete lineage of Spanish succession detailing the various ruling families and marriages that created the kings and queens of Spain. Aslo there is an outstanding suggested bibliography. This is a superb book that stimulates the mind while you read and beyond.

This book is good for readers who are interested in Hispanic culture but don't know where to start looking for information. Carlos Fuentes introduces Latin America poetically and simply.

This is by far the best book I have encountered that deals with Spanish and Latin American culture. Fuentes is at once poetic and historically fluente. The book moves smoothly, and the subjects with which it deals (which may be made boring by a less skilled writer) always hold the reader's attention. It's better written in Spanish, but the translation is pretty good too. If you like any of Fuentes' other works, or are simply interested in Hispanic culrture and philosphy, buy this one.

Este es uno de los mejores libros que Carlos Fuentes ha escrito. Digo que es uno de los mejores pero no el mejor que a esrito. Si te gusta la historia entonces te va guster mucho. Si tienes interes en la historia de Mexico te va gustar mas porque es una novela inolvidable que puedes ver por los ojos de Laura Diaz, una mujer fuerte y sensilla que tiene que luchar para los derechos que hoy en dia apenas las mujeres estan disfrutando. Es una bonita novela que se trata de los cambios que han occurido en Mexico durante el siglo XX. Es muy emocional la historia, especialmente si conoces familia que a vivido los cambios durante los ultimos cien anos. Yo pase el tiempo leyendo este libro y pensando en mi abuelita que hace unos anos fallecio a los 99 anos. Como Laura Diaz estuvo presente para ver los cambios entre el gobierno y los atitudes de la cultura sobre los derechos de los humanos sin pensar si es mujer o hombre. Laura Diaz vive una vida completa con gran amores, familia y todo el tiempo al lado de los famosos y un testigo de la historia de Mexico. Te recomendo este libro para entender la historia de Mexico y como la mujer es parte de esa historia.

The 5 stars I give this work is not because I am in love with Fuente's overall work, but because this historical fiction provokes thought and analysis in a poetic way of the life as seen through the eyes and feelings of a woman.
If the reader wishes to to learn the history of a country while becoming enveloped in how a woman, a wife, a daughter, a lover and friend is impacted by the choices made, this is a book to read.

Los años con Laura Díaz es como la novela gemela de La región más transparente, porque con ambas obras se puede aprender, analizar y entender la historia de México, sobre todo la del siglo XX; Fuentes demuestra en esta novela su calidad como narrador, su conocimiento del español que fluye en la creación de los personajes y su ambiente. El viaje entre Veracruz y la Ciudad de México que emprende Laura Díaz es un tejido que señala los entresijos de la historia del México contemporáneo. En fin, el lector queda enamorado de Laura, una especie de Beatriz que nos guía por los espacios cósmicos de México.

Carlos Fuentes has written a brief, poetic elegy to love and classical music in his latest novel, "Inez".I have translated it into farsi and it is released just today,May 10th 2003. It weaves together three tales, a love affair spanning decades between Mexican diva and the famous European conductor Gabriel Atlan-Ferrara, that briefly mirrors the political chaos of the the 20th Century; the other, the love affair of two prehitorian Europeans somewhere along the coast of Ice Age Europe, thousands of years ago,The last one is combination of Damnation of Faust by Hector Berlioz and other classical operas of history.It is under tyhe influence of Maria Calas the Greek diva aca La triviata. This terse tale is among the finest examples of recently published literary prose that I've come across and translated into Farsi.I have tried a lot to find a contact address of Carlos Fuentes but in vain.Please read it and enjoy the Novel and help me with an address of the Mastero.

Carlos Fuentes has written a brief, poetic elegy to love and classical music in his latest novel, "Inez". It deftly weaves together two simple tales: one a tempestuous love affair spanning decades between Mexican diva Inez Rosenzweig and the famous European conductor Gabriel Atlan-Ferrara, that briefly mirrors the political chaos of the last half of the 20th Century; the other, the love affair of two Paleolithic Europeans somewhere along the coast of Ice Age Europe, tens of thousands of years ago. This terse tale is among the finest examples of recently published literary prose that I've come across.

Wow. The photos of this book are really great. As the wife of a Mexican, we had to have a book of photos from Mexico - to reminisce and to see places that we haven't yet visited. We searched for the perfect book - and this is it. All color photos, artistically captured, exclusively of the countryside are in this book. All of the major regions of Mexico are featured. If you haven't been to Mexico, this is a preview to the wonders that await you, and if you are missing Mexico, then this will bring a smile to your face.

Mexico: A higher vision, is a book for all people. Whether or not you have been to Mexico the photographs alone are astonishing. The book portrays a beautiful country giving writen details about different sections of the country along with some historical facts and myths. For those who have been there it is a sweet reminder of the culture. From the past to the present. It gives photos of the old and the new and how they mix together. Definately a must have.

Very entertaining, with lots of unexpected endings to interesting and vivid stories. Perfect for somone who doesn't have a lot of time to read.

In what is agruably one of Carlos Fuentes's best books(not my particular fave) he creates a story that is put together in such a fashion that it demands the readers full attention . At times it is difficult to follow the time period jumping by the narrator, Artemio , as he reflects on his long life and the twists and turns the events of his times have had on his own life. The narration allows Fuentes to give his jaded view of a corrupt Mexico and the power that it yields individuals. The author is never one to sugar coat his own personal views on Mexico, its culture, traditions and ultimately history. Fuentes focuses in and out of different time periods, at times in rapid freeze frames, like a camera run amok capturing the highlights of a journey, Artemio Cruz is forced to examine his own mortality and the terms of his own integrity. The book is a brillinat piece of literature that deserves more than one read. Like the character in the book , whose life has changed through the years, I decided to read this again and see if it was as powerful as the first time I read it some twenty years ago. For me the book is even better now, the translation is excellent and the book resonates with brilliant imagery and the importance of time and it's overall effect. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the literature of Mexico and would be an excellent choice for secondary educators teaching a course at the advanced literature level. This is a book that can be examined closely for it's allegorical substance as well as literally for it's historical commentary.

Artemio Cruz was a destitute boy when the Revolution started. Being a brave and unscrupulous man, he made his way through war and found an important place in the Regime that followed. He became rich and powerful through blackmail, bribe, collusion and violent corruption in general. Now, he's lying on his deathbed, remembering his life. In this novel, the most important character is language itself. Fuentes goes back and forth in time, using First, Second and Third person narrative, to reflect the different standpoints from where the story can be seen. The most interesting thing about the novel is the exploration, from the outside and the inside, of Cruz's mind and personality. It is also an allegory of Mexican history of the past century, which can be used additionally as a metaphor of human history in general. So, why the four stars, instead of five? I think Fuentes's portrait of Mexico, while certainly accurate, uses too many cliches and commonplaces. It's a personal thing, not to dishearten potential readers: the novel is good and cleverly constructed.

In Death of Artemio Cruz Fuentes shows the painful torturous death of a man named Artemio Cruz who lies on his deathbed; his family scurrying around him; looking for the lastest edition of his will; while bitterly recounting different episodes of his and their lives. His wife was literally given to him by her father who Cruz swindles out of his old hacienda fortune; his daughter squirms at the literally decomposing body of her father who's dying of an instestinal blockage (among other things) while she plans her wedding to an insipid dandy lawyer; his doctor tries to treat him by his symptoms and disects him figuratively describing him in purely biological and medical terms but like most doctors in most situations there's pretty much nothing he can; do the prognosis is pretty much hopeless; the man is literally dying. Cruz himself is a power-wielding totalitarianist who rules his little fiefdom with an iron fist; he's an opportunist; if given the chance he'll kick a man when he's down; he has very little sympathy for idealism or love; he's lost that bit by bit; most of it's been torn away from him during the war when he lost his true love. One is left with a deep set feeling of pity for this man who's suffered so much and tortured so many people (including the reader) because he can never truly come to terms with getting his heart ripped out of him; you're almost glad when the book ends and he's remembering his early childhood and the narrator starts to recount his birth; he's uncorrupted at this point; naked; crying and in pain; his little body literally being thrust unto this earth and at the same time the doctors tear into him; his body's shutting down; the surgeons are cussing; cursing this decrepit old man's body which is turning into a mushy corpse...

This is not an easy book to read; not because it's disgusting or the words are too difficult; it's just that this man is so repulsive it's very difficult to continue reading this book; it's literally torture to read this book; but finishing it and getting to the end; putting this man to death and putting him in perspective at the same time; because this was a difficult read; you will come away satisfied that all that suffering Fuentes put you through was worth it.

Some books it brings to mind are Absalom, Absalom! by Faulkner and even maybe Wurthering Heights by Emily Bronte; if you're looking for a comparable parable. Read it; ...if you dare!

"EL ESPEJO ENTERRADO" ES UN LIBRO QUE NO PUEDES DEJAR DE LEER. TIENES QUE TOMARTE UN TIEMPO PARA LEERLO Y APRENDER DE O RECORDAR LA HISTORIA DE TODO AMERICA.

Fuentes dice en el Espejo Enterrado que Rocinante es una yegua y no es cierto. Reto al mismo Carlos Fuentes a que me lo demuestre.

I first read The Buried Mirror as a college student 7 years ago. Since then, I have travelled through Mexico, Guatemala, and Spain and have always looked to "The Burried Mirror" as a valuable source of insight to the cultures I experience.

For anyone who has ever wondered about how the cultures and histories of those from the Iberian Peninsula and the Americas have comingled and collided, this is the book for you!

Carlos Fuentes tiene un conflicto de identidad muy grande. El trata de ser mexicano hasta el tuetano pero su formacion fue en diversos paises debido a que su padre era embajador. El siente que debe de demostrar que es mexicano escibiendo sobre mexicanos y sus propios conflictos de identidad. En este libro en particular el resultado es muy bueno, sin duda Fuentes puede tener una narativa muy agil y logra describir muy bien el conflicto de identidad visto desde la comoda posicion de la clase media alta.

Un libro muy ingenioso. Los nueve cuentos tratan diferentes aspectos de la relacion de los inmigrantes mexicanos con "el pais de las oportunidades". Recomiendo este libro por realista, entretenido y sobre todo, porque esta excelentemente bien escrito.

Al haber leído este libro hace un año y seguir pensando en cada uno de esos cuentos es para mí algo extraordinario. Este libro fue mi introducción a la literatura de Carlos Fuentes, quien es uno de los escritores mexicanos que se merece el elogio que ha recibido durante todos estos años. El hecho de que es un intelectual y escritor en cierta forma exige que nos entregue un producto que no nos falle. Esto ha sido logrado en "La Frontera de Cristal." El "conflicto" que todos los mexicanos padecemos debido a nuestra situación migratoria entre México y Estados Unidos ha sido capturado dentro de las páginas de este libro. Cada relato exige del lector entender cada personaje, su personalidad y su deseo de superación, a pesar del conflicto que se mantiene dentro de nuestra sociedad (por ejemplo, el anciano en la silla de ruedas..."Soy yo.").

No cabe duda que Carlos Fuentes entiende todo esto y más. Y es que un escritor que puede mantener una cierta intimidad con su lector entiende el sufrimiento, la superación personal y la lucha interna del ser humano.

There is a certain poetic fusion connecting the five novellas found in this fine book of short stories that is like a disconnected dream you might experience upon waking. Carlos Fuentes delivers his verbal barrage and assault upon everything that has created the modern Mexican. He delves into his historical replays with witty insight, carefully ripping apart the sacred past with tongue in cheek imagery that is funny and thought provoking at once. After reading some passages you will go back and read them again for the sheer eloquence and beauty of the masterful use of language. Fuentes says things in such a way that even things that should offend you are so profound in their simplistic articulation that you have to chuckle. Fuentes delivers his message in suttle ways but with an impact that gets under your skin, enveloping and seducing you in his recreations that are colorful and walk off the pages taking you on a wonderful journey as only he can. Even tough the stories are unrelated they somehow feel like the greater part of the whole. I found all the stories to be different, completly entertaining with the exception of one. This is probably my own personal taste but I had trouble getting into "The Two Numantias," quite possibly because of my not being as familiar with the subjects. However, when Fuentes is talking about La Malinche, Cortes, Chapultepec, Cortes , the Spanish conquerors and the Aztecs, often in hyterically hyped imagery, the results are as familiar as frijoles and tortillas. Carlos Fuentes often writes in a hyper sexual mode as is evident in "Apollo and the Whores" where the sexual escapades are rated xxx but have an erotic texture that somehow make them less raw; besides his hilarious and outrageous narrative dominates and makes you laugh at the outlandsih scenarios. This book of five short stories is definitely recommended for someone not familiar with Carlos Fuentes. As one of Mexico's most brilliant and prolific writers, Fuentes demonstrates why he is one of the best Latin American writers. If you are unfamiliar with Fuentes this might be a good place to start since the stories are short and give a good indication of his writing style; if you don't like a particular novella you can always skip it. However if you do like Fuentes and want to read more than I would recommend "Christopher Unborn," "The Death of Artemio Cruz, " "The Good Conscience," or more recently the epic books "The years With Laura Diaz" or "The Buried Mirror." I'll end this review or suggestive prodding of you to read Carlos Fuentes by borrowing verse from a Fuentes scene involving two singers, one singing in Nahuatl another in Castilian."We've only come to dream, and the words flow far from the valley, into a distant sea where the silent rivers of life come to a halt. The narrative continues and the singing ends without ending: "My flowers will never end,
My songs will never end.
I raise them up,
I am only the singer......."

Something magical connects the five distinct stories which comprise 'The Orange Tree'. They read like the jumbled fragments of a beautiful, disorienting dream. Fuentes offers glimpses of remarkable events - the firey fall of the Aztecs, the sexual death of a fading film star, a Roman siege - and makes their ugliness beautiful. All the while, he weaves a delicate web of connective tissue, turning 'The Orange Tree' into a remarkably cohesive tapestry of Latin American history and culture. Surreal, haunting and elegant, this book reads like a vision.

The Orange Tree is a book of unusual beauty. Fuentes, once again playing the historian, presents a reiteration of Latin American history which is utterly convincing as a piece of pure mythology. This perhaps lies in Fuentes' uncanny ability to assign either perfect charm or horrifying ugliness to so much of what he describes: the spectacular fall of the Aztec Empire; the complex seige of a Spanish city by the Romans; the dreamlike arrival of Columbus to a ambivilant paradise.

The five novellas of The Orange Tree offer the reader voices which seem to speak from beyond life and history. We are presented tales of death and suffering in a context so huge, so ambitious, that Fuentes has destroyed the barriers of history and constructed a reality all his own. The lavishness of his vision is hypnotic.

Read this book with abandon; allow its mythology to consume you.