Unless otherwise indicated, the books listed are the personal choice of Don Casteel, Platiquemos's chairman, and the comments are his. We have tried to provide a representative sampling of some of the best writing about Latin America and Spain, but welcome suggestions, comments, or criticisms.

Modern Latin America by Thomas E. Skidmore, Peter H. Smith (Contributor). This is about the only compendium of Latin American history up to its latest revision in 1996 available.  It was written by academics, and both its writing style and its implied political stance are typical of American academics.  For a newcomer to studying Latin America, or whose experience is confined to one or two countries, it is a valuable resource, if you bear in mind the left'wing political bias of the authors..                       

The Guide to the Perfect Latin American Idiot.  Despite it's perhaps unfortunate title, it is a worthy successor to Carlos Rangel's out-of-print The Latin Americans.  Written by a Cuban, a Peruvian and a Colombian, all former leftists and high-powered intellectuals, it has the point of view that the habit of blaming the U.S. and/or Europe for Latin America's problems is not only wrong, but self-defeating.  The "Idiot" of the title doesn't refer to ordinary Latin Americans, but to the "leaders" who have traditionally used the "blame the foreigner" tactic to justify their own brutal and corrupt despotisms.

History of the Conquest of Peru (Modern Library) by William H. Prescott .   Like Prescott's History of the Conquest of Mexico, this is a classic, and for at least a century was the undisputed best book of its kind. There is more competition now, but it remains a tour de force of scholarship, and well worth reading. Understanding the Spanish conquest is indispensable to anyone who wants to understand Latin America today. 

Cuba or the Pursuit of Freedom by Hugh Thomas. Given the importance of Cuba, both historically and even now, to the U.S., and the importance of the Cuban community--one of the largest and most successful emigré groups--it is a shame that most of us know little about the history of Cuba. Hugh Thomas is given to writing long books (this one goes over 1700 pages), but the fascinating detail he presents and his congenial style make his books a pleasure to read.

Path Between The Seas : The Creation of the Panama Canal, 1870-1914 
An extremely well-written and researched history of the building of the Panama Canal.  The author doesn't ignore the ill-fated French effort in Panama, which preceded the American one, and in which a whole generation of young French engineers was decimated.  Controlling yellow fever (vómito negro or "black vomit" in colloquial Spanish and cholera were essential, but the construction of the canal itself was one of mankind's greatest engineering feats.