Bookstore 
Reference, history and culture, novels, travel guides

Our bookstore is categorized in six sections, outlined below.   In cases where I recommend individual books; I have read them and provide my comments.  We will also include some books based on the recommendations of others, or the reputations of the authors.  While a substantial knowledge of the language and experience with the culture gained through use of the language in real situations are important to a deep understanding of culture, this needs to be supplemented and reinforced by some knowledge of history, social commentary, religion, politics, etc.  There's a lot available about Latin America and Spain in English, and there's nothing wrong with learning in one's own language; particularly if, as it often is, a choice of either reading comfortably in English or struggling with Spanish and never finishing.   On the other hand, reading selected works in Spanish can not only improve cultural understanding--in the case of fiction, for example, a lot of the "flavor" can be lost in translation--but can also be a big help in improving your command of Spanish, particularly in improving your vocabulary.  We'll therefore be recommending books in Spanish, particularly non-fiction as well.

One book which doesn't fit into our categories, since it is about the interaction of Spain and the New World is The Buried Mirror : Reflections on Spain and the New World .  This is a lavishly illustrated book by Carlos Fuentes, and accompanies the six-hour PBS video.  Highly recommended as a Christmas gift (or Hanukah).  The book is also available in Spanish.


Bookstore sections are:

Reference works and supplementary material helpful in learning the language (see above).

History and culture of Mexico.  Mexico has a section to itself not because we prefer Mexico, but simply because of its size (about a third of the whole Spanish-speaking world is Mexican), and its proximity and importance to the United States.

History and culture of Spain. Likewise, not because of preference, but because Spain is the origin of what we call the hispanic culture.  For many americanos (Spanish usage for what we'd term "Latinos"), Spain is still the mother/fatherland (La madre patria).

The fourth section is devoted to the history and culture of Central and South America.

The fifth is for fiction in Spanish (and some in English), with no particular geographic order.  Books are selected for their popularity, significance and perceived literary merit, and because they are helpful in learning more about the language--and the history and culture. (Some novels in English, such as Aztec, can provide a lot of historical information.)

The sixth and final section will be travel guides.  I have learned, as some of you probably have, that all travel guides aren't equal.  For one thing, they differ in the audience they're written for, and some are just more thorough and accurate than others.  Finding out you bought the wrong travel guide can be a somewhat expensive lesson.

The Spanish speaking world has a fascinating culture and history. Learning something about it is not only  useful, but can also be very interesting and often entertaining.  The purpose of our bookstore is to help those who are already interested (by their interest in Platiquemos) begin to open windows into that fascinating world.

I don't pretend to be an authority on all of these subjects (actually, on any of them), and would welcome suggestions of books that I've overlooked to include.

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