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Keep an eye out for reviews and/or in book stores soon



GODS, GACHUPINES AND GRINGOS
A People's History of Mexico

The first general history of Mexico to be published in English in nearly thirty years, Richard Grabman's Gods, Gachupines and Gringos is one of the only Mexican histories ever written with the general reader in mind.

Gods, Gachupines and Gringos is written in a radically non-academic style, putting flesh and bones on the dusty figures of the past and shedding light on the common humanity of the Mexican people throughout history, often with suprising wit and humor.

Approximately 500 pages, 6 x 9 paperbound SUMMER 2008

"Sixty Minutes" producer Frank Koughan has called Richard Grabman "The best foreign writer in Mexico". Grabman's website, The Mex Files, reviews Mexican culture and politics, often from a historical perspective. Grabman, who presently divides his time between Mexico City and Mazatlán lived in Mexico City between 2001 and 2005, when he moved to Alpine Texas to work on Gods, Gachupines and Gringos and to look at the border situation. In Alpine, he also worked for several local newspapers. Presently, he divides his time between Mazatlán and Mexico City. Richard Grabman can be emailed at richard-AT-editorialmazatlan.com.

Link to the Editorial Mazatlán Bookstore
http://editorialmazatlan.com/Gods%2C-Ga ... ringos.php

Sparks,

Just FYI, Amazon doesn't have it yet. (Is Rich Grabman going to sell the book through Amazon? Last year, it seemed that the book would be distributed in a limited fashion, but that doesn't make sense for such a book.) I wanted to read a few pages with their sampling feature. I did read a few pages of the older book, "Distant Neighbors," which I thought was very good.

The pre-publish review printing should be done and mailed by now and I'm on the list to receive a copy. The publisher still wanted feed back before the final

From his Blog

Thank you, Sparks,
You work so hard. I thought the book was "hot off the presses."

The Guad Reporter did a nice review this weekend. The article may eventually require a subscription to read

Written by Alex Gesheva
Saturday, 22 November 2008
Some historians burden students with a dreary list of facts and figures, and an unfortunate life-long allergy to the subject.

Others, the rare and wonderful kind, make the past transcend numbers and coax students into wanting to learn more.

Richard Grabman is not a historian, at least not in the academic sense. But his book, “Gods, Gachupines and Gringos: a people’s history of Mexico,” may inspire a slew of history-phobes to finally dip their toes into the subject.

Once upon a time, Grabman was a technical writer – and it shows. His style is crisp, clean, and includes not a single paragraph-length sentence or invented word (shame on academics who unnecessarily torture the English language).

Fortunately, aside from pristine grammar, there is nothing particularly technical about this book. Extremely complex events in Mexican history are made accessible to complete beginners in the subject with clarity, grace and wit. Short, eminently readable chapters with catchy titles go a long way towards easing deeply (and not so deeply) hidden adult fears of musty, dusty tomes.

Best of all, as a non-academic writer for a general audience, Grabman unhesitatingly selects the most compelling details of Mexico’s long and convoluted history and uses them to turn a difficult story into a joyful, dynamic read. After all, self-professed serious readers still yearn to learn about dental care under Aztec rule, swashbuckling nuns, the Pastry War of 1838, Francisco Madero’s conversations with the ghost of his dead brother, and President Jose Lopez Portillo’s famous, ill-fated comment involving a dog.

Grabman has written “Gods, Gachupines and Gringos” with a specific goal: to explore Mexico’s multi-faceted, multi-cultural past and to help foreigners become more familiar with a very ancient society. The quirky details, therefore, serve to smooth encounters with maddeningly complicated episodes of Mexican history that could otherwise alienate and befuddle uninitiated readers. In this case, the knowledge is also extremely relevant to understanding Mexico’s geopolitcal present.

“With Mexicans, ‘history is destiny,’” explains Grabman. “Unless we understand the history, and our own role in it, we will continue to be ‘distant neighbors.’”

Yes, yes, the goal-oriented reader may say impatiently, but is it an accurate history? Absolutely ... and to a point. Scholars will justifiably argue that no introductory history can exist without a fair amount of bias – in the choice of detail, in describing causality, in subtly courting the reader’s sympathies for a particular cause. Introductory histories are by necessity either mindlessly dull or at least subtly slanted, often in ways that slip by novice historians.

“Gods, Gachupines and Gringos” is no different, and fortunately far from dull. Grabman’s interpretations may inspire some history specialists to write a scathing letter or two (particularly over the choice of where to skim and where to focus). But they may also inspire many other readers (who would otherwise never dream of picking up a history book) to venture deeper into the subject. The book’s well-crafted and accessible bibliography is a great start.

And those who choose to stop here can at least walk away having enjoyed an eminently readable, quirky history that explains and explores Mexico’s past with sympathy and gentle humor.

“Gods, Gachupines and Gringos” is a great read for all those who know or remember little to nothing about Mexican history and wish they did, and for all those who may need to be prodded into knowing by well-meaning friends. It may even surprise those who thought they knew it all.

Pre-publication orders of Gods, Gachupines and Gringos can be purchased through Paypal (visit http://www.paypal.com, and make payments to mazbook@prodigy.net.mxThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it – make sure to put an accurate shipping address in the field provided). The book costs 24.95 dollars in the United States (with free shipping), 375 pesos (with free shipping in Mexico), and 30.95 dollars CDN (with free shipping in Canada). Copies will wing their way to their new owners somewhere around Christmas. For further information or direct deposit instructions, email mazbook@yahoo.com.This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

‘Gods, gachupines and gringos’
by Richard Grabman
Editorial Mazatlan, 2008
472 pages
$24.95

http://guadalajarareporter.com/content/view/23295/53/