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Rating: 
Summary: Looking for Central America? This is it.
Review: "Our Own Backyard" by LeoGrande is the best one volume history of US-Central American relations during the eighties. It is a tour-de-force backed by an extensive research and it is extremely well written. The importance of this book is hightened by the fact that it is very difficult to understand US-Latin-American relations in this decade without seriously studying the Central American crisis. My only critic however is that the book deals primarily with Nicarágua and El Salvador, and tends to forget Guatemala and Honduras in some crucial moments. This is a great book and it should be bought by everyone who is interested in the contemporary history of Latin America.
Rating:
Summary: Looking for Central America? This is it.
Review: "Our Own Backyard" by LeoGrande is the best one volume history of US-Central American relations during the eighties. It is a tour-de-force backed by an extensive research and it is extremely well written. The importance of this book is hightened by the fact that it is very difficult to understand US-Latin-American relations in this decade without seriously studying the Central American crisis. My only critic however is that the book deals primarily with Nicarágua and El Salvador, and tends to forget Guatemala and Honduras in some crucial moments. This is a great book and it should be bought by everyone who is interested in the contemporary history of Latin America.
Rating:
Summary: A subject not many like to think about
Review: Excellent book. LeoGrande tells us a disturbing tale that would be fodder for nightmares. And it's all too true.That these people were once in charge of our government, and today are not sitting in jail is appalling.
Rating:
Summary: A subject not many like to think about
Review: Excellent book. LeoGrande tells us a disturbing tale that would be fodder for nightmares. And it's all too true. That these people were once in charge of our government, and today are not sitting in jail is appalling.
Rating:
Summary: An exhaustive account of US policy in Central America.
Review: Leogrande documents the strong role the United States played in El Salvador and Nicaragua during the civil wars in these countries. He apologizes for excluding Guatemala because that would make his necessarily long work even longer. The actions of all players - the CIA, State Department, National Security Council, the Sandinistas, the Contras, the FLMN (Salvadoran rebels), the Organization of American States (OAS), and many others - are presented in a detailed narrative which illuminates the extraordinarily intricate background behind the headlines. As such it shows the tremendous power, resources and determination the United States has for controlling events south of its border. Though lengthy, I found this book extremely absorbing for I experienced history coming alive on its pages. Leogrande has produced a valuable work which will no doubt appear on any major bibliography on US policy in Central America.
Rating:
Summary: An exhaustive account of US policy in Central America.
Review: Leogrande documents the strong role the United States played in El Salvador and Nicaragua during the civil wars in these countries. He apologizes for excluding Guatemala because that would make his necessarily long work even longer. The actions of all players - the CIA, State Department, National Security Council, the Sandinistas, the Contras, the FLMN (Salvadoran rebels), the Organization of American States (OAS), and many others - are presented in a detailed narrative which illuminates the extraordinarily intricate background behind the headlines. As such it shows the tremendous power, resources and determination the United States has for controlling events south of its border. Though lengthy, I found this book extremely absorbing for I experienced history coming alive on its pages. Leogrande has produced a valuable work which will no doubt appear on any major bibliography on US policy in Central America.
Rating: 
Summary: 182 Pages of Index
Review: LeoGrande's academic analysis of the U.S. military involvement in Central America is the best account yet of the U.S. foreign policy towards Central America during the Eighties. Although, his focus is on El Salvador and Nicaragua, it is the painstaking assessment of the relations of the U.S. and El Salvador during the 1980s that makes this book valuable to its readers. Regarding El Salvador, the theme of the U.S. foreign policy was simple: support the Salvadoran military to stop the marxist-led FLMN guerrillas even if the military's death squads engage in massive human rights violations. The book should be useful not only to those interested in Central America, but also to those who live with, work with and do business with Central Americans in the United States. The Civil War in El Salvador displaced over 1 million persons, most of whom fled to the United States. During the Salvadoran Civil War, about 60,000 people died. The children and grandchildren of Salvadorans who were able to make it to the U.S. should find LeoGrande's book as an excellent introduction to the reasons why their forebears came to the United States. LeoGrande's book is informative, engaging and insightful.
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