Inevitable Revolutions: The United States in Central America

Rating:
Summary: Highly Recommended Reading
Review: I read this book as part of a Political Science course I took, "The Politics of Revolution". I found this work both highly enjoyable and informative. The author does and excellent job of analyzing American foreign policy towards the region of central america as a whole, and then breaking it down and reviewing US involvement in each of the countries. Whether this book has a "politcal agenda" or not (I don't see how any book on history or political science could not) is not the issue. The author points out mistakes in US foreign policy, as well as its ambiguities and paradoxes. I also found the book to be well written and easy to read, I found myself reading 100 pages one night without even putting the book down. Many of my classmates however, found the book to be difficult to read, so that must be taken into account as well. But, for me, I found the book to be an excellent one-volume work on the region and US involement there in the 20th century, and the results of such involvement. It should not be so neatly wrapped up and generalized as being "left-wing presentist bias" as some people seem to do.

Rating:
Summary: Imperialistic North American Sodomites!
Review: The U.S. domination of Central America from the time of the Monroe Doctrine (which was a reservation for Empire-building in 1823) until the present is the preoccuppying theme of this great book. The United Fruit Company, Standard Fruit Company, Wrigley Gum Inc., Exxon, and other U.S. multi-national corporations have repeatedly sodomized the Central American people and made them into their catamites. Moreover, the ruling elites of the Central American vassal states were the only ones who benefitted from the profiteering and exploitation. The peasant majority were incessantly driven to the margins while the oligarchs and the corporations appropriated the best lands (Dictator Somoza of Nicaragua is on the record as saying,"Nicaragua is my farm" and he meant it as he owned huge tracts of tillable land). In fine, this book is a real eye-opener for those who feel they are being bamboozeled by the media. A must read.

Rating:
Summary: A (purposely) forgotten history
Review: This is top notch historical scholarship

The book is well researched, but a little hard to follow due to the fact that it is not chronological.

Aside from this, the book is seemingly "left wing" or "revisionist." I would normally discard such a book because it is clearly biased. However, all of the events described in this book are very well documented and not public knowledge for very good reasons.

If your interest lies in exposing the covert actions of the United States government for the last 100 years in Central America this book is definitely for you.

I can honestly say that I was saddened when I saw this book because it is the book I one day hoped to write myself.