A Brief History of Central America, Second Edition

by Lynn Vasco Foster

A Brief History of Central America, Second Edition explores the history of the Central American isthmus from the pre-Columbian cultures to the contemporary nations that make up the region today: Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama. This second edition brings the history of the region up to date with new developments, including recent elections, the continued struggle with the aftermath of the civil wars, and the impact of the free trade agreement signed with the United States in 2003/2004.

Genres: History, Travel, Nonfiction, World History

352 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2000

Reviews

[Kirk Astroth · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is simply astounding how the US has so often intervened, bullied and disrupted these 7 countries over so long. The Reagan years were especially destructive and despite Congress' intent, he funneled millions of dollars that resulted in the deaths of thousands. The genocide against the Mayan Indians in Guatemala, the deaths squads in El Salvador and the executions of all males over the age of 14 in Nicaragua especially stand out as atrocious. That we held Nicaragua as a protectorate for decades is shameful. No wonder it is taking these countries so long to recover.

[Ludo-Van · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book focuses more on the last 150 years, which take up half of it. It is probably addressed to readers like me, who are quite ignorant of the subject.
The author had to condens thousand of years of history in just 300 pages, and she manages to do so in a brilliant way, always keeping the attention of the reader. I really appreciated the illustrations, the maps, the tables and the in-depth insrerts which you can find in abundance.
Overall a recommended book.
On a side note, I have a 2006 updated version of this book (published in 2007) which is not listed on goodreads.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

One thing that really appealed to me about this book was the amount of visual data - there are charts, graphs, and many photographs. Alongside the visuals, there is a very readable history of the region from pre-Columbian times to the present. It is a solid primer on the isthmian geography, politics, economics, and culture, and I learned a lot from it.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very brief history of Central America. Largely missing details on Belize and Panama, but gives good high level overview of the remaining countries from 1492 to the present.

[Anonymous4999 · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good, if brief, rundown on Central American history.
Gives the reader the essentials to understand the history of the isthmus and serves as a good starting point for more specialized reading.

[Eren Buğlalılar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Derli toplu bir Orta Amerika tarihi özeti. Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Panama ve Costa Rica'ya odaklı bir anlatımı var. Liberal tarihçilikten kaçınan, halk mücadelelerini ve emperyalizmin müdahalelerini de anlatan bir yazar tarafından yazılmış. Yer yer CIA belgelerinden, bölge politikacılarından çarpıcı alıntılar bulmak mümkün.

Örneğin ABD Dışişleri Bakanlığı'nın 1968 yılında gönderdiği gizli bir memorandum şöyle diyor:

"Eğer bizim taraf yapıyorsa ve kurbanları komünistlerse cinayet, işkence ve sakat bırakmada bir sorun yoktur."

Bu kadar netler. 1990'dan sonra başlayan sözde barış süreçlerinin El Salvador ve Guatemala'yı ne hale getirdiğini de kısaca anlatmış yazar. Benzer bir komplonun Türkiye'de de sürmekte olduğunu daha iyi anlıyoruz böylece.

Kitabın sonunda da Orta Amerika'ya ilişkin güzel ek okumalar önerilmiş. Ayrıntılı bir bilgilenme beklentisine girmeden, fikir edinmek için hızlıca okunabilecek iyi bir giriş gibi geldi bana.

[Fran Caparrelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

a very readable and informative book

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is a solid primer on historical background of the countries of Central America. The book does not stand out but is informative and concise.

[Kacii · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm not one for nonfiction. unfortunately, my history class has a horrid thing we have to do called a 'reasearch paper'