2 comments about Behind the Smile: The Working Lives of Caribbean Tourism.

1. Item was as promised, good condition, fast shipping, good packaging. I'd buy from them again.



2. I read this book for a research paper on Barbados, that I chose to write for an undergraduate anthropology class called Caribbean Ethnography. The book is written by Professor George Gmelch of Union College in Schenectady, NY. It is a very simple book with little to no anthropological analysis on the surface. However, upon completing this book you will realize Gmelch's perfect and unintentional introduction to the anthropology of everyday life. That is to say, the Gmelch gives us 20 snapshots of people working in the tourism industry in Barbados. Gmelch brings us, their jobs, their home lives, their concerns and the things that bring them joy.
   
   Gmelch stumbles upon a fantastic way to introduce a culture. As I read this book (about 3 years ago, I am writing from memory which can only mean that this book was very good at leaving an impression), I thought that it would be great if other anthropologists and writers did this for each culture they study, as the lives of the people, their homes and concerns are surely one of the greatest insights into their culture.
   
   This book is generally about tourism, specifically about Caribbean tourism and the country of Barbados. I gave this book to my mother for her to read, as she is a regular big-boat cruise traveler. She loved the book. She told me it brought her a better awareness to the happenings outside of the cruise ship bubble. She was not shot down from ever going on cruises again, but rather took more consideration into planing her cruise, ecologically, economically and culturally.

1 comments about Frommer's Cruises & Ports of Call 2008: From U.S. & Canadian Home Ports to the Caribbean, Alaska, Hawaii & More (Frommer's Complete).

1. I found this book to be a valuable resource as I prepare for my first cruise. I'm sure I will refer to it again & again for any future cruises (which I hope are many!).

No comments about Fodor's U.S. and British Virgin Islands 2008 (Fodor's Gold Guides).

4 comments about Facundo: Or, Civilization and Barbarism (Penguin Classics).

1. It's difficult to classify "Facundo" written by Domingo Faustino Sarmiento (argentine thinker, politician and educator) in 1845: it is at the same time history, myth, essay, pamphelt and sociological discourse. It was published for first time as a newspaper serial in Chile where Sarmiento was in exile and written against Rosas'dictatorchip in Argentina. The text is influenced by the Enlightment and specially by the romanticism. Because of the romantic influence, it tells Facundo Quiroga's biography since for romantic'stream a "great man" (Facundo in this case) expresses an epoch. This book has the intention of solving an enigma: how independence's revolution in Argentina (1810) reached Rosas ' dictactorship (1835-1852) This drama, product of the revolution, was caused by the combination of 2 elements which shouldn't have been combined: the city, civilization's field, and the countryside, barbarism's field. The book can be read as the city and the countryside were the characters.



2. There are very few primary sources one can find when studying Latin American revloutions, with Argentina being the subject here. This being a primary source, isn't one that should be taken for an overall look on the Argentina Revoultion. Sarmiento has a sort of bias that shouldn't be taken too seriously. It is hard to get really a good account of Juan Facundo Quiroga because he is such a vague figure in Argentinian history. This is probably the only elaborate interpretation of the figure. Sarmiento also has a sort of habit to go off on tangents on things that are totally irrelevant to the subject matter at hand.
   
   Domingo F. Sarmiento is of European descent and has a biased for "civilization" and defies everything that is "barbaric" as he puts it, which really is what the story is about, and his protest to Rosas one of the leaders of Argentina at the time this story was written who is also "barbaric". The author compares "civilizations" and "barbarism" and how the "barbaric" gauchos are a threat to society. Facundo is a gaucho and is interpreted by Sarmiento as a dicator who made is way to the top by hate and carelessness and is partially at fault for the state of "deterioration" that Argentina was presently in during mid-19th century Argentina.
   
   All criticism aside, one does get good descriptive imagery of the man that was Juan Facundo Quiroga. Due to the fact that this book was written on a sort of bias, it would be better if it was written under a more accurate scholarly account, but then again it is a novel and that is what makes it interesting. It is by no means a useful primary source.



3. This is NOT, like other reviewer says, an account of Revolutionary Argentina in the 19th century (the period of civil war that followed the independence from Spain). This is not a book of history. Sarmiento is much more than a mere witness/narrator of a period. He is a man of letters, a writer -and one of the very best from Argentina- it takes you only the reading of the first sentence "Oh, Shadow of Facundo..." to realize that you are in the dark territory of myth, not of the clean, sunny history classroom.
   
   This book, like many great books, escape the incarceration of genre, but if there is one thing it demands from the reader is a capacity for being amazed, for being swept away by the story and the writing itself.



4. I am currently a history major and took an Argentina class because I thought it would be interesting, this book was not interesting in the least. Sarmiento's book, Facundo, is during the revolutionary stage in Argentina. There is to much emphasis placed on trying to describe in great detail mundane things while not getting to the important issues at hand. On the parts that I thought would be of the utmost importance they were explained in very vague terms which half the time I did not know what he was getting at.

5 comments about Frommer's Portable Aruba, Bonaire, & Curacao (Frommer's Portable).

1. Frommers provides the most detailed and accurate information on travel anywhere in the world. I used this book for information on the island of Curacao. I highly recommend using Frommers travel guides.



2. I found this book very helpful and easy to read. This was my first trip to Aruba and it provided me with a wealth of knowledge. My traveling companions were passing it around and reading it on the plane and once we got there. This saved us asking the front desk innumerable questions.I felt quite confident leaving the US to vacation in Aruba.



3. The title of this book is very misleading. I was primarily interested in the section on Bonaire. However, there is only 1 chapter (22 pages) on Bonaire and only one chapter (25 pages) on Curacao. Most of the book (8 chapters, 150 pages) is devoted to Aruba. So, if you are going to Aruba this book might be useful, but if Curacao or Bonaire is your destination there are much better guides available.



4. The biggest downfall to this book is the majority of the book is dedicated to Aruba. That is fantastic if that is where you are going, unfortunately we were going to Bonaire & Curacao. Information on Bonaire and Curucao is reasonable, would be helpful if more information on the restaurants was provided like hours and days closed, we seemed to have some problems with that.



5. There isn't very much information on Curacao in this book, but it is rather helpful for general things.

2 comments about National Geographic Traveler: Panama (National Geographic Traveler).

1. I purchased this book in anticipation of traveling to Panama in January. I was able to find every place we intend to go and also find a lot of useful hints for our travels. We have traveled to a number of countries and always buy some sort of guides to let us know what to expect and to help us plan our trip. This book gives a concise description of the areas without being too concise but also without being too verbose. I also have the Frommer's guide to Panama and much prefer the much more colorful National Geographic guide.



2. National Geographic is well known by the quality of their maps & their awesome photography; and this travel guidebook it's no exception. It's very informative without being too in depth. The pictures makes you feel like you're there (in my opinion). This one can complement the Moon's guidebook which focus is just the opposite. Well put together. Highly recommended.

No comments about Fodor's In Focus Aruba, 1st Edition (In Focus).

5 comments about Cruising Guide to the Virgin Islands, 13th ed.

1. Did not like the way the author designed the book, full of VI advertising. Artikels are shallow. Hope that the essentials are accurate as I am on may way to the BVIs.



2. This guide only gives basic information about cruising the Virgin Islands. It's not much better than the free guides that are given out and supported entirely by ads. It only gives information on islands where a commercial interest has supported the write up. It only gives a mention of islands or anchorages where some one is collecting a fee, so if there is a secluded spot that is free you won't read about it here. It doesn't provide any critique on establishments so you won't know if you are walking into the best restaurant on the island or a complete dump. I don't know if there are better guides for the Virgin Islands but it is a poor example of a cruising guide.



3. My wife and I sailed the BVI just last month and this little tome opened to us some very fine places to stay and some interesting sites to see. Whatsmore, it offered detailed instructions on how to enter ports-of-call and where to anchor or moor. Very valuable to those who don't know all the coves and inlets.
   We were only a little surprised to see that at least one charter company places this booklet in all their fleet, it being the most authoritative book on the subject.
   We also appreciated how easy to read and how well the book was laid out. I'd buy from this author again.



4. The Scott's Guides are the definitive authority on sailing in the Caribbean or anywhere a charter boat sailor may wish to go. Seriously, don't attempt a sailing vacation without consulting the Cruising Guides. CGVI is up to date information on every anchorage in the Virgin Islands.
   
   Bob New, Author
   "How To Bareboat, It's easier than you think"
   www.howtobareboat.com



5. My boyfriends parents are going to be travelling to the Virgin Islands next spring, so for father's day, we bought his dad this travel guide. The book is packed full of information! They said they were glad that they got this book ahead of time because it will be great to use as a reference for their trip!

5 comments about Frommer's Portable St. Maarten/St. Martin, Anguilla & St. Barts (Frommer's Portable).

1. I was looking for guide books for St. Martin in late 2006 but wasn't able to find one that I sufficiently liked. It was either one of those guide books for whole Carribean and would gloss over this small island in less than 10 pages; or concentrate solely on the outdoorsy/adventure aspect of things, which is not something I wanted. Fortunately, this book was published about a month before my trip to St. Martin and I was able to get a copy of it before then.
   
   This is the most complete and comprehensive guide book for St. Martin that's out there, so I really liked it. I enjoyed reading about the island's history and it has helpful facts to help you prepare for your trip. The book doesn't list and review even half of the accomodation or the restaurants on this small island. For that, you should consult the internet, eg. Tripadvisor and such. Rather, the book highlights for readers what restaurants they shouldn't miss or which hotel they should book in different price ranges.
   
   I wish that there was a price guideline for rental cars that tell you what the average compact car rental would cost. I also wish there were more restaurant review but that's just the foodie in me talking. Overall, the maps of the towns were quite good and helpful but the overall map of the island is not that great to refer to when driving. You can just get a better island road map when you're there anyway. Nevertheless, the book still offers helpful tidbits such as preparing your own medicines/sunscreen and other pharmaceutical needs because it can get tricky to find a complete pharmacy. The Anguilla/St. Barths section looks rather small but I'm not sure of its helpfulness or usefulness because I didn't go there.



2. This was our 3rd trip to St. Martin & the best. We checked out some of the beaches, restaurants, and clubs from the guide and had a blast!



3. I am going to St. Maarten in October! Gave tons of tips and ideas!



4. I agree that it's got great info, but if you already have the thicker Frommer's Caribbean guide, this might not be quite a deal since it looks like most of the info is already in the thicker guide. Of course, this is smaller, which might appeal to those who want to pack light and only have Anguilla, St. Martin, etc. as their specific destinations.



5. Used this for a trip to St. Barts. Was very superficial. Really did not have any info that could not be found spending an hour on the internet.

4 comments about Fodor's Caribbean Ports of Call 2008 (Fodor's Gold Guides).

1. This is an excellent guide full of useful information for my cruise I am taking in April 08. Glad I purchased it.



2. I purchased this book with the intent of seeing the islands on our own versus participating in the cruise ships shore excursions.This book is very well written with a lot of useful information. That being said, of the five ports of call of our cruise only one was featured in the book. These ports are well known and frequently visited by cruise ships so I can only wonder why Fodor's decided not to list them. I advise anyone thinking about purchasing this book to pay close attention to the index.



3. I bought this book just prior to a western Caribbean cruise and found it to be a worthwhile purchase. The do's and don'ts for each port proved accurate and saved me a lot of precious time. Whether you are a veteran cruiser or taking your first voyage, I recommend this guide.



4. A terrific and useful books. Has all the key attractions, good maps and great ideas about adventuring on your own --- where it's safe and and how connect.