2 comments about South America Mi Hija (Pitt Poetry Series).

1. The poem covers a journey of the poet with her daughter from North to South America. As they travel, the poet attempts to come to terms with her relation to her past, her daughter, and to men. She does so with fresh and striking language, and an unevasive honesty which does not fool itself with the poses of so much contemporary poetry. Doubiago does not write about how people are supposed to feel; she writes about how they do feel, in real and human situations. I highly recommend it.



2. Doubiago does an excellent job at bringing the macrocosm of feminism vs. patriarchy into the microcosm of a mother/daughter relationship, in the setting of a trip to South America. The book is actually a long, narrative poem in and of itself, superbly sustained throughout with deep, emotional images. Well worth the read any day! I have actually written my Masters thesis on this book.

No comments about 2008 Country Profile and Guide to Trinidad and Tobago - National Travel Guidebook and Handbook - Caribbean Basin Initiative, USAID, Port-of-Spain, Energy (Two CD-ROM Set).

1 comments about The Treasures and Pleasures of Bermuda: Best of the Best in Travel and Shopping.

1. The Treasures and Pleasures of Bermuda: Best of the Best in Travel and Shopping is a little different from other travel guides. Instead of detailing museums, great beaches, and fun things do to while on the island, this book focuses on shopping in Bermuda. Thus, the entire book focuses on the where, what, and how of shopping for the average person, for those individuals undertaking that dream vacation where they could buy whatever they wanted, and those of us that would just like to dream about this potential.
   
   In addition to the where, what, and how of the Bermuda shopping experience, this book gives a good deal of valuable hints that will save the tourist a lot of time and money. For instance, spending time comparing prices for the best deal is a waste of time as prices tend to be quite fixed even between different parts of the island. Moreover, you need not waste time looking for locations specializing in products for the average person as most shops cater to both high end customers and regular people, especially those at regular cruise stops.

1 comments about Insiders' Guide to Bermuda 2nd.

1. The "voice" of this book is one of a native Bermudean and very friendly - it makes you want to visit the island! However, I didn't appreciate the lack of pictures and cardboard ad inserts peppered throughout the book. Rather tacky. The reviews on the various places to stay were comprehensive, but I still don't have a great sense of geographically where they are located on the island (despite the map in the front - and everything is black and white, no color anything). A good history section but I'm not sure this is the greatest resource for traveling.

2 comments about Insight Guides Barbados (3rd ed).

1. I have always found Insight Guides to provide an excellent 'taste' of the peoples, cuisine, history, folklore, customs, music and arts and other aspects of a country's culture. The Barbados book is no exception. While it does list places to see, hotels, restaurant recommendations, etc. like other guidebooks, 90% of this book is filled with insightful writing and wonderful photography from a variety of contributors both Bajan and visitors to Barbados.



2. As a Bajan I was pleased when I read this book it goes beyond the typical tourist representation of the island and tastefully and tactfully covers many of the uniques cultural mores and forces that have shaped our island. It gives a brief and acuurate history of the island concerning race relations, politics and culture and even quite accurately explains why Bajans are percieved as smug! : ) Hopefully on reading this book the tourist more informed will be able to enjoy the island many flavors and facets more deeply.

2 comments about Let's Go Puerto Rico 2nd Edition (Let's Go Puerto Rico).

1. I have used Let's Go as a resource for many of my backpacking trips in the past and bough the PR version hoping to have the same sucess. However I found many inaccuracies in this "updated" edition including wrong times for the ferries to the Spanish Virgin Islands, incorrect prices for guesthouses, plane tickets, campsites and public transportation and failed to include when some beaches would be closed. It was a good guide for getting around the island as most of the directions were useful but just be aware that some information will not be the most up to date.



2. I spent a week in San Juan relaxing, so I cannot comment on the book's relation to the rest of the island, but of the several travel books I purchased this is the one I referred to the most (even though I am not a backpacker or tight budget person). This book had good descriptions of sights, hotels, restaurants, ways to get around, information on Puerto Rican life and culture. Small enough to carry around, I did tear the city map out of the Fodor's Puerto Rico as that was the best laid out for the old city.
   This book is a very good resource.

4 comments about On this Beautiful Island.

1. What a beautiful book! I want to use the book as a coffee table book, matter of fact, its on my coffee table now because the illustrations are striking and the book is informative, well researched and entertaining. Although classified for the 9 to 12 year old reader, a younger reader will enjoy looking at the pictures and, with instruction, can play the enclosed game. The author defines and provides pronunciation hints for unfamiliar words. An adult is guaranteed to expand their knowledge of an ancient culture and time period. This is truly a book to be enjoyed by the entire family.
   
   On a Beautiful Island captures a day in the life of Taino, a Puerto Rican boy who lived some 500 years ago. His adventures bring to life a culture strong in family, faith and society. Each person in the tribe has a role and a responsibility to each other and to nature. The writing is lyrical, the illustrations are colorful while the overall tone is light and joyful.



2. Guanín, our narrator, uses poetic verse to describe his family traditions and life in Puerto Rico. This is a pastoral book that celebrates and educates children about the Taíno history and culture. The illustrations are incredibly beautiful. It is difficult to tell, at times, whether this is to be a rhyming verse or descriptive poem. When reading aloud, sometimes the rhyming and/or alliterations works, at other times, though it is difficult reading. The intricate, colorful illustrations will brighten any day, even if you don't read the text. The story introduces readers to Puerto Rico in a way that they are not likely to find elsewhere. The parallels with Native American culture (i.e., Nature's role in our survival) also lend great opportunities to talk about conservation and caring for our world.



3. A true work of the storyteller's art, On This Beautiful Island is written and beautifully illustrated by Edwin Fontanez. Adapted from his original video "Taino: Guanin's Story" which was in turn inspired by the ancient culture of the Tainos who were the first inhabitants of Puerto Rico. On This Beautiful Island shows young readers what it was like to live in a vibrant natural land five hundred years ago, and experience the wonders of nature from the soft lullaby of the ocean humming inside a shell to the fresh breeze whisking through the treetops to the song of a tiny frog no bigger than a thumb. On This Beautiful Language is filled with bright and ruddy colored illustrations of native Taino individuals going about day-to-day life, and a final page offers some additional information about the Taino culture, and influences that remain with us today through words like "barbecue", "tobacco", "canoe", and "hammock", all of which are derived from the Arawak language.



4. On this Beautiful Island is a beautifully written and illustrated picture book. This book takes the child through a colourful exotic journey led by Guanín and his close-to-the-heart friend Tahite, a parrot. Guanín shows his new friends a little about his daily life and about his traditional Taíno culture. These traditions date back more than 2,000 years from the area known today as Puerto Rico. A video called Taíno: Guanín's Story and a companion activity book are also available for those interested in learning more about Guanín and his cultural traditions.
   
   On this Beautiful Island is a story that entertains and teaches at the same time. The book illustrates a lifestyle that is likely very different from the young reader while also showing that some things about being a kid are universal. The story is charming and completely entertaining. However, it pales in comparison to the illustrations in this book which are completely breathtaking. Young readers will spend hours studying these colourful pictures looking for hidden coquíes.

5 comments about San Juan, Puerto Rico.

1. I saw this book in the airport of San Juan Puerto Rico in a couple of the stores. I loved it and bought four for gifts. I should have bought five because so many friends have looked through my copy, its beginning to get worn out.

   I was browsing the books here and saw it, nobody has yet reviewed it so I feel compelled to give the first review.

   The over all quality of the photos of the book are plain beautiful. Im from Puerto Rico, and didnt want a book with "old" looking photos, or photos of places that had changed. Its obvious all the photos are up to date, as of a couple months ago. Overall the book starts in Old San Juan and zig-zags through the city and ends up in Piniones. The only text of the book is a general opening on the first couple pages then just photos with captions of what they are. The captions are in four languages...english, spanish, german, french.

   There are aerials of the city too...as Im looking at the book now there are also bookmark flaps on each cover...pages are high gloss...good feel.

   This is one of those books that is a "must have" for anyone who travels... I just wish this book format was available for all the cities Ive been to. FIVE STARS.




2. Hi, this is Mark Drenth, author and photographer of San Juan, Puerto Rico. The general idea behind this book was to condense a "coffee table" book to a smaller format, thus providing a more affordable book with all the quality of a larger one. Youll find this book to be the one you pull out of your library to show friends what San Juan looks like, and it will end up on the coffee table. I covered all the major areas of San Juan, as well as some intersting areas that only a few tourists get to see. I kept the text to a minimum in order to focus more on the photos of San Juan. Im sure your going to love this book.



3. For those of us looking to show off our beautiful island of Puerto Rico, this is the perfect gift to give. It is an amazing collection of gorgeous photographs of our wonderful capital city. Both modern and Old San Juan are represented in aerial, land and artistic pictures.



4. I am from Santurce, Puerto Rico and love my capital city of San Juan. This book by Mark Drenth is filled with beautiful photos of all the important locations, beautiful aerials including in-depth photos of Old San Juan. I recommend this book as it has the most photos of any book I have seen of San Juan, and all are beautiful. I have a couple coffee table books of Puerto Rico, but this is the best, I am always refering to it when I have guests. If your thinking about the quality, this book is better quality than the expensive coffee table books I own, the colors are more vibrant, realistic and glossy.



5. I bought this book under the impression that it was an aerial pictorial coffe table book of the third largest metropolis in the Caribbean. To my dissapointment, the book is not a compilation of aerial photography nor is it large or descriptive.
   
   In fact, the book itself is small, thin, and the author did a horrible job in selecting the photos. Many photos were repetitive (for example, the Condado area of the city is shown multiple times from the same angle), it's not a tour above the city but rather a tour of select areas of the city (mostly old San Juan and Condado). I was dissapointed.
   
   However, having said that, I still managed to enjoy the images themselves, because many are lovely in part because San Juan itself is a lovely city.
   
   I give San Juan a thumb up and Mark Drenth a thumb down!
   
   People, if you are going to publish a book, make sure you do it right and interesting!

No comments about Creoleana (Caribbean Classics).

1 comments about Cuba : A Travelers Literary Companion (Traveler's Literary Companion, 8).

1. This book really gives you the feel for Cuba without ever traveling there. The stories cover so much terrain- not only in Cuba but throughout the exile diaspora. i thought it was one of the best collections of stories I have read- and is a must for Cubaphiles like myself.