A Finger of Land on an Old Man’s Hand: Adventures in Mexico’s Baja Wilderness, by Earl Vincent de Berge, Reviewed by Mark D. Walker

I met Earl and his wife, Suzanne, several years ago over lunch in Phoenix, discussing fundraising strategies for an NGO they set up in Guatemala, “Seeds for a Future,” which provides training to impoverished rural women on the South Coast. I soon learned that we shared a love and appreciation of Guatemala and the Desert Southwest and that Earl was also a writer and, in his case, a poet. I was surprised to learn that he started writing as far back as 1959 and is publishing an autographical novel laced with poetry and photos about his adventures as a young […]

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Viva Mexico! by Charles Flandrau, Reviewed by Mark D. Walker

This was the third book I requested from the editor of ELAND Press for writing an article in their latest newsletter, and I wasn’t disappointed.  I can now understand why some consider it one of the best travel books. The author was a wealthy American with a unique sense of humor and few prejudices except Western uniformity. The book is a journey among the Mexican people and starts in 1904 with a visit to his brother’s coffee plantation in Jalapa, Mexico, with his mother. His three visits were the basis for this profile of rural Mexicans and expatriate gringos, which […]

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