Mexico: What Everyone Needs to Know®

by Roderic Ai Camp

Today all would agree that Mexico and the United States have never been closer--that the fates of the two republics are inextricably intertwined. It has become an intimate part of life in almost every community in the United States, through immigration, imported produce, business ties, or
illegal drugs. It is less a neighbor than a sibling; no matter what our differences, it is intricately a part of our existence.

In this outstanding contribution to Oxford's acclaimed series, What Everyone Needs to Know® , Roderic Ai Camp gives readers the most essential information about our sister republic to the south. Camp organizes chapters around major themes--security and violence, economic development, foreign
relations, the colonial heritage, and more. He asks questions that take us beyond the headlines: Why does Mexico have so much drug violence? What was the impact of the North American Free Trade Agreement? How democratic is Mexico? Who were Benito Juárez and Pancho Villa? What is the PRI (the
Institutional Revolutionary Party)? The answers are sometimes surprising. Despite ratification of NAFTA, for example, Mexico has fallen behind Brazil and Chile in economic growth and rates of poverty. Camp explains that lack of labor flexibility, along with low levels of transparency and high levels
of corruption, make Mexico less competitive than some other Latin American countries. The drug trade, of course, enhances corruption and feeds on poverty; approximately 450,000 Mexicans now work in this sector. But Camp reveals that President Calderón's recent assault on narcotics smugglers--and the
violence resulting from it--may have actually lessened the government's control of parts of the country and national institutions.

Brisk, clear, and informed, Mexico: What Everyone Needs To Know® offers a valuable primer for anyone interested in the past, present, and future of our neighbor to the South.

What Everyone Needs to Know ® is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Politics, Travel

216 pages, Paperback

First published August 12, 2011

Reviews

[Sean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good information but somewhat lacking in cohesion.

[Xochitl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked it because it touches , in the form of questions/answers, specific subjects of Mexico's current situation. Being Mexican and living abroad, a written work of this kind, could be very helpful in reconnecting with our country, our culture and our people, fact that in my case, made me feel closer to them; and maybe it helped me to become an agent to voice out what's happening there and why...

[Licha · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not what I thought. I was hoping it would have more history facts about Mexico, but it was more about the politics and the history of them more than anything else. It's very well researched if that is what someone needs and the format is great because it's broken down as questions for easy look-up.

[Geoffrey Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not exhaustive by any means but this book does a sufficient job at answering questions about Mexico (primarily its contemporary politics and economics)for the American general reader. Breezy but not without value.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having read a book or two on many of the major topics in this book, I tended to skip around a lot. Nonetheless, this book is a useful reference work.

[David Hollingsworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really handy introductory guide to Mexico. It goes over the history, politics, economy, and culture of Mexico.

Of course, no analysis about a country's politics and economy are neutral, and this book is deeply rooted in a neoliberal Democrat framework. The author clearly believes that Mexico needs to continue free trade/global capitalism while investing in more anti-poverty programs like Opportunidades. So, when you're reading the book, just realize the author has a viewpoint like anyone else. I point this out because the author's viewpoint is shared by so many in academia that it's considered a neutral/objective position, but it's important to realize there are different visions people have for how to fix Mexico's problems.

The only issue I had other than the baked-in bias is how brief some of the answers felt. Granted, that is sort of the point of this book, but there are a few places where I felt even just an extra paragraph of information would've been helpful. Sometimes the book is brief to the point of excluding important context.

Overall, though, it's a pretty handy guide. I'd definitely recommend it to someone as a starting point for anyone looking to learn more about our neighbor to the south.

[Todd · Rating 3 out of 5]

A reasonably good overview of the recent situation in Mexico, ranging from politics to economics to security to culture and society. It is not a deep dive by any account, but a short, easily readable survey of the highlights. Camp does a particularly good job of highlighting the high cost of Mexico's drug war and its various impacts. One particular weakness, though, is that vastly short sells the impact of corruption and misgovernance, not only recently, but through long ages. Camp makes it sound like political corruption only began with efforts to combat indigenous drug cartels, rather than a product of Spanish colonialism. Camp repeatedly indicates Mexico's economic weaknesses, especially the stubborn problem of income inequality (in the extreme), but he hardly mentions the government's negative impact in this area. Rather, he focuses on the success of a couple of recent programs and makes it sound like all is well, though still insoluble. Overall, these represent only small defects. For one looking for a quick summary of what Mexico is like, what its chief issues are, this is a good place to start. For a more in-depth look, one has to proceed from here to other works.

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was filled with good, albeit a bit outdated now, information but it wasn't very engaging to read. I don't know if I should blame that on the author or the formatting. It's more of a book to read a few pages of each day or a book to skim until you find something you want to investigate further

[Danny · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned a lot. I recommend this book to Americans who want a quick primer on Mexico and it’s politics, economics, culture, and recent history. Good summary of the drug cartel crisis. Interesting discussion of how US can be a better neighbor.

[GladiatorBenRome · Rating 2 out of 5]

If it's a subject I'm interested in, it's hard not to like a non-fiction book. This one, however, is like a bad textbook. It's just a bland presentation of facts.

[Hugo Salas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bueno hasta para los mexicanos. Evidence-based y corto.

[Greer Andjanetta · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very informative book outlining historical, economic, political and military causes of what produced the Mexico of today (up to 2011). Written in the form of a series of questions posed by the author which are followed by brief but detailed descriptions of the answers. Certainly not an adventure novel, but an easy-to-read introduction to many of the things that have made Mexico what it is today.My thanks to Bev for the loan of this book.