Americas

While the book is now a little out of date (roughly 14 years at the time I read it), this book is a fairly exhaustive, yet accessible overview of the history of the Latin American and Caribbean countries. I found it less accessible and more academic than Mann's [b:1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus 39020 1491 New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus Charles C. Mann https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1545238592l/39020.SY75.jpg 38742], and more accessible and slightly less polemical than Galeano's [b:Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent 187149 Open Veins of Latin America Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent Eduardo Galeano https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1413515169l/187149.SY75.jpg 771351]. (That it's less of a polemic than Open Veins is not necessarily a mark in its favour; it's really a neutral fact, but worth mentioning in the context of Open Veins)I read this book primarily because I wanted more insight into Latin American history and didn't know where to start. I definitely got what I needed from it, and I think it will function well as a jumping off point from which I can more easily ascertain what to read next and how to evaluate potential material.