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Library Journal Review

This is a handy and very inexpensive guide to alternative sources on the region. As such, it updates and expands the resources in the Latin American and Caribbean chapter of the Third World Resource Directory ( LJ 7/84). Six sections cover organizations, books, periodicals, pamphlets and articles, AV, and other resources. The AV section lists films, filmstrips, slide shows, videotapes, records, and tapes which present alternative and in some cases radical perspectives on the U.S. role in Latin America. The final section lists important curriculum materials suitable for high school social studies classes available from various Latin American institutes. All entries provide complete ordering information and many are extensively annotated. Appendixes list Latin American centers at U.S. and Canadian universities and Christian churches with Latin American offices. Excellent indexes add to this guide's usefulness. Brian E. Coutts, Rice Univ. Lib., Houston (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Booklist Review

This brief annotated bibliography and directory of books, periodicals, pamphlets, audiovisuals, and organizations that relate to Latin America and the Caribbean represents a substantial expansion and updating of the ``Latin America and Caribbean'' chapter in the Third World Resource Directory (Orbis Books, 1984) by the same authors. The purpose of the book is to legitimize and promote the use of alternative information sources for understanding the region. Alternative is defined as sources that reflect the viewpoints of the powerless and the poor, in contrast to the mass media, which tend to rely on entrenched local governments and the U.S. government for information. ``It is an admittedly biased listing of sources, but bias on behalf of the Third World poor is badly needed to balance the `impartial' reporting of the mass media.'' While many useful and interesting references are identified, the user will have to remember that because of its emphasis on alternatives, standard sources of information are often omitted. For example, in the first part of the book, the organization directory, neither the Organization of American States nor the other regional intergovernmental organizations are included. The authors focus on U.S. relationships with the nations and peoples of the region, exhibiting an admitted bias that ``U.S. institutional power in the Third World often frustrates genuine development.'' This focus has led to an emphasis on works about Central America and the Caribbean, areas that have been most strongly influenced by recent U.S. policy and intervention, with Mexico and South America receiving much weaker representation. The book concludes with listings of other sources of information and indexes of organizations, titles of print and audiovisual resources, personal names, geographic areas, and subjects. Especially strong in its coverage of audiovisual materials, this book will be useful in academic and public libraries.