This book features biographies of 32 of the most notable figures in Latin American history. To the 23 individuals from the first edition, consisting mostly of revolutionary, political, and military figures of the past, are added nine new biographies of contemporary Latin American presidents, providing an updated view of the region's leadership. Several patterns run through the individual biographies. The concept of native identity is an important aspect in the stories of Malinche, Juarez, Sandino, and Zapata--profoundly affecting the politics of modern Brazil, Mexico, and Nicaragua. One also sees a continuing compulsion to rebel against overwhelming odds in the cases of Manuela Saenz, Che Guevara and Daniel Ortega.

Many North Americans are unaware of the history and politics of Latin America, and Latin American Heroes goes a long way to redress this lack of knowledge. These profiles of twenty-three history makers offer a unique view of Latin America through the eyes of men and women who devoted their lives to their countries, and to the freedom of their people. Here are fascinating mini-biographies of such influential and important subjects as Dona Marina (La Malinche), a former slave, born in 1505, who became an invaluable translator for Cortes; Toussaint L'Ouverture, who led Haitians to rebel against their French masters in the first major slave revolt in the new world, Jose Marti, the journalist, revolutionary, poet, orator, and charismatic leader of the fight to free Cuba from Spanish domination, and the modern martyr Bishop Romero, who, as an outspoken Catholic clergyman opposed to the abuses of the rightist regime in El Salvador, was murdered for his beliefs. You'll also learn about Brazil's Emperors Pedro I and Pedro II, the Women of the Mexican Revolution, Argentina's Juan and Eva Peron, Mexico's Emiliano Zapata, Venezuela's Simon Bolivar, and Cuba's Che Guevara. A straightforward and thoroughly researched biographical reference that amplifies some of the most significant voices in Latin America, past and present, Latin American Heroes is a long-overdue tribute to the people whose fearless struggle for self-determination changed history.

What is presidential leadership and why have some presidents been considered “great” – or rather “transformational” – while others are not? What are the drivers which distinguish these presidents from the rest? Presidential Leadership in the Americas since Independence answers these questions through a systematic study of leadership across the Americas over 200 years, from independence to the present day. Having surveyed who the most cited presidents are in the Americas, Guy Burton and Ted Goertzel examine the experience of presidents from across the western hemisphere: the US, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru and Venezuela. They study the relationship between these men and women’s actions within the constraints they faced during four political periods: independence, national consolidation during the nineteenth century, state-building from the late nineteenth to mid twentieth centuries and neoliberalism since the 1970s-80s. The most “transformational” presidents are found to be those who are not only able to innovate and build new political consensuses at a time of crisis, but also consolidate them so that the reforms becoming lasting – and extending beyond an individual president’s own political (even biological) lifetime.

Between 1808 and 1826, all of mainland Latin America became independent from Spain and Portugal, the colonial powers that had ruled the region for three centuries. Undesirable economic restrictions and a caste system that favored those born in Europe made the conditions for revolution ripe in the Americas. Combined with the actions of insightful leaders—most notably Simón Bolívar and José de San Martín—Latin American independence was all but guaranteed. This title explores the revolutions, their historical causes, and the new nations’ ensuing struggles, providing invaluable context for understanding the culture, politics, and social identity of the region today.

Agents of change, they have been both damned and praised-but uniformly remembered as national figures. Some are revered all over Latin America. Yet most are largely unknown beyond their borders. This book makes them and their times and causes understood. The 17 men and six women span generations and causes-Toussaint L'Ouverture of Haiti, Juan Perón and Eva Perón of Argentina, José Martí and Fidel Castro of Cuba, Dolores Jiménez y Muro and Hermila Galindo of the Mexican Revolution of 1910, Ché Guevara and nine others were passionately involved with independence and equality.

Agents of change, they have been both damned and praised-but uniformly remembered as national figures. Some are revered all over Latin America. Yet most are largely unknown beyond their borders. This book makes them and their times and causes understood. The 17 men and six women span generations and causes-Toussaint L'Ouverture of Haiti, Juan Perón and Eva Perón of Argentina, José Martí and Fidel Castro of Cuba, Dolores Jiménez y Muro and Hermila Galindo of the Mexican Revolution of 1910, Ché Guevara and nine others were passionately involved with independence and equality.

How do you "hook" a Millennial student into caring about women's issues when feminism has been declared dead for decades? Written in an engaging style that promotes critical thinking, Women's Issues for a New Generation is intended for freshman- and sophomore-level undergraduates who have never heard of Mary Wollstonecraft or Anita Hill. The interdisciplinary text includes three major sections: women in the U.S., women from diverse groups (e.g., Native American and disabled), and women in the global arena. It also stresses the inclusion of men in topics such as body image, since "women's issues" are really issues that affect everyone. Other striking features included the contemporary debates (e.g., War on Women and Hillary Clinton's ambitions) and the current issues such as human trafficking. Textbooks on gender and women's studies often emphasize theory with the assumption that students already know about women's history, the pay gap, and other basic information; Women's Issues for a New Generation serves as a reader-friendly bridge to more advanced analysis of women and gender. Written by a social worker, this textbook applies social work values and the strength perspective to anyone who is fighting gender inequality.

This is the true story of William Alexander Morgan, the Yankee Comandante, an idealistic young American who found fame fighting in the Cuban Revolution. The blond American didn't speak a word of Spanish, but he felt his rightful place was among the guerilleros of the Escambray Mountains, fighting to bring down dictator Fulgencio Batista. Morgan was among Havana's liberators in 1959, an act that led FBI director Edgar Hoover to strip him of his American citizenship. There was a time when Morgan was international front-page news, on a level with Che Guevara. Yet "el comandante yanqui" has largely disappeared from the history of the Cuban Revolution. Author Gani Jakupi recounts a forgotten tale from one of the greatest military and political events of the 20th century.

Military dictators have long practiced policies of persecution, terror, and mass murder to consolidate political power. The essays in this volume document the brutal subjugation that Chileans suffered under the rule of Pinochet. Background information and first person accounts of the events are provided, to give the reader a more rounded knowledge of the events. Charts and graphs are provided to summarize important statistical information, and timelines are included to help the reader trace the sequence of events. Maps provide details about the areas of contention, and locations of conflicts.