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One Campus, One Book 2008

Themes

Los Angeles | The Urban Experience |
Changing Demographics

"Los Angeles was the problem." (p.3)

Critical Thinking and Discussion Questions

  • How does the city of Los Angeles shape the identities of its inhabitants?
  • What does the book say about the Central American experience in Los Angeles?
  • How is the experience of Central American immigrants different from and/or similar to the experiences of other immigrant groups in LA?

Books

Bedolla, Lisa García. (2005). Fluid borders: Latino power, identity, and politics in Los Angeles. Berkeley: University of California Press. F869.L89 S753 2005

Corwin, Miles. (2003). Homicide special: a year with the LAPD’s elite detective unit. New York: Henry Holt. HV8148.L55 C67 2003

Davis, Mike. (2006). City of quartz: excavating the future in Los Angeles. London: Verso. HN80.L7 D38 2006

Davis, Mike. (2002). Dead cities, and other tales. New York: New Press, Norton. HT123 .D43 2002

Davis, Mike. (2000). Magical urbanism: Latinos reinvent the U.S. city. London: Verso. E184.S75 D36 2000

Davis, Mike. (1998). Ecology of fear: Los Angeles and the imagination of disaster. New York: Metropolitan Books. HN80.L7 D37 1998

Fitzpatrick, Kevin M., and Mark LaGory. (2000). Unhealthy places: the ecology of risk in the urban landscape. New York: Routledge, 2000. RA566.3 .F58 2000

Fulton, William B. (1997). The reluctant metropolis: the politics of urban growth in Los Angeles. Point Arena, CA: Solano Press. HT384.U52 C245 1997

Gottlieb, Robert. (2005). The next Los Angeles: the struggle for a livable city. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. HN80.L7 N49 2005

Greenberg, Michael R., and Dona Schneider. (1996). Environmentally devastated neighborhoods: perceptions, policies, and realities. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press. Library ebook

Hamilton, Nora. (2001). Seeking community in a global city: Guatemalans and Salvadorans in Los Angeles. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. F869.L89 G824 2001

Hohm, Charles F., and James A. Glynn. (2002). California's social problems. Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press. HN79.C2 C36 2002

Hylen, Arnold. (1976). Bunker Hill, a Los Angeles landmark: recorded in words and pictures by Arnold Hylen. Los Angeles: Dawson’s Book Shop. F869.L88 H9

James, David E. (Ed.). (2003). The sons and daughters of Los: culture and community in L.A. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. F869.L85 S65 2003

Klein, Norman K. (1997). The history of forgetting: Los Angeles and the erasure of memory. London: Verso. F869.L857 K53

Newmark, Harris. (1970). Sixty years in southern California, 1853-1913: containing the reminiscences of Harris Newmark. Los Angeles: Zeitlin & Ver Brugge.
F869.L8 N48 1970

Ochoa, Enrique C., and Gilda L. Ochoa (Eds.). (2005). Latino Los Angeles: transformations, communities, and activism. Tucson: University of Arizona Press. F869.L89 S7537 2005

O’Connor, Alice, Chris Tilly, and Lawrence D. Bobo (Eds.). (2001). Urban inequality: evidence from four cities. New York: Russell Sage Foundation. HT123 .U7454 2001

Rieff, David. (1991). Los Angeles: capital of the third world. New York: Simon & Schuster. F869.L85 R54 1991

Riposa, Gerry, and Carolyn G. Dersch (Eds.). (1992). City of angels. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt. HN80.L7 C58 1992

Sawhney, Deepak Narang. (2002). Unmasking L.A.: third worlds and the city. New York: Palgrave. Reordered

Scott, Allen J., and Edward W. Soja. (1996). The city: Los Angeles and urban theory at the end of the twentieth century. Berkeley: University of California Press. HN80.L7 C57 1996 and Library ebook

Silva-Corvalan, Carmen. (1994). Language contact and change: Spanish in Los Angeles. New York: Oxford University Press. PC4829.L58 S55 1994

Weaver, John Downing. (1980). Los Angeles: the enormous village 1781-1981. Santa Barbara, CA: Capra Press. F869.L857 W4

Videos / DVDs
Note: Available at the Library Media Center, Library North 3rd Fl.

Made in L.A. HD2339.U6 .M334
Story of three Latina immigrants working in the sweatshops of Los Angeles.

Web Resources

City of Los Angeles. L.A. history and facts.
http://www.lacity.org/lacity32.htm

University of Southern California. Los Angeles and the problem of urban historical knowledge.
http://www.usc.edu/dept/LAS/history/historylab/LAPUHK/


1992 Los Angeles Riots

“Anyone could be caught in the crossfire of the war of the painted children.” (p. 201)

Critical Thinking and Discussion Questions

  • The Los Angeles Riots of 1992 caused 52 deaths, 2,500 injuries and over $400 million in damage. Why do people riot?
  • Are riots a function of community structure, of poverty, or of ethnic diversity? 

Books

Alan-Williams, Gregory. (1994). A gathering of heroes: reflections on rage and responsibility: a memoir of the Los Angeles riots. Chicago: Academy Chicago Publishers. F869.L89 N4 1994

Delk, James D. (1995). Fires and furies: the L.A. riots, what really happened. Palm Springs, CA: ETC Publications. F869.L857 D45 1995

Hazen, Don (Ed.). (1992). Inside the L.A. riots: what really happened, and why it will happen again: essays and articles. New York: Institute for Alternative Journalism. F869. L857 I5 1992

Los Angeles Times Staff. (1992). Understanding the riots: Los Angeles before and after the Rodney King case. Los Angeles: Los Angeles Times. F869.L89 N4

Madhubuti, Haki R. (1993). Why L.A. happened: implications of the ’92 Los Angeles rebellion. Chicago: Third World Press. F869.L857 W58 1993

Smith, Anna Deavere. (1992). Twilight: Los Angeles. New York: Anchor Books, 1994. PS3569.M465 T95 1994

Tervalon, Jervey (Ed.). (2002). Geography of rage: remembering the Los Angeles riots of 1992. Los Angeles: Really Great Books. F869.L89 A2577 2002

Videos / DVDs
Note: Available at the Library Media Center, Library North 3rd Fl.

Holland, Randy. The fire this time. FLIC87804
An examination of conditions in inner city Los Angeles leading to violence and rioting in the past.

Web Resources

British Broadcasting Corporation. BBC On This Day – Stories from April 29, 1992.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/april/29/newsid_2500000/2500471.stm

CNN. Los Angeles Riot still echoes a decade later– CNN Archives.
http://archives.cnn.com/2002/US/04/28/la.riot.anniversary/index.html

Loyola Marymount University, Leavey Center for the Study of Los Angeles. 2007 Los Angeles Riots: 15th anniversary resident follow-up survey report.
http://www.lmu.edu/AssetFactory.aspx?did=23081


Central American Diaspora | Immigration | Return Migration

“Antonio was used to being tall. In Guatemala he towered above family and friends. But Los Angeles made him short. It made him stoop and it cast him out with its untouchables, the lifters of dirty dishes, the silent sweepers of bathroom floors, the men and women who placed their hands in the city’s toilets and urinals, scrubbing everything antiseptic-clean.” (p. 53)

Critical Thinking and Discussion Questions

  • The book is structured largely around the opposing experiences and perspectives of Antonio and Longoria. Compare and contrast their life experiences in Guatemala and as migrants to the U.S. What makes their lives similar and how are they different?

Books

Acuña, Rodolfo F. (2007). Occupied America: a history of Chicanos. New York: Pearson Longman. E184.M5 A63 2007

Arreola, Daniel D. (Ed.). (2004). Hispanic spaces, Latino places: community and cultural diversity in contemporary America. Austin: University of Texas Press. E184.S75 H5843 2004

Bedolla, Lisa García. (2005). Fluid borders: Latino power, identity, and politics in Los Angeles. Berkeley: University of California Press. F869.L89 S753 2005

Davis, Mike. (2000). Magical urbanism: Latinos reinvent the U.S. city. London: Verso. E184.S75 D36 2000

Ember, Melvin, Carol R. Ember, and Ian Skoggard (Eds.). (2004). Encyclopedia of diasporas: immigrant and refugee cultures around the world. New York: Kluwer. Reference North 1st JV6225 .E53 2004

Figueredo, D.H. (2007). Latino chronology: chronologies of the American mosaic. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. Reference North 1st E184.S75 F543 2007

Gonzalez, Juan. (2000). Harvest of empire: a history of Latinos in America. New York: Viking. E184.S75 G655 2000

Kohpahl, Gabriele. (1993). Voices of Guatemalan women in Los Angeles: understanding their immigration. New York: Garland. F869.L89 G825 1998

North, Liisa, and Alan B. Simmons. (1998). Journeys of fear: refugee return and national transformation in Guatemala. JV7416 .T39 1998

Taylor, Clark. (1998). Return of Guatemala’s refugees: reweaving the torn. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press. JV7416 .T39 1998

Tobar, Héctor. (2005). Translation nation: defining a new American identity in the Spanish-speaking United States. New York: Riverhead Books. E184.S75 T63 2005

Videos / DVDs
Note: Available at the Library Media Center, Library North 3rd Fl.

Discovering Dominga. FLIC87881
Denese Becker, born Dominga Sic Ruiz, is a survivor of the 1982 Rio Negro massacre in Guatemala and an American adoptee raised in Iowa. She returns to Guatemala almost twenty years after the massacre and becomes a victims-rights advocate for survivors at great personal cost.

La ciudad: the city. FLIC87132
A picture of present day immigrant life in New York City. The film's four stories center on “a group of day-laborers scavenging for bricks; two teenagers from the same hometown who meet in the projects and fall in love; a homeless father who tries to enroll his daughter in school; and a garment worker who seeks justice in the sweatshops.”

Chicano! History of the Mexican American civil rights movement. FLIC86483-6
Chronicles various aspects of the struggles for equal rights by Mexican Americans.

Yo soy Chicano. FLIC87012
Portrays the Chicano experience from its roots in pre-Columbian history to the present.

Web Resources

Center for Immigration Studies.
http://www.cis.org/

Los Angeles Times. A surge south of Mexico – Archive for May 1, 2005. 

http://articles.latimes.com/2005/may/01/world/fg-immig1

Migration Information. Central America: crossroads of the Americas.
http://www.migrationinformation.org/feature/display.cfm?id=386

North American Congress on Latin America. Reflections on immigration fromGuatemala.
http://nacla.org/node/4758

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis


U.S. Involvement in Latin America | School of the Americas

“Tell me about your training. Did you get to work with the Americans, with the Green Berets? You know, we have a battalion like yours in El Salvador. They’re called the Atlatacl Battalion… The American training is simply the best, isn’t it? These gringos know what they’re doing. Just look at their soldiers, real warriors.” (p. 29)

Critical Thinking and Discussion Questions

The United States has a lengthy history of involvement in Latin America. Has U.S. activity there been in the best interests of the United States?

Books

Dent, David W. (2005). Historical dictionary of U.S.-Latin American relations. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. Reference North F1418 .F457 2005

Galeano, Eduardo. (2003). Las venas abiertas de América Latina. Buenos Aires, Argentina: Catalogos. HC125 .G253 2003

Galeano, Eduardo. (1974). Open veins of Latin America: five centuries of the pillage of a continent. New York: Monthly Review Press. HC125 .G25

Gleijeses, Piero. (1992). Shattered hope: the Guatemalan revolution and the United States, 1944-1954. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. E183.8.G9 S48 1992

Jonas, Susanne. (1991). The battle for Guatemala: rebels, death squads, and U.S. power. Boulder, CO: Westview Press. F1466.5 .J66 1991

Landau, Sam. (1993). The guerrilla wars of Central America: Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala. New York: St. Martin’s. F1439 .L36 1993

Rosenberg, Mike. (2007). The United States and Central America: geopolitical realities and regional fragility. New York: Routledge. On order

Saxon, Dan. (2007). To save her life: disappearance, deliverance, and the United States in Guatemala. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. On order

Schlesinger, Stephen and Kinzer, Stephen. (2005). Bitter fruit: The story of the American coup in Guatemala. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. F1466.5 .S34 2005

Videos / DVDs
Note: Available at the Library Media Center, Library North 3rd Fl.

Broken promises: the untold story of America’s retreat from commitment. FLIC86400
Looks at Latin American history from the arrival of the Europeans to modern times.

Devils don't dream! FLIC86021
In September 1954 Jacobo Arbenz, the President of Guatemala who had led a revolt against the country’s military dictatorship a decade earlier, is betrayed by foreign powers and overthrown. Arbenz was not a member of any party, but he had begun to fulfill his election promise to give farmers their own land.

The war on democracy. F1418 .W37
Examines American involvement in Latin America for the past half century.

Web Resources

Center for International Policy. Just the facts: a civilian’s guide to U.S. defense and security assistance to Latin America and the Caribbean.
http://ciponline.org/facts/

Central Intelligence Agency. Frequently requested documents – Guatemala.
http://www.foia.cia.gov/guatemala.asp

Farah, Douglas. Papers Show U.S. role in Guatemalan abuses. Washington Post, March 11, 1999.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/inatl/daily/march99/guatemala11.htm

Human Rights Watch World Report 1989 – Guatemala.
http://www.hrw.org/reports/1989/WR89/Guatemal.htm#TopOfPage

National Security Archive: George Washington University. Guatemalan Police Archives.
http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB170/index.htm

School of the Americas Watch.
http://www.soaw.org/

United States Southern Command – Partnership for the Americas.
http://www.southcom.mil/AppsSC/pages/about.php



State-Sponsored Terrorism | Counterinsurgency

“During the day, soldiers dressed as civilians came to kidnap professors and students; after the sun fell, graffiti artists worked until dawn to cover the university walls with the spray-painted names of the dead: Professor Juan Peralta, Ana Saravia, Julio Gomez Asturias… The walls seemed to have an insatiable appetite for the names of dead students.” (p. 87)

Critical Thinking and Discussion Questions

Why would a country use systematic and random violence against its own citizens?

Books

Afflitto, Frank M. and Paul Jesilow. (2007). The quiet revolutionaries: seeking justice in Guatemala. Austin, TX: University of Texas Press. HV6322.3.G9 A34 2007

Brenner, Bruce and Arthur Campbell (Eds.). (2000). Death squads in global perspective: murder with deniability. On order

Dewever-Plana, Miguel. (2007). La verdad bajo la tierra: Guatemala, el genocidio silenciado. Barcelona: Blume. On order

Friedrichs, David O. State crime. (1998). Aldershot/ Brookfield, VT: Ashgate. HV6322 .S73 1998

Giannakos, S.A. (ed.). (2002). Ethnic conflict: religion, identity, and politics. Athens, OH: Ohio University Press. HM1121 .E74 2002

Goldman, Francisco. (2007). The art of political murder: who killed the Bishop? New York: Grove Press. On order

Guatemala, never again! (1999). REMHI, Recovery of Historical Memory Project: the official report of the Human Rights Office, Archdiocese of Guatemala. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books. HV6433.G8 G813 1999

Guatemala, nunca más: informe. (1998). Proyecto Interdiocesano de Recuperación de la Memoria Histórica. Guatemala: ODHAG. HV6433.G8 G8 1998

Hayner, Priscilla B. (2001). Unspeakable truths: confronting state terror and atrocity. New York: Routledge. JC571 .H363 2001

Huggins, Martha (Ed.). (1991). Vigilantism and the state in modern Latin America: essays on extralegal violence. New York: Praeger. HN110.5.Z9 V58 1991

London, Douglas and Taxa London. (2007). We were taught to plant corn not to kill: secrets of the silence of the Mayan people. Guilford, CT: Back Up Books Human Rights Press. On order

Manz, Beatrice. (1988). Refugees of a hidden war: the aftermath of counterinsurgency in Guatemala. Albany, NY: State University of Albany Press. F1465.3.G6 M36 1988

Manz, Beatrice. (2004). Paradise in ashes: a Guatemalan journey of courage, terror, and hope. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. F1465.2.Q5 M36 2004

May, Rachel. (2001). Terror in the countryside: campesino responses to political violence in Guatemala, 1954-1985. Athens, OH: Ohio University Press. HN150.Z9 V543 2001

Moller, Jonathan. (2004). Our culture is our resistance: repression, refuge, and healing in Guatemala. New York: PowerHouse Books. F1466.5 .M57 2004

Montejo, Victor. (1987). Testimony: death of a Guatemalan village. Willimantic, CT: Curbstone Press. F1466.5 .M66

Nordstrom, Carolyn.(1997). A different kind of war story. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press. On order

Perera, Victor. (1993). Unfinished conquest: the Guatemalan tragedy. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. F1466.7 .P47 1993

Schirmer, Jennifer. (1998). The Guatemalan military project: a violence called democracy. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. F1466.5 .S33 1998

Sluka, Jeffrey A. (Ed.). (1999). Death squad: the anthropology of state terror. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. On order

Stoll, David. (1993). Between two armies in the Ixil towns of Guatemala. New York: Columbia University Press. F1466.5 .S76 1993

Wilkinson, D. (2002). Silence on the mountain: stories of terror, betrayal, and forgetting in Guatemala. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. F1466.7 .W55 2002

Videos / DVDs
Note: Available at the Library Media Center, Library North 3rd Fl.

If the mango tree could speak. FLIC88023
A documentary about children, 12 to 15, and war in Guatemala and El Salvador.

Legacies of war. FLIC88693
An analysis on the devastating aftermath of war.

Maria's story: portrait of love and survival in El Salvador's civil war. F1488.42.S47 M3713
Documentary based on life and work of Maria Serrano, leader in the guerrilla movement in El Salvador. Shows Serrano teaching guerrillas, and planning and carrying out military attacks on government positions.

Web Resources

Historical Clarification Commission. Guatemala: memory of silence.
http://shr.aaas.org/guatemala/ceh/report/english/conc1.html

International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG).
http://www.humanrightsfirst.org/defenders/hrd_guatemala/hrd_cicig.asp


Guatemala | Maya

“Now he is walking toward her through rows of corn. Leaves brush his face, cool and moist. Rainbow-colored trousers hang loosely from his waist, fabric she wove at the loom. On his feet are sandals, strips of old leather held together with wire and twine.” (p. 301)

Critical Thinking and Discussion Questions

Longoria's ethnicity is indigenous, but he rejects it. Why?

Books

Asturias, Miguel Angel. (1990). El senor presidente. Madrid: Alianz Editorial. PQ7499.A75 S4 1990

Asturias, Miguel Angel. Gilbert Alter-Gilbert, trans. (1997). Espejo de Lida Sal (The mirror of Lida Sal: tales based on Mayan myths and Guatemalan legends). Pittsburgh, PA: Latin American Literary Review Press. F1434.2.R3 A7713 1997

Benz, Stephen Connely. (1996). Guatemalan journey. Austin: University of Texas Press. On order

Berger, Susan A. (2006). Guatemaltecas: the women's movement, 1986-2003. Austin, TX: University of Texas Press. HQ1236.5.G9 B47 2006

Castillo, Otto René. (1971). Let's go! Vamonos patria a caminar. New York: Cape Goliard Press. PQ7499.2.C38 V313

Castillo, Otto René. (1984). Tomorrow triumphant: selected poems of Otto René Castillo. San Francisco: Night Horn Books. PQ7499.2.C38 A24 1984

Few, Martha. (2002). Women who live evil lives: gender, religion, and the politics of power in colonial Guatemala. Austin: University of Texas. HQ1480.A58 F49 2002

Fischer, Edward F. (2001). Cultural logics and global economies: Maya identity in thought and practice. Austin, TX: University of Texas. F1435.3.E72 F57 2001

Fischer, Edward F., and R. McKenna Brown (Eds.). (1996). Maya cultural activism in Guatemala. Austin, TX: University of Texas Press. F1435.3.E72 M39 1996

Grandin, Greg. (2000). The blood of Guatemala: a history of race and nation. Durham, NC: Duke University Press. F1465.2.Q5 G73 2000

Handy, Jim. (1984). Gift of the devil: a history of Guatemala. Boston: South End Press. F1466.35 .H36 1984

Houston, Stephen D., David Stuart, and Karl Taube. (2006). The memory of bones: body, being, and experience among the classic Maya. Austin, TX: University of Texas Press. F1435.3.A7 H68 2006

Jones, Oakah L. (1994). Guatemala in the Spanish Colonial Period. Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press. F1466.4 .J66 1994

Moller, Jonathan. (2004). Our culture is our resistance: repression, refuge, and healing in Guatemala. New York: PowerHouse Books. F1466.5 .M57 2004

Tedlock, Dennis, translator. (1996). Popol Vuh: the Mayan book of the dawn of life. New York: Simon & Schuster. F1465 .P813 1996

VanKirk, Jacques. (1996). Remarkable remains of the ancient peoples of Guatemala. Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press. F1445 .V36 1996

Woodward, Ralph Lee. (1992). Guatemala. Santa Barbara, CA: Clio Press. On order

Woodward, Ralph Lee. (1999).Central America: a nation divided. New York: Oxford University Press. F1436 .W66 1999

Woodward, Ralph Lee. (2005). A short history of Guatemala. La Antigua, Guatemala: Editorial Laura Lee. On order

Videos / DVDs
Note: Available at the Library Media Center, Library North 3rd Fl.

Popol vuh: the creation myth of the Maya. F1465 .P829
Portrays the creation myth of the Quiché Maya of ancient Guatemala. Gives life to the mystic history and art of the Maya, using animated drawings taken directly from classic Maya pottery.

Web Resources

Folkart.com. Mayan Folktales translated by Fernando Peñalosa.
http://www.folkart.com/folktale/

Harvard University Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology. Early Maya
murals at San Bartolo, Guatemala.
http://www.peabody.harvard.edu/sanbartolo.htm

The Maya astronomy page.
http://www.michielb.nl/maya/astro.html

University of Missouri Museum of Anthropology. Mayan costumes of Guatemala.
http://anthromuseum.missouri.edu/minigalleries/guatemalatextiles/intro.shtml


Latin American Politics | Protest Movements

“She drew his attention to the string of words that ran underneath [a mural of] Che, painted on a long white ribbon held aloft by a crudely drawn dove: ‘The revolutionary is guided in all his actions by great feelings of love.’” (p. 90)

Critical Thinking and Discussion Questions

  • How has the vision that Che Guevara had for Cuba and Latin American countries actually developed in the years since his death?
  • How has Che’s image evolved in Latin America?


Books

Anderson, Thomas P. (1988). Politics in Central America: Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua. New York: Praeger. On order

Bethell, Leslie (Ed.). (1995). Latin America since 1930: ideas, culture, and society. New York: Cambridge University Press. Reference North 1st F1410 .C1834 1984

Bethell, Leslie (Ed.). (1995). Latin America since 1930: Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. New York: Cambridge University Press. Reference North 1st F1410 .C1834 1984 v.7

Brockett, Charles D. (2005). Political movements and violence in Central America. New York: Cambridge University Press. F1488.3 .B73 2005

Dent, David W. (2005). Historical dictionary of U.S.-Latin American relations. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. Reference North F1418 .F457 2005

Galeano, Eduardo. (2000). Days and nights of love and war. New York: Monthly Review Press. PQ8520.17.A4 D513 2000

Guevara, Ernesto. (2003). The motorcycle diaries: notes on a Latin American journey. Melbourne, Australia: Ocean Press. F2224 .G7813 2003

Kapiszewski, Diana, and Alexander Kazan (Eds.). (2002). Encyclopedia of Latin American politics. Westport, CT: Oryx Press. Reference North 1st F1410 .E56 2002

McCleary, Rachel M. (1999). Dictating democracy: Guatemala and the end of violent revolution. Gainesville, FL: University Press of Florida. JL1490 .M35 1999

Rosenberg, Tina. (1992). Children of Cain: violence and the violent in Latin America. New York: Penguin. On order

Smith, Joseph. (2007). Historical dictionary of United States-Latin American relations. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press. Reference North 1st F1418 .S638 2007

Trudeau, Robert H. (1993). Guatemalan politics: the popular struggle for democracy. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner Publishers. JL1496 .T78 1993

Vanden, Harry E., and Gary Provost. (2006). Politics of Latin America: the power game. New York: Oxford University Press. JL960 .V36 2006

Videos / DVDs
Note: Available at the Library Media Center, Library North 3rd Fl.

The war on democracy. F1418 .W37
Examines American involvement in Latin America for the past half century.

Web Resources

The Brookings Institution. Is Latin America going radical?
http://www.brookings.edu/opinions/2006/0301globaleconomics_graham.aspx

Center for Research Libraries Global Resources Network. Latin Americanist Research Resources Project.
http://www1.lanic.utexas.edu/la/region/arl/

International Monetary Fund. Central America aims for stronger growth.
http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/survey/so/2007/car082b.htm

Project Allende.
http://www.projectallende.org/

Rebelión.
http://www.rebelion.org/

United Nations. Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean.
http://www.eclac.cl/

Yahoo News – Latin America news.
http://news.yahoo.com/i/734


Homelessness

“Frank’s shelter was on a choice piece of real estate where the little plateau of Crown Hill dropped off sharply, providing a panoramic view of the Harbor Freeway, the Financial District, and City Hall, a stubby white stone building dwarfed by towers of glass and steel. Frank and his companions had set up an old couch on the edge of the cliff to take in the view. Frank was sitting there now, leaning back and stretching his legs, like a suburbanite entertaining a guest in his living room.” (p. 45)

Critical Thinking and Discussion Questions

  • Why are there so many violent crimes against the homeless, who are already vulnerable?
  • How can homelessness be addressed with compassion and practicality? 


Books

Abbarno, G. John M. (1999). The ethics of homelessness: philosophical perspectives. Amsterdam: Rodopi. HV4493 .E84 1999

Arnold, Kathleen. (2004). Homelessness, citizenship, and identity: the uncanniness of late modernity. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press. HV4493 .A76 2004

Falvo, Alfredo. (2006). Lost angeles: a photographic impression of Skid Row, Los Angeles. Antwerp: Stockmans. TR820.5.F26 2006

Lopez, Steve. (2008). The soloist: a lost dream, an unlikely friendship, and the redemptive power of music. New York: Putnam’s. ML418.A96 L66 2008

Marvasti, Amir B. (2003). Being homeless: textual and narrative constructions. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books. V4493 .M37 2003

Passaro, Joanne. (1996). The unequal homeless: men on the streets, women in their place. New York: Routledge. HV4506.N6 P37 1996

Quigley, John, Steven Raphael, and Eugene Smolensky. (2001). Homelessness in California. San Francisco: Public Policy Institute of California. HV4506.C2 H68 2001

Ruddick, Susan. (1996). Young and homeless in Hollywood: mapping social identities. New York: Routledge. HV4506.L67 R83 1996

Steinberg, James B. (Ed.). (1992). Urban America: policy choices for Los Angeles and the nation. Santa Monica, CA: Rand. HT168.L6 U72 1992

Underwood, Jackson. (1993). The bridge people: daily life in a camp of the homeless. Lanham, MD: University Press of America. HV4506.L67 U53 1993

Videos / DVDs
Note: Available at the Library Media Center, Library North 3rd Fl.

Sunshine-smile: a true story. FLIC85390
Ronald "Sunshine" Price is a mentally ill homeless man living part-time at Cal State, Los Angeles. Interviews are done with his family, and students and faculty who have interacted with him.

Web Resources

Bring LA Home. Homeless in Los Angeles.
http://www.bringlahome.org/

Fleming, Daniel, Patrick Burns, and Brent Haydamack. Homeless in LA: final research report.
http://bringlahome.org/docs/HILA_Final.PDF

Institute for the Study of Homelessness and Poverty at the Weingart Center. Homelessness in Los Angeles: a summary of recent research.
http://www.bringlahome.org/docs/Homelessness_rsch.pdf

Inter-University Consortium Against Homelessness. Ending homelessness in Los Angeles.
http://college.usc.edu/geography/ESPE/documents/WEB_Research.pdf

Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority. 2007 Greater Los Angeles homeless count.
http://www.lahsa.org/2007homelesscountreport.asp

Martinez, Joseph and Bill Pitkin. Homelessness in Los Angeles County. Los Angeles: Center for Community Research and Solutions.
http://www.unitedwayla.org/getinformed/rr/Documents/NovemberResearchPolicyBrief.pdf

National Alliance to End Homelessness.
http://www.endhomelessness.org/

National Coalition for the Homeless.
http://www.nationalhomeless.org/

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Homes and communities: homeless.
http://www.hud.gov/homeless/index.cfm


Violence and Its Effects | Gangs

“There were reasons this work had to be done, even though you started to forget the reasons as time passed. When you actually had to do the deed, the reasons were what carried you forward, the speeches the officers made, what you learned about the enemy. A virus, a plague. An infection spread by ideas, a disease carried on the spoken word.” (p.170)

Critical Thinking and Discussion Questions

Violence runs throughout the book. What motivates characters to engage in violence? What are the effects of these forms of violence?

Books

Das, Veena (Ed.). (2000). Violence and subjectivity. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. HM886 .V56 2000

Korem, Danny. (2005). Rage of the random actor: disarming catastrophic acts and restoring lives. Richardson, TX: International Focus Press. HV8073.5 .K67 200

Moser, Caroline, and Cathy McIlwaine. (2001). Violence in a post-conflict context: urban poor perceptions from Guatemala. Washington, DC: World Bank. HN150.Z9 V545 2001

Robben, C.G.M., and Marcelo M. Suarez-Orozco. (2000). Cultures under siege: collective violence and trauma. New York: Cambridge University Press. HM886 .C85 2000s

Videos / DVDs
Note: Available at the Library Media Center, Library North 3rd Fl.

Rage to revenge: the science of violence. BF575.A5 R34
What goes on in the human body when a person becomes angry? Case histories demonstrate the self-damaging impact of hate and the positive power of forgiveness. Evidence is also provided which indicates that venting - long believed to relieve anger - can actually reinforce aggressive behavior.

A history of violence. FLIC87182
Violent images in life lead to a hate crime and suicide.

Just a game. GV1469.35.G7353 I88
Explores the psychological effects of violent video games.

The mind: the violent mind. FLIC85646
Volume 9 of the series. Suggests that changes in anatomy and chemistry of the brain can cause violent behavior. Scientific data raises questions about the punishment of criminals.

Terror at home: domestic violence in America. HV6626.2 .T47
Follows the stories of seven women over several months as they struggle to free themselves from abusive relationships.

Understanding teenage violence. FLIC87869
Anger is a volatile emotion, and all too often, it results in acts of violence. Knowing how to deal directly with our anger and learning how to channel it in positive ways can help us to make the best of a bad situation.

Web Resources

American Psychological Association. Is youth violence just another fact of life?
http://www.apa.org/ppo/issues/pbviolence.html

Annual Reviews. The effects of family and community violence on children.
http://arjournals.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev.psych.51.1.445

California Wellness Foundation. New thinking can help defeat gang violence.
http://www.tcwf.org/op-ed_archive/new_thinking.htm

Gift From Within: PTSD resources for survivors and caregivers. Questions and answers.
http://www.giftfromwithin.org/html/qna.html

Homeboy Industries. History.
http://www.homeboy-industries.org/history.php

International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies. What is traumatic stress?
http://www.istss.org/resources/what_is_traumatic_stress.cfm

International Victimology.
http://www.victimology.nl/

Los Angeles Police Department. LAPD, Local, State, and Federal Officials Announce Reduction in 2007 Gang Crime (press release).
http://www.lapdonline.org/home/news_view/37314

National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Community violence.
http://www.ncptsd.va.gov/ncmain/ncdocs/fact_shts/fs_comm_violence.html

National Public Radio. South L.A. gang violence claims young victims.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=88045529


Forgiveness | Reconciliation | Peace

“All the brooms on the streets now—they were definitely an act of love. The sweeping and the sweeping, strangers meeting to collect a treasure of shimmering shards. We are cleaning now. Here is the true brotherhood of the city. But the brooms could not do their work without the fields of broken glass, without the soggy ashes that covered the sidewalks.” (p. 306)

Critical Thinking and Discussion Questions

There is some medical evidence that people who can forgive lead healthier lives than those who are resentful. So why are we at such a loss to forgive other people?
What is required in the act of forgiveness?

Books

Arnson, Cynthia J. (1999). Comparative peace processes in Latin America. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press. F1414.2 .C573 1999

Biggar, Nigel. (2001). Burying the past: making peace and doing justice after civil conflict. Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University Press. JC578 .B49 2001
See the chapter by Alexandra Barahona de Brito, “War, peace, and the politics of memory in Guatemala.”

Hardimon, Michael O. (1994). Hegel's social philosophy: the project of reconciliation. New York: Cambridge University Press. B2949.S6 H35 1994

Jonas, Susanne. (2000). Of centaurs and doves: Guatemala's peace process. Boulder, CO: Westview Press. F1466.7 .J66 2000

Long, William. (2003). War and reconciliation: reason and emotion in conflict resolution. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. JZ5597 .L66 2003

Minow, Martha. (1998). Between vengeance and forgiveness: facing history after genocide and mass violence. Boston: Beacon Press. Library ebook

Rigby, Andrew. (2001). Justice and reconciliation: after the violence. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner Publishers. JC578 .R54 2001

Schimmel, Solomon. (2002). Wounds not healed by time: the power of repentance and forgiveness. New York: Oxford University Press. BJ1476 .S34 2002

Videos / DVDs
Note: Available at the Library Media Center, Library North 3rd Fl.

Forging peace in Guatemala. FLIC87417
Presents portraits of three Mayan women and their efforts on behalf of peace as a result of a 36-year civil war in Guatemala.

Making peace. HT1521 .M25
v. 1 Soul survivors -- v. 2 Youth struggling for survival -- v. 3 Ending domestic violence -- v. 4 The Sheenway experiment -- v. 5 Turn-a-lot-around -- v. 6 The underground railroad -- v. 7 Facing racism

Rigoberta Menchu: broken silence. FLIC87352
Focuses on 1992 Nobel Peace Prize winner.

Web Resources

Carnegie Council. History, education and reconciliation in Guatemala.
http://www.cceia.org/resources/articles_papers_reports/4996.html

International Center for Transitional Justice. What is transitional justice?
http://www.ictj.org/en/tj/780.html

Nobel Foundation. Rigoberto Menchú Tum – Nobel peace prize laureate 1992.
http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1992/tum-bio.html

Nonviolence United.
http://www.nonviolenceunited.org/

Restorative Justice Online. Resources.
http://www.restorativejustice.org/resources/docs/

United Nations Peacebuilding Commission.
http://www.un.org/peace/peacebuilding/

United Nations. Statement by the Delegation of Guatemala before the Security Council on the question of ‘National reconciliation in post-conflict situations: the role of the United Nations’.
http://www.un.int/guatemala/english/speeches/security_council/un%20role.htm

United States Institute of Peace.
http://www.usip.org/

United States Institute of Peace: Peace Agreements Digital Collection – Guatemala.
http://www.usip.org/library/pa/index/pa_guatemala.html


Body Art

“He had broken some sort of taboo, crossed a boundary. Something about this snarling jaguar hinted at madness, unpredictability, bouts of rage. … Longoria was pleased to discover that his tattoo had these unexpected powers.” (p. 242)

Critical Thinking and Discussion Questions

  • How is the view of body art influenced by culture and time?
  • In the United States, tattooing was once considered an outsider practice. Is it still representative of an alternative lifestyle? Why or why not?

Books

Aldama, Arturo J. (Ed.) (2003). Violence and the body: race, gender, and the state. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press. HM1116 .V557 2003

Atkinson, Michael. (2003). Tattooed: the sociogenesis of a body art. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. GN419.3 .A84 2003

Benthien, Claudia. (2002). Skin: on the cultural border between self and the world. New York: Columbia University Press. GN191 .B4613 2002

Burton, John. (2001). Culture and the human body: an anthropological perspective. Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland Press. GT495 .B878 2001

DeMello, Margo. (2000). Bodies of inscription: a cultural history of the modern tattoo community. Durham, NC: Duke University Press. GT2346.U6 D45 2000

DeMello, Margo. (2007). Encyclopedia of body adornment. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. On order

Durfee, Dale. (2000). Tattoo. New York: St. Martin's Griffin. GN419.3 .D87 2000

Featherstone, Mike (Ed.). (2000). Body modification. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. GT2343 .B63 2000

Houston, Stephen D., David Stuart, and Karl Taube. (2006). The memory of bones: body, being, and experience among the classic Maya. Austin, TX: University of Texas Press. F1435.3.A7 H68 2006

Saltz, Ina. (2006). Body type: intimate messages etched in flesh. New York: Abrams Image. GT2345 .S25 2006

Sullivan, Nikki. (2001). Tattooed bodies: subjectivity, textuality, ethics, and pleasure. Westport, CT: Praeger. GN419.3 .S85 2001

Thomas, Nicholas, Anna Cole, and Bronwen Douglas (Eds.). (2005). Tattoo: bodies, art, and exchange in the Pacific and the West. Durham, Duke University Press, 2005. GN419.3 .T37 2005


Web Resources

Tattoojoy.com. Tattoo History – Maya.
http://tattoojoy.com/tattoo_history/maya.htm

Villanova University Office of Health Promotion. About body art and piercing.
http://www.villanova.edu/studentlife/healthandwellness/resources.htm?page=bodyart_piercing.htm

University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. Bodies of culture.
http://www.museum.upenn.edu/new/exhibits/online_exhibits/body_modification/bodmodintro.shtml

Smithsonian. AnthroNotes Winter 2001.
http://anthropology.si.edu/outreach/anthnote/Winter01/anthnote.html

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