Americanos Latin America's Struggle for Independence [Hardcover]

A premier volume in Oxford's Pivotal Moments in World History series,Americanosoffers an engagingly written, compact history of the Latin American wars of independence. Proceeding almost cinematically, scene by vivid scene, John Charles Chasteen introduces the reader to lead players, basic concepts, key events, and dominant trends, braided together in a single, taut narrative. He vividly depicts the individuals and events of those tumultuous years, capturing the gathering forces for independence, the clashes of troops and decisions of leaders, and the rich, elaborate tapestry of Latin American societies as they embraced nationhood.

Preface
DiscoveringAm??rica, 1799-1805
Pillars of the Crown, 1806-1810
Not-so-Civil Wars, 1810-1812
A Lost Cause?, 1812-1815
Independence Won, 1816-1824
Nation-Building Begins, 1824-1850

Americanosis never dull or stodgy. On the contrary, it sometimes gives the giddy feeling of one-damn-thing-after-another. --Hugh O'Shaughnessy,New Statesman

With the verve of a great storyteller and the erudition of an academic, John Charles Chasteen gives us a compact but fresh and informative history of the wars and the main protagonists...A brilliant navigation of a complex history written with unparalleled clarity...For all those interested in understanding Latin America today, this is an important and necessary book. --Enrico Tortolano,Tribune

Chasteen leaves no stone unturned...[A] comprehensive yet concise overview of a major turning point in Latin American history...Chasteen's graphic retelling lies in the colorful splashes of language he deploys to transport the reader back to this tumultuous time...Strikes a neat balance between attentive commentary and dynamic storytelling. --Kirkus Reviews

Dazzling in its regional and transatlantic scope and stimulating in the interpretive challenge it poses for revaluing notions of popular slSÒ