<p>* 2013 winner of Benjamin Franklin Silver Award for Best First Book of Fiction, Independent Book Publishers Association* Top 25 Indie Fiction Books of 2012 - Kirkus ReviewsTHE IGUANA SPEAKS MY NAME—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)Lush landscapes, enchanted happenings, tangled roots and violence suffuse this beguiling collection of stories set in the highlands of Guatemala.Quince, the narrator of these interlocking stories, is a writer living in the village of Panimache, near three volcanoes and a deep blue lake. He serves as a keen observer of the vibrant, tense surroundings in a land that “bled from a war no one wanted to notice.” Panimache is a town divided by conflict, caste and consciousness. It’s teetering between bourgeois aspirations and Mayan peasant culture, seemingly placid but on edge from the fighting between government soldiers and guerillas, and simmering with repressed bad memories. The title novella introduces a diverse, intriguing set of characters—shopkeepers and restaurateurs; Quince’s friend Uno, a nature photographer and reputed shaman; El Capitan Lobo, the urbane army commander who feels apologetic about the brutal counterinsurgency he’s waging (“[s]ometimes we massacre the Indians, other times it’s the guerillas”); and La China, a whore longing to be a muse. These and other figures recur in 10 more yarns that are often shot through with exquisite threads of magical realism: A youth is beguiled to his doom by a gorgeous vampire; a con man makes his living with a fortunetelling sparrow; a man’s frantic search for buried treasure yields an astounding payoff; an orphaned, ostracized Mayan girl hides herself in the shapes of birds and animals. Moulun’s clear prose balances sensual sounds, colors and foods against a deadpan humor and a detached, meditative mood. His writing has a fablelike quality, featuring strong narratives linked to mythic themes, but it’s also full of social nuance and subtle psychological shadings. Moulun transforms Guatemala’s troubled, complex reality into a rich, compelling aesthetic vision.Imaginative storytelling with real literary depth.Pub Date: Sept. 1st, 2012ISBN: 9780985774400Publisher: EgretBooks.comProgram: Kirkus IndieReview Posted Online: Aug. 31st, 2012</p>

The Iguana Speaks My Name: Plus Ten Backyard Stories From Panimache

Literature & Fiction

Stafford, Richard

Moulun M.D., Roberto

Short Stories & Anthologies

Egretbooks.com

<p>This book by a noted Ph.D. historian is one of the best books available about historical relations between the United States and Mexico. It shines new light on reasons for the US invasion of Mexico in 1846, opposition by Abraham Lincoln and other politicians to the unjustified and unconstitutional decision by President Polk to go to war, the importance of the ensuing war against Mexico, the resulting territorial seizures by the United States, the impact both nationally and internationally to both countries, the troubling legacy even today, and the result of silences that have been pervasive over the years regarding this conflict. It examines all aspects of this history based on actual documents in government, university, and private institutions in both the US and Mexico, including citations to these documents and the complete text for many of them in the Appendix. The book covers more than two decades of US history, from 1846 to the immediate aftermath of the Civil War. As such, this outstanding book is a welcome addition to continuing discussion about the roles of the United States and Mexico during two of the most controversial and complex periods in American history, and how decisions made then continue to permeate the daily lives of citizens and residents of both countries.</p>

Abraham Lincoln and Mexico: A History of Courage, Intrigue and Unlikely Friendships

Biographies & Memoirs

Michael Hogan

Historical

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