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The Mexicans: A Personal Portrait of a People Paperback – March 5, 2002

by Patrick Oster (Author)

4.5 14 ratings

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The Mexicans is a multifaceted portrait of the complex, increasingly turbulent neighbor to our south. It is the story of a country in crisis -- poverty, class tensions, political corruption -- as told through stories of individuals.
From Augustín, an honest cop, we learn that many in the Mexican police force use torture as their number-one-crime-solving technique; from Julio Scherer Garcia, a leading newspaper editor, we learn how kidnapping and intimidating phone calls stifle a free press; we hear from a homosexual teacher wary of bigotry in a land of machismo; and many others.
Moving from Mexico City discos to remote Indian towns, Patrick Oster tells of Mexicans whose lives reveal something vital about Mexico, and in doing so, helps to understand why many decide to risk their lives in order to have the opportunity to live in the United States.

Print length

352 pages
Language

English
Publication date

March 5, 2002
Dimensions

5.31 x 0.8 x 8 inches
ISBN-10

0060011300
ISBN-13

978-0060011307
See all details

Editorial Reviews

Review

“This revealing report points up the many endemic or hidden problems in modern Mexico.” — Publishers Weekly

“The Mexicans makes very good reading…Oster’s clean, simple storytelling is perfect for the subject. ” — Dallas Morning News

From the Back Cover

The Mexicans is a multifaceted portrait of the complex, increasingly turbulent neighbor to our south. It is the story of a country in crisis -- poverty, class tensions, political corruption -- as told through stories of individuals.

From Augustín, an honest cop, we learn that many in the Mexican police force use torture as their number-one-crime-solving technique; from Julio Scherer Garcia, a leading newspaper editor, we learn how kidnapping and intimidating phone calls stifle people despite his meager income; we hear from a homosexual teacher wary of bigotry in a land of machismo; and many others.

Moving from Mexico City discos to remote Indian towns, Patrick Oster tells of Mexicans whose lives reveal something vital about Mexico, and in doing so, helps to understand why many decide to risk their lives in order to have the opportunity to live in the United States.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harper Perennial; Reprint edition (March 5, 2002)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0060011300
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0060011307
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 11.5 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.31 x 0.8 x 8 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #4,208,387 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,718 in Central America History
- #1,783 in Sociology of Social Theory
- #3,488 in Caribbean & Latin American Politics

Customer Reviews:
4.5 14 ratings

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Patrick Oster

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Before switching to fiction writing in 2015, Patrick Oster was a managing editor at Bloomberg News and editor-in-chief of the National Law Journal. After the switch, he also wrote dozens of obituaries for Bloomberg of famous and infamous people, giving him the idea for his prize-winning murder mystery, "The Obituary Writer."

He worked for Business Week and the Washington Post in Europe, for the Knight Ridder newspaper chain in Mexico and elsewhere in Latin America and covered the White House, State Department, the Supreme Court and the CIA as Washington Bureau Chief of The Chicago Sun-Times.

He is the author of the nonfiction book, "The Mexicans," a Book-of-the-Month-Club selection. His first novel was the award-winning comic thriller "The Commuter." He also wrote "The German Club," a spy thriller set at the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the cyber-thriller "The Hacker Chronicles." His wrote the award winning murder mystery, "The Amazon Detective Agency." His last novel, "The Sleeper List," was named best espionage thriller of 2022 by the Readers Favorite book site.

He is a member of the International Thriller Writers.

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4.5 out of 5

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Frank Henry

Great chronicle of life in Mexico

Reviewed in the United States on July 28, 2015

Verified Purchase

An honest, well-written chronicle based on the author's experience as a reporter and writer in Mexico.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Book worm

A must read.

Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2017

Verified Purchase

Classic reading. Although is not for everyone.

Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2001

Verified Purchase

It was hard to put this book down. Very well written , informative, as well as entertaining ! A great insight into Mexican personalities.

4 people found this helpful

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Christian White

Relevant and moving

Reviewed in the United States on April 7, 2017

I just finished reading this famous and incredibly moving book, The Mexicans. In the most recent years, I have done my own personal studies of Mexico but nothing I have read or experienced compares to the montage of Mexican personalities presented in this work.

I feel challenged by the individuals in the book, who revealed a different facet of Mexico not known to most outsiders. After having laughed, cried, rejoiced, and gotten angry alongside them, I find myself walking away wondering what about now? Mr. Oster has been a wonderful corresponder and has answered all of my questions about how things have changed since the publication of this book.

Still relevant. A truly moving biography.

Reviewed in the United States on February 8, 2007

First I need to state that I have never been to Mexico. The purpose of reading this book was to learn more about Mexico. Unfortunately, from what I have heard from visitors (not at tourist destinations) it can be a very dangerous place. Fortunately the author of this book does more than warn of the dangers, he share the warmth and spirit of the Mexican and Indian population. The book goes on to explain some of the reasons for the dangerous conditions, you probably already guessed: poverty. Hopefully for this beautiful and culturally rich country the economic conditions will improve.

3 people found this helpful

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Lee Wm Sachs

excellent

Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2007

i've lived in mexico for 17 tumultous years. patrick oster's book, albeit a bit dated now, is still spot on. the problem is not with his book but with amazon's proclivity to charge their customers TWICE and then have said customer phone from mexico to india in order to complain.

I WOULD HV NO HESITATION TO REFER EVERYONE TO THE MEXICANS. JUST DON'T BUY THE BOOK FROM AMAZON.

2 people found this helpful

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Michael H. Jacobs

Incredible Book

Reviewed in the United States on November 12, 2006

Oster's book, based on personal experiences, gives a tremendous insight into the lives and mentality of the Mexican people. The reader gets a feel for why Mexicans and Mexico are the way that they are. This book is a must read for anyone with an interest in understanding Mexican culture.

3 people found this helpful

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M. MILLAR

EXCELLENT, GREAT

Reviewed in the United States on January 7, 2006

I read this book a few years ago and think that Mr. Oster had a great way to share his observations. It's VERY NICE to know that some one out there sees the mexican culture the way it is. I completely agree with his opinion.

MARY, SAN DIEGO, CA

4 people found this helpful

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