The brave little lives that Gray so compassionately illuminates could be lived by any of us; and thats why they arouse emotions that are anything but small.New York Times on Quartermaines Terms
#1999696 in eBooks 2013-05-16 2013-05-16File Name: B00CW0G514
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Excellent book.By CustomerBest book I have read so far on the Porfiriato in English. The author superbly captures the tremendous wealth disparity in late 19th-century Mexico under the despised dictator. As someone who lives in Mexico and has visited the capital freely; I can see how that disparity has continued into the present day.7 of 7 people found the following review helpful. Turn of the century in Mexico CityBy Less High FructoseI define a great book as one that changes and clarifies the way that I view the world. This one changed the way I viewed part of the world; and thats good enough for me to highly recommend it. I scarcely knew the history of the country on our southern border; and Diaz was simply a name with no context. This book is an eloquent geographical study of Mexico City during the turn of the 19th-20th century. Johns unravels cause and effect; patterns and trends; politics and society in what would seem to a visitor to be mere chaos. This academic book not only lays out the context and causes of the Revolucion; but provides some lessons in politics and power that play out even today. The only drawback is that the book brings us to the edge of the Mexican Revolution and then the book ends; like the first movie in a trilogy; teasing the reader for a sequel. But then I suppose the book would have lost its focus; so I am satisfied that is a self-contained and tight (and well-referenced) exploration of an intriguing place and time.4 of 5 people found the following review helpful. ExcellentBy S. N. KrasI prefer reading history books to novels and my favorite history books are often written in America. Michael Johns "City of Mexico" is a fine example why American history often makes for such compelling reading. The book is a mix of excellent research; a engaging vision on the timeframe; and prose that offers a kaleidoscopical view on the city. Johns really achieves bringing back to life the Mexico City of 100 years ago; its as if by reading this book; we walk through the streets of late 19th century Mexico city.One of the superior qualities of the book; is that Johns has been able to present Mexico City in the Age of Diaz as a mirror of Mexicos history since the conquest by Cortes. The legacy of Mexicos repressive colonial and traumatic post-colonial history shines through every page of this book; and is illustrated by many fascinating; painful and sometimes hilarious anecdotes.This book reminds me of another excellent book I read a couple of years ago; Jeffrey Pilchers "Que vivan los tamales. Food and the making of Mexican identity"; which is also a must-read.