Circles of Madness: Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo by Marjorie Agosfn, with photographs by Alicia D’Amico & Alicia Sanguinetti, White Pine Press, 1992, 128 pp., $13.00 (paper). This cycle of prose poems by the Chilean writer Marjorie Agosin pays tribute to the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo whose sons and daughters disap- peared in Argentina’s “Dirty War.” Accompanied by photographs that cap- ture the mothers’ sorrow and defiance, the poems, in Spanish and in English translation, illuminate the dreamlike world of memory and loss that relatives of the disappeared inhabit. “At night all is absence and the day is an evil inven- tion./ There is no mourning for the seeker.” Spirits and Scientists: Ideology, Spir- itism, and Brazilian Culture by David Hess, Pennsylvania State University Press, 1991, 260 pp., $29.95 (cloth). Most studies of the African and European roots of Brazilian mass cul- ture take an ethnographic or anthropo- logical stance. By incorporating the rela- tively autonomous and highly combat- ive forces of ideology, David Hess of- fers a new multi-perspective approach to Spiritism-belief in spirit mediums. He illuminates Spiritism’s role in con- flict among Brazil’s elite intellectuals, scientists, medical professionals, Catho- lic Church potentates, political leaders, and lower and middle classes. As we learn about the everyday practices of Spiritist medical healing, psycho- therapy, science, religion and politics, we also gain startling insights into Brazil’s past and present politics and culture. The Battle for Guatemala: Rebels, Death Squads, and U.S. Power by Susanne Jonas, Westview Press, 1991, 288 pp., $16.95 (paper). Susanne Jonas, a sociologist at the University of California at Santa Cruz, begins her compelling new book with the question: “Is social revolution still on the agenda in Latin America?” Over the past two decades, Guatemala has been convulsed by a series of economic and political crises. Today 87% of the population lives in poverty. Jonas ex- plores the way in which ethnic and gender oppression are intertwined with class exploitation. She argues that these intersecting social groups have coa- lesced into a “popular bloc” whose po- litical expression is a coalition of popu- lar and revolutionary movements. While Jonas concedes that the prospects for social change in Guatemala are dim, the ability of economic crisis to generate social foment, she maintains, continues to be greater than the state’s ability to repress it. The Workers’ Party and Democrati- zation in Brazil by Margaret E. Keck, Yale University Press, 1992, 315 pp., $35 (cloth). Keck’s seminal study focuses on the party’s formative years from the late 1970s to the early 1980s. She explores how this mass-based, programmatic party survived, and indeed flourished, in the inclement political environment of Brazil’s highly-conservative transi- tion to civilian rule. Keck argues that by its very existence, however anomalous, the PT has helped to redefine the limits of Brazilian politics. Without Fear of Being Happy: Lula, the Workers Party and Brazil by Emir Sader and Ken Silverstein, Verso, 1991, 177 pp., $17.95 (paper). This journalistic account takes its title and buoyant tone from Lula’s 1989 campaign slogan. Emir Sader, a Brazil- ian sociologist, and Ken Silverstein, a U.S. journalist, claim that the PT repre- sents a Brazilian “New Left” which is the “most hopeful model for demo- cratic socialism anywhere in South America.” The authors trace the party’s brief history and assess its chances of victory in the 1994 presidential elec- tions. Although the book breaks little new ground, it is an excellent synopsis for anyone concerned about the pros- pects for socialism in contemporary Latin America. Out of the Volcano: Portraits of Con- temporary Mexican Artists by Marg- aret Sayers Peden, with photographs by Carole Patterson, Smithsonian Institu- tion Press, 1992, 256 pp., $24.95 (pa- per). This beautifully-designed book is a collection of “lens-and-pen portraits” of 49 of Mexico’s most renowned art- ists from the visual, literary and per- forming arts. Each portrait is comprised of a black-and-white photograph of the artist, a short essay based on a personal interview, and a sample of the artist’s work. The essays are not merely per- functory biography, but rather an astute rendering of the artist’s personality and obsessions, although at times Sayers Peden’s obvious esteem approaches hyperbole. The photographs, too, are thoughtfully composed to reflect each artist’s persona. Economic and Social Progress in Latin America: 1991 Report by the Inter-American Development Bank, distributed by John Hopkins Univer- sity Press, 1991, 317 pp., $16.95 (pa- per). This invaluable compendium of eco- nomic statistics provides the data to monitor each country’s implementa- tion of free-market adjustment. Coun- try by country, the report tracks major economic indices over the past decade, among them GDP, government rev- enue and spending, external debt and unemployment rates. Sea of Lentils by Antonio Benitez- Rojo, University of Massachusetts Press, 1990, 201 pp., $22.95 (cloth). The title of this historical novel comes from cartographer Guillame le Testu, who mistook the word Antilles for lentils, thus giving the Caribbean a name that became one of the first mis- representations of European coloniza- tion. The novel is a collection of inter- woven narratives which parallel the tap- estry of Caribbean history and culture. 10 Days/10 Years: The Nicaraguan Elections of 1990 video by Mickey Friedman and John MacGruer, 1990, 54 mins, $89.95 (22 Railroad St., Great Barrington, MA 01230). This first-hand footage, uncluttered by narration, does an excellent job of capturing a pivotal moment in Central America’s recent history. This video is a must for anyone teaching about Nica- ragua. Mayan Folktales: Folklore from Lake Atitlin, Guatemala translated and edited by James D. Sexton, Anchor Books, 1992, 265 pp., $14.00 (paper). A delightful collection by the emi- nent anthropologist and his Mayan col- laborator. Written in an oral style, filled with ancient wisdom.