Cosas

History 3309 – Book Review – Dr. Schiavone-Camacho
Townsend, Camilla. Malintzin’s Choices: An Indian Woman in the Conquest of Mexico. University of New Mexico Press, 2006.
Theme: This book is thestory behind the story of the U.S. war with Mexico. The book is told through documents on from both sides. The book doesn’t just tell a one sided-story that the U.S. was brutal and only out for landand blood. While Chavez doesn’t leave out the brutality, he tells the story using documents from leaders and citizens from both sides. This gives a nice twist because for many Americans that were bornand raised in the United States, we are told only one side of the story in school. This book gives not only the traditional view point, but a political view point from the United States, but also fromthe Mexico side. Chavez also includes makes the reader feel like they are there by using documents from citizens on both sides of the war. The documents in Chavez’s book gave me and I think any readera nice visual of the history behind this war. Any fan of history should read this book in my opinion, because as a student of history I learned things that I didn’t know before. This book really doesa nice job of giving a political view into the U.S./Mexico War. Chavez also goes into the racial aspect of this war. All other previous wars fought in the United States brief history had been foughtagainst “white” people. This war and the documents used give proof of the racial aspect, and gives this aspect from both sides.
Organization: This book is very well organized. Chavez does aspectacular job of keeping the documents in chronological order. Chavez starts with the basic view point of how the United States viewed this war as part of her (her being the United States and the referenceto Columbia with the U.S.) manifest destiny. Chavez does a great job in my opinion of adding the Mexican side. I’ve heard the stories about how brutal the United States government was towards Indians...