El Almanaque Mexicano: Un Compendio Exhaustivo Sobre Mexico en un Lenguaje Accesible y Claro = The Mexican Almanac

As its subtitle claims, this is a compendium about Mexico in simple language. The critical issues of Mexico's geography, environment, history, society, security, economic infrastructure, politics, and international relations are covered in a systematic and organized form of up-to-date summaries. Quezada, a doctor at the Center for International Studies at El Colegio de Mexico, and his authoritative contributors provide detailed demographics by region, mostly in graphical format with brief explanatory narratives. Essays on social issues such as immigration, health, and education richly complement the data sets. The book's strengths lie in the reliability of 418 cited sources, the handy subject index at the beginning of the book, the analytical alphabetical index at the end, and the clear typeset and excellent graphics on good-quality paper. Limitations include the absence of bibliographical sources where one can find more in-depth information on specific issues (which almanacs don't usually explore) and the softcover instead of hardcover binding. Great as a reference tool for Mexican American studies students and researchers, journalists, and institutions seeking to understand a country in constant transformation, this will be valuable for public, special, and academic libraries as well as large bookstores in the West. Ninfa Trejo, Univ. of Arizona Lib., Tucson