“Dazzling. Sweeping. Mind-altering. World-changing. . . . Destined to become our new reference for understanding the making of the modern world.” —Naomi Klein, New York Times bestselling author of Doppelganger“Scintillating . . . It’s a monumental new view of the New World.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)From the Pulitzer Prize–winning historian, the first comprehensive history of the Western Hemisphere, a sweeping five-century narrative of North and South America that redefines our understanding of bothThe story of how the United States’ identity was formed is almost invariably told by looking east to Europe. But as Greg Grandin vividly demonstrates, the nation’s unique sense of itself was in fact forged facing south toward Latin America. In turn, Latin America developed its own identity in struggle with the looming colossus to the north. In this stunningly original reinterpretation of the New World, Grandin reveals how North and South emerged from a constant, turbulent engagement with each other.America, América traverses half a millennium, from the Spanish Conquest—the greatest mortality event in human history—through the eighteenth-century wars for independence, the Monroe Doctrine, the coups and revolutions of the twentieth century, and beyond. Grandin shows, among other things, how in response to U.S. interventions, Latin Americans remade the rules, leading directly to the founding of the United Nations; and how the Good Neighbor Policy allowed FDR to assume the moral authority to lead the fight against world fascism.Grandin’s book sheds new light on well-known historical figures like Bartolomé de las Casas, Simón Bolívar, and Woodrow Wilson, as well as lesser-known actors such as the Venezuelan Francisco de Miranda, who almost lost his head in the French Revolution and conspired with Alexander Hamilton to free America from Spain; the Colombian Jorge Gaitán, whose unsolved murder inaugurated the rise of Cold War political terror, death squads, and disappearances; and the radical journalist Ernest Gruening, who, in championing non-interventionism in Latin America, helped broker the most spectacularly successful policy reversal in United States history. This is a monumental work of scholarship that will fundamentally change the way we think of Spanish and English colonialism, slavery and racism, and the rise of universal humanism. At once comprehensive and accessible, America, América shows that centuries of bloodshed and diplomacy not only helped shape the political identities of the United States and Latin America but also the laws, institutions, and ideals that govern the modern world. In so doing, Grandin argues that Latin America’s deeply held culture of social democracy can be an effective counterweight to today’s spreading rightwing authoritarianism.A culmination of a decades-long engagement with hemispheric history, drawing on a vast array of sources, and told with authority and flair, this is a genuinely new history of the New World. Read more

The acclaimed chronicle of the discovery of the legendary lost civilization of the Maya. Includes the history of the major Maya sites, including Palenque, Uxmal, Chichen Itza, Tuloom, Copan, and more.NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Illustrated with a map and more than 100 images. In 1839, rumors of extraordinary yet baffling stone ruins buried within the unmapped jungles of Central America reached two of the world’s most intrepid travelers. Seized by the reports, American diplomat John Lloyd Stephens and British artist Frederick Catherwood—both already celebrated for their adventures in Egypt, the Holy Land, Greece, and Rome—sailed together out of New York Harbor on an expedition into the forbidding rainforests of present-day Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico. What they found would upend the West’s understanding of human history.In the tradition of Lost City of Z and In the Kingdom of Ice, former San Francisco Chronicle journalist and Pulitzer Prize finalist William Carlsen reveals the remarkable story of the discovery of the ancient Maya. Enduring disease, war, and the torments of nature and terrain, Stephens and Catherwood meticulously uncovered and documented the remains of an astonishing civilization that had flourished in the Americas at the same time as classic Greece and Rome—and had been its rival in art, architecture, and power. Their masterful book about the experience, written by Stephens and illustrated by Catherwood, became a sensation, hailed by Edgar Allan Poe as “perhaps the most interesting book of travel ever published” and recognized today as the birth of American archaeology. Most important, Stephens and Catherwood were the first to grasp the significance of the Maya remains, understanding that their antiquity and sophistication overturned the West’s assumptions about the development of civilization.By the time of the flowering of classical Greece (400 b.c.), the Maya were already constructing pyramids and temples around central plazas. Within a few hundred years the structures took on a monumental scale that required millions of man-hours of labor, and technical and organizational expertise. Over the next millennium, dozens of city-states evolved, each governed by powerful lords, some with populations larger than any city in Europe at the time, and connected by road-like causeways of crushed stone. The Maya developed a cohesive, unified cosmology, an array of common gods, a creation story, and a shared artistic and architectural vision. They created stucco and stone monuments and bas reliefs, sculpting figures and hieroglyphs with refined artistic skill. At their peak, an estimated ten million people occupied the Maya’s heartland on the Yucatan Peninsula, a region where only half a million now live. And yet by the time the Spanish reached the “New World,” the Maya had all but disappeared; they would remain a mystery for the next three hundred years.Today, the tables are turned: the Maya are justly famous, if sometimes misunderstood, while Stephens and Catherwood have been nearly forgotten. Based on Carlsen’s rigorous research and his own 1,500-mile journey throughout the Yucatan and Central America, Jungle of Stone is equally a thrilling adventure narrative and a revelatory work of history that corrects our understanding of Stephens, Catherwood, and the Maya themselves. Read more

✦ NEW EDITION 2024 ✦Master Spanish with Confidence from Absolute Beginner to Advanced Speaker, and Reach CEFR-Level C1 (Advanced) Say “Adiós” to lengthy learning hours, as our science-based method inspired by strategies from polyglots (who speak 5+ languages fluently), integrates 15-minute lessons tailored for adults on a hectic schedule, and easy-to-digest chapters to facilitate memorization.This 8-IN-1 Value-Packed Bundle includes:BOOK 1: Beginner level 15-minute lessons & interactive exercisesBOOK 2: Intermediate level 15-minute lessons & interactive exercisesBOOK 3: Essential words and phrases to use everyday!BOOK 4: More useful words and phrases to enrich your dialoguesBOOK 5: Beginner & intermediate level short stories with translationBOOK 6: Advanced level 15-minute lessons & interactive exercisesBOOK 7: Advanced level dialogues and conversations to perfect your skillsBOOK 8: Advanced level short stories with translationElevate Your Conversation Skills for Seamless Interactions, with:Short, well-structured lessons designed to reach a CEFR-Level C1 (Advanced) of language proficiency!150+ effective yet simple exercises that will turbocharge your Spanish writing skills, helping you progress quickly.The 10% of the language you'll use 90% of the time in real-life conversations, no pointless memorization.5,000+ easy-to-memorize Spanish words and indispensable phrases tailored for your everyday life.Everyday words and phrases to become comfortable in any situations: navigating, restaurants, shopping..Understanding the nuances between European and South American Spanish, common words and slang.Authentic and engaging Short Stories (with English translation) + real-life dialogues that reflect everyday situations.Vocab lists highlighting the most crucial words in each story to enrich your vocabulary.A clear pronunciation guide to effortlessly sound like a native speaker.You thought that was it?Discover these 6 exclusive bonuses you’ll only find here:Audiobook Version ($69 Value)2 Travel Tips & Money-Saving Strategies eBooks ($30 Value)Pronunciation Audio with stories, phrases, words and dialogues ($30 Value)TOP 100 Most Common Words & Phrases List ($20 Value)Printable Flashcards ($25 Value)Practice Worksheets ($15 Value)Plus, get these 2 extra bonuses to Guarantee your Success:Learn Spanish for Adult Beginners Video Course: Claim your access to 128 hours of Masterclass guided by a certified teacher ($297 Value)30-Day Study Plan: Unlock your accelerated progress and achieve your language goals ($47 Value)That's $850+ worth of retail value for the price you see today! That's just a fraction of what traditional language schools are charging nowadays.To summarize: You’re getting this value-packed Spanish learning bundle that includes:8 books packed into 18 exclusive bonuses + Premium access to audio contentA modern science-based method to fast-track you to Spanish fluencyScroll up, Click 'Buy Now' to join our 5,000+ students and kickstart your journey to fluency today. See you inside!DISCLAIMER: This book is entirely human-made, without any involvement of artificial intelligence (AI) tools or algorithms. Read more

The national bestseller!“Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here is sure to take its place as one of the definitive accounts of the U.S. and Central American immigration puzzle. . . . Hopefully, those with the power to change things will listen.” —Manuel Roig-Franzia, Washington Post   “[A] timely and instructive history of the immigration crisis . . . Conflicts over immigration often arise from similarity rather than difference, and the strangers at our border have a familiar history that Blitzer tells in meticulous and vivid detail. It is our own.” —Matthieu Aikins, The New York TimesAn epic, heartbreaking, and deeply reported history of the disastrous humanitarian crisis at the southern border told through the lives of the migrants forced to risk everything and the policymakers who determine their fate, by New Yorker staff writer Jonathan BlitzerEveryone who makes the journey faces an impossible choice. Hundreds of thousands of people who arrive every year at the US-Mexico border travel far from their homes. An overwhelming share of them come from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, although many migrants come from farther away. Some are fleeing persecution, others crime or hunger. Very often it will not be their first attempt to cross. They may have already been deported from the United States, but it remains their only hope for safety and prosperity. Their homes have become uninhabitable. They will take their chances.This vast and unremitting crisis did not spring up overnight. Indeed, as Blitzer dramatizes with forensic, unprecedented reporting, it is the result of decades of misguided policy and sweeping corruption. Brilliantly weaving the stories of Central Americans whose lives have been devastated by chronic political conflict and violence with those of American activists, government officials, and the politicians responsible for the country’s tragically tangled immigration policy, Blitzer reveals the full, layered picture for the first time.Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here is an odyssey of struggle and resilience. With astonishing nuance and detail, Blitzer tells an epic story about the people whose lives ebb and flow across the border, and in doing so, he delves into the heart of American life itself. This vital and remarkable story has shaped the nation’s turbulent politics and culture in countless ways—and will almost certainly determine its future. Read more

The National Book Award–winning epic chronicle of the creation of the Panama Canal, a first-rate drama of the bold and brilliant engineering feat that was filled with both tragedy and triumph, told by master historian David McCullough.From the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Truman, here is the national bestselling epic chronicle of the creation of the Panama Canal. In The Path Between the Seas, acclaimed historian David McCullough delivers a first-rate drama of the sweeping human undertaking that led to the creation of this grand enterprise. The Path Between the Seas tells the story of the men and women who fought against all odds to fulfill the 400-year-old dream of constructing an aquatic passageway between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. It is a story of astonishing engineering feats, tremendous medical accomplishments, political power plays, heroic successes, and tragic failures. Applying his remarkable gift for writing lucid, lively exposition, McCullough weaves the many strands of the momentous event into a comprehensive and captivating tale. Winner of the National Book Award for history, the Francis Parkman Prize, the Samuel Eliot Morison Award, and the Cornelius Ryan Award (for the best book of the year on international affairs), The Path Between the Seas is a must-read for anyone interested in American history, the history of technology, international intrigue, and human drama. Read more

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The “impeccably researched, uncommonly honest, and . . . very well written” biography of the nineteenth century Venezuelan military and political leader (Alvaro Vargas Llosa, New Republic).   Simón Bolívar was a revolutionary who freed six South American countries from Spanish Imperial rule, an intellectual who argued the principles of national liberation, and a statesman who led the governments of Venezuela, Gran Colombia, Bolivia, and Peru. His life, passions, and battles were woven into Spanish American culture almost as soon as they happened. In the first major English-language biography of “The Liberator” in half a century, John Lynch draws on extensive research to understand Bolívar’s life in the context of his own society and times, and to explore his remarkable and enduring legacy.  Simón Bolívar illuminates the man’s inner world, the dynamics of his leadership, his power to command, and his modes of ruling the diverse peoples of Spanish America. The key to his greatness, Lynch concludes, was his ability to inspire people to follow him beyond their immediate interests, in some cases through years of unremitting struggle. Encompassing Bolívar’s entire life and his many accomplishments, this is the definitive account of a towering figure in the history of the Western hemisphere.  “[A] masterly new biography.” —Noam Lupu, San Francisco Chronicle Read more

An entrancing tale of piracy colored with gold, treachery and double-dealing (Portland Press Herald), Pulitzer Prize-finalist Colin Woodward's The Republic of Pirates is the historical biography of the exploits of infamous Caribbean buccaneers. In the early eighteenth century, the Pirate Republic was home to some of the great pirate captains, including Edward "Blackbeard" Teach, "Black Sam" Bellamy, and Charles Vane. Along with their fellow pirates — former sailors, indentured servants, and runaway slaves — this "Flying Gang" established a crude but distinctive democracy in the Bahamas, carving out their own zone of freedom in which servants were free, blacks could be equal citizens, and leaders were chosen or deposed by a vote. They cut off trade routes, sacked slave ships, and severed Europe from its New World empires. For a brief, glorious period the Republic was a success as the pirates became heroes in the eyes of the people.Drawing on extensive research in the archives of Britain and the Americas, award-winning author Colin Woodard tells the dramatic untold story of the Pirate Republic that shook the very foundations of the British and Spanish Empires and fanned the democratic sentiments that would one day drive the American revolution. Read more

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“One of the year’s most important books, a gripping meticulously reported account of the rise of one of the world’s most notorious street gangs.” —Mitch Weiss, Pulitzer Prize winnerWinner of the Lukas PrizeAn NPR Best Book of the YearThe MS-13 was born from war.In the 1980s, Alex and his brother fled El Salvador for the US and formed the Mara Salvatrucha Stoners. Initially bound by a love of heavy metal music, the group soon took on a harder edge, selling drugs, stealing cars and killing rivals. Gang members like Alex were incarcerated and deported. But in the prison system, the group only grew stronger.Today, MS-13 is one of the most infamous street gangs on earth—and also largely misunderstood. Longtime organized crime investigator Steven Dudley brings readers inside the nefarious group to tell a broader story of flawed US and Central American policies and the exploitative, unequal systems that shape them.“A remarkable feat of reporting; the ways in which the United States is complicit in the creation and preservation of MS-13 might well keep you awake deep into the night, as it did me.” —Rachel Louise Snyder, author of No Visible Bruises“By detailing the experiences of gang members and victims alike, he anatomizes the complex, fluid dynamics of this elusive transnational network. A startling book.” —Patrick Radden Keefe, New York Times–bestselling author of Rogues: True Stories of Grifters, Killers, Rebels and Crooks“The definitive account of MS-13 . . . An outstanding book for true crime readers.” —Library Journal (starred review) Read more

Discover the Captivating History of Puerto Rico: From the Taíno to TodayLong before European explorers arrived, Puerto Rico was home to the Taíno people. They built villages, farmed the land, and created a rich culture. But when Spanish ships appeared on the horizon, everything changed. Colonization, slavery, and war shaped Puerto Rico’s history, yet the people never lost their spirit. Over time, they blended African, European, and Indigenous traditions, creating a culture unlike any other.This book takes you through Puerto Rico’s past, from the time of the Taíno to the island’s ongoing struggle to define its future. Through hardship and strength, Puerto Ricans have built a lasting identity—one that continues to inspire people today.What You’ll Discover Inside:Who the Taíno were and how their culture still shapes Puerto RicoHow Spain and other empires fought for control of the islandThe impact of the transatlantic slave trade and its lasting effectsHow secret groups and uprisings challenged colonial ruleThe traditions, music, and customs that make Puerto Rican culture uniqueHow sugar and coffee plantations shaped the economy and daily lifePuerto Rico’s complex relationship with the United States and the debate over its political statusHow Puerto Rico has overcome challenges and continues to look toward the futureWhy This Book:If you want to understand Puerto Rico’s past and present, this book makes history easy to follow and exciting to learn. Whether you have Puerto Rican roots or just love history, you’ll find a powerful story of resilience and pride.Uncover the incredible history of Puerto Rico. Scroll up and click “Add to Cart” to begin your journey today! Read more

"Essential reading."-Steve Coll, NewYorker.comA gripping, sobering account of how Mexican drug gangs have transformed into a criminal insurgency that threatens the nation's democracy and reaches across to the United States.The world has watched, stunned, the bloodshed in Mexico. Forty thousand murdered since 2006; police chiefs shot within hours of taking office; mass graves comparable to those of civil wars; car bombs shattering storefronts; headless corpses heaped in town squares. And it is all because a few Americans are getting high. Or is it part of a worldwide shadow economy that threatens Mexico's democracy? The United States throws Black Hawk helicopters, DEA assistance, and lots of money at the problem. But in secret, Washington is at a loss. Who are these mysterious figures who threaten Mexico's democracy? What is El Narco?El Narco is not a gang; it is a movement and an industry drawing in hundreds of thousands, from bullet-riddled barrios to marijuana-covered mountains. The conflict spawned by El Narco has given rise to paramilitary death squads battling from Guatemala to the Texas border (and sometimes beyond). In this "propulsive ... high-octane" book (Publishers Weekly), Ioan Grillo draws the first definitive portrait of Mexico's cartels and how they have radically transformed. Read more

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR, THE FINANCIAL TIMES, AND GQ“A radical new history of the United States abroad” (Wall Street Journal) which uncovers U.S. complicity in the mass-killings of left-wing activists in Indonesia, Latin America and around the world In 1965, the U.S. government helped the Indonesian military kill approximately one million innocent civilians. This was one of the most important turning points of the twentieth century, eliminating the largest communist party outside China and the Soviet Union and inspiring copycat terror programs in faraway countries like Brazil and Chile. But these events remain widely overlooked, precisely because the CIA's secret interventions were so successful. In this bold and comprehensive new history, Vincent Bevins builds on his incisive reporting for the Washington Post, using recently declassified documents, archival research and eye-witness testimony collected across twelve countries to reveal a shocking legacy that spans the globe. For decades, it's been believed that parts of the developing world passed peacefully into the U.S.-led capitalist system. The Jakarta Method demonstrates that the brutal extermination of unarmed leftists was a fundamental part of Washington's final triumph in the Cold War. Read more

The epic story of the fall of the Inca Empire to Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro in the aftermath of a bloody civil war, and the recent discovery of the lost guerrilla capital of the Incas, Vilcabamba, by three American explorers.In 1532, the fifty-four-year-old Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro led a force of 167 men, including his four brothers, to the shores of Peru. Unbeknownst to the Spaniards, the Inca rulers of Peru had just fought a bloody civil war in which the emperor Atahualpa had defeated his brother Huascar. Pizarro and his men soon clashed with Atahualpa and a huge force of Inca warriors at the Battle of Cajamarca. Despite being outnumbered by more than two hundred to one, the Spaniards prevailed—due largely to their horses, their steel armor and swords, and their tactic of surprise. They captured and imprisoned Atahualpa. Although the Inca emperor paid an enormous ransom in gold, the Spaniards executed him anyway. The following year, the Spaniards seized the Inca capital of Cuzco, completing their conquest of the largest native empire the New World has ever known. Peru was now a Spanish colony, and the conquistadors were wealthy beyond their wildest dreams. But the Incas did not submit willingly. A young Inca emperor, the brother of Atahualpa, soon led a massive rebellion against the Spaniards, inflicting heavy casualties and nearly wiping out the conquerors. Eventually, however, Pizarro and his men forced the emperor to abandon the Andes and flee to the Amazon. There, he established a hidden capital, called Vilcabamba—only recently rediscovered by a trio of colorful American explorers. Although the Incas fought a deadly, thirty-six-year-long guerrilla war, the Spanish ultimately captured the last Inca emperor and vanquished the native resistance. Read more

The bestselling primer on the social, political, and economic challenges facing Central and South America—now fully revised and updated.   Ten years after its first publication, Michael Reid’s bestselling survey of the state of contemporary Latin America has been wholly updated to reflect the new realities of the “Forgotten Continent.” The former Americas editor for the Economist, Reid suggests that much of Central and South America, though less poor, less unequal, and better educated than before, faces harder economic times now that the commodities boom of the 2000s is over. His revised, in-depth account of the region reveals dynamic societies more concerned about corruption and climate change, the uncertainties of a Donald Trump-led United States, and a political cycle that, in many cases, is turning from left-wing populism to center-right governments. This essential new edition provides important insights into the sweeping changes that have occurred in Latin America in recent years and indicates priorities for the future.   “[A] comprehensive and erudite assessment of the region . . . While the social and economic face of Latin America is becoming more attractive, political life remains ugly and, in some countries, is getting even uglier.”—The Washington Post “Excellent . . . a comprehensive primer on the history, politics, and culture of the hemisphere.”—Francis Fukuyama, New York Times bestselling author “Reid’s book offers something valuable to both specialists and the general reading public . . . He writes of Latin America with great empathy, intelligence, and insight.”—Hispanic American Historical Review Read more

In November 1519, Hernando Cortés walked along a causeway leading to the capital of the Aztec kingdom and came face to face with Moctezuma. That story--and the story of what happened afterwards--has been told many times, but always following the narrative offered by the Spaniards. After all, we have been taught, it was the Europeans who held the pens. But the Native Americans were intrigued by the Roman alphabet and, unbeknownst to the newcomers, they used it to write detailed histories in their own language of Nahuatl. Until recently, these sources remained obscure, only partially translated, and rarely consulted by scholars. For the first time, in Fifth Sun, the history of the Aztecs is offered in all its complexity based solely on the texts written by the indigenous people themselves. Camilla Townsend presents an accessible and humanized depiction of these native Mexicans, rather than seeing them as the exotic, bloody figures of European stereotypes. The conquest, in this work, is neither an apocalyptic moment, nor an origin story launching Mexicans into existence. The Mexica people had a history of their own long before the Europeans arrived and did not simply capitulate to Spanish culture and colonization. Instead, they realigned their political allegiances, accommodated new obligations, adopted new technologies, and endured. This engaging revisionist history of the Aztecs, told through their own words, explores the experience of a once-powerful people facing the trauma of conquest and finding ways to survive, offering an empathetic interpretation for experts and non-specialists alike. Read more

Essential Spanish Grammar the Fun & Easy Way – A Beginner-Friendly Workbook for Fast Progress❗A Practical, No-Fluff Workbook That Makes Spanish Grammar Click—Engaging, Stress-Free, and Developed by Certified InstructorsDid you know 80% of Spanish learners quit because of grammar struggles? Don’t be one of them—this workbook is your solution!What’s inside?✅ Bite-Sized 15-Minute Lessons – Learn effortlessly with short, focused sessions.✅ 50+ Interactive Exercises – Practice and retain Spanish faster.✅ Real-Life Examples & Key Vocabulary – Speak naturally with practical phrases.✅ Full Audiobook Version – Learn anywhere, anytime—even on your daily commute.✅ Exclusive Bonuses – Includes a study plan, audio lessons & more.You'll absorb Spanish grammar naturally—without confusion or overwhelm.Here’s How This 3-Step Grammar Method Works:STEP 1 – UNDERSTAND 💡 Grasp Essential Grammar—Quick & EasySimple, jargon-free explanations – No complicated terms, just simple, easy-to-follow grammar rules.Bite-sized 15-minute lessons – Short, focused sessions designed for busy learners who want steady progress.Engaging exercises – Lock in your learning with exercises designed to make Spanish grammar second nature.STEP 2 – APPLY 📝 Turn Knowledge into Real-World Skills with Hands-On PracticeHands-on practice – Go beyond memorization by applying grammar in real sentences.Real-life sentence-building – Learn the structures native speakers actually use, so you sound natural.Avoid common mistakes – Identify and fix the errors most beginners make to improve fluency.STEP 3 – COMMUNICATE 🗣 Speak & Write with Confidence Like a NativeMaster natural sentence flow – No more awkward or robotic phrasing—speak with confidence.Improve speaking & writing skills – Express yourself clearly and correctly in any situation.Fun grammar challenges – Fast-track your learning, test your skills, and track progress with interactive exercises.PLUS! 6 INCLUDED BONUSES to Supercharge Your Learning Experience!🎧 Full Audiobook Version – Listen & practice on the go.📄 Printable Grammar Cheat Sheets – Quick-reference guides for essential rules.🃏 Spanish Flashcards – Fun, visual memory boosters.📝 Practice Worksheets – Extra drills for deeper understanding.📜 Top 100 Most Common Words – Learn the structures you’ll use daily.📅 30-Day Study Plan – Stay on track with an easy-to-follow schedule.Stop second-guessing your sentences—gain confidence with clear, practical lessons.No More Grammar Struggles! Click ‘Add to Cart’ Now—Master Essential Spanish Grammar the Easy Way Starting Today! Read more

They didn't just kill. They controlled. They silenced towns, hijacked governments, and turned highways into graveyards.What happens when trained soldiers become warlords?Los Zetas: Inside Mexico’s Deadliest Cartel takes you into the dark heart of one of the most violent and feared criminal organizations in the world. This isn't a story from the movies. It’s real. It happened—and in many places, it’s still happening.If you've ever wondered why the drug war never ends, why cartels seem untouchable, or how innocent families vanish without a trace—this book holds the answers. It reveals the inner workings of a group that changed the rules of organized crime and left a nation bleeding.Forget what you think you know about cartels. Los Zetas weren’t just drug traffickers. They were trained killers who built an empire on military tactics, mass terror, and systemic corruption. While other cartels moved in shadows, the Zetas ruled in plain sight—public executions, town takeovers, and mass graves were just part of their strategy.Governments couldn’t stop them. Rivals feared them. Communities were trapped under their rule. This book doesn’t just explain what they did—it shows how they did it, why they rose, what broke them apart, and why their legacy still haunts Mexico today. Backed by real events, first-hand accounts, and investigative detail, this is essential reading for anyone seeking the truth behind the headlines.You’ll uncover secrets that news reports only skim. You’ll understand the power structures behind the bloodshed. And you’ll never look at the drug war—or the price of silence—the same way again. Read more

Winner of the Bancroft Prize • Shortlisted for the PEN/John Kenneth Galbraith Award for Nonfiction • Shortlisted for the National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction • Shortlisted for the Mark Lynton History Prize • Longlisted for the National Book Award for Nonfiction • Longlisted for the Cundill History PrizeOne of The New Yorker's Best Books of 2022 • A Kirkus Reviews Best World History Book of 2022 • One of the Smithsonian's 10 Best History Books of 2022"Rebel historian" Kelly Lytle Hernández reframes our understanding of U.S. history in this groundbreaking narrative of revolution in the borderlands.Bad Mexicans tells the dramatic story of the magonistas, the migrant rebels who sparked the 1910 Mexican Revolution from the United States. Led by a brilliant but ill-tempered radical named Ricardo Flores Magón, the magonistas were a motley band of journalists, miners, migrant workers, and more, who organized thousands of Mexican workers—and American dissidents—to their cause. Determined to oust Mexico’s dictator, Porfirio Díaz, who encouraged the plunder of his country by U.S. imperialists such as Guggenheim and Rockefeller, the rebels had to outrun and outsmart the swarm of U. S. authorities vested in protecting the Diaz regime. The U.S. Departments of War, State, Treasury, and Justice as well as police, sheriffs, and spies, hunted the magonistas across the country. Capturing Ricardo Flores Magón was one of the FBI’s first cases.But the magonistas persevered. They lived in hiding, wrote in secret code, and launched armed raids into Mexico until they ignited the world’s first social revolution of the twentieth century.Taking readers to the frontlines of the magonista uprising and the counterinsurgency campaign that failed to stop them, Kelly Lytle Hernández puts the magonista revolt at the heart of U.S. history. Long ignored by textbooks, the magonistas threatened to undo the rise of Anglo-American power, on both sides of the border, and inspired a revolution that gave birth to the Mexican-American population, making the magonistas’ story integral to modern American life. Read more

A revelatory history of the vast tequila empire born from the fires of the Mexican Revolution.At the dawn of the twentieth century, José Cuervo inherited his family’s humble distillery, La Rojeña, in the Tequila Valley. Within a decade, he had transformed it into a complex national enterprise that would become Mexico’s leading producer of tequila. Cuervo grew his kingdom of agave by acquiring thousands of acres of estates throughout the valley; he brought electricity and a railroad line to Tequila, so he could reach drinkers across the country. But when the Mexican Revolution erupted, a charge of treason and a death threat against him by Pancho Villa forced Cuervo to flee. His disappearance turned him into an obscure, shadowy historical figure—despite having one of the most famous names in Mexican history.In Tequila Wars, award-winning author Ted Genoways restores Cuervo to his place as a key player in Mexico’s formative period. Before the revolution, Cuervo’s acclaim spread worldwide, and once war broke out, Cuervo remained an impresario, kingmaker, and cultural force. In the face of his own government’s corruption and the nationalism of his northern neighbors, Cuervo reached American drinkers by establishing Mexico’s covert form of cross-border commerce with the United States. As the largest and most important distilleries in the Tequila Valley recognized the threat posed by Mexico’s unraveling, Cuervo also lobbied for suspending normal competition in favor of “a union of tequila makers”—what would become the first Mexican cartel.With extensive original research, including access to the secret archives of the Cuervo and Sauza families, Genoways follows the violent, unpredictable, and hugely profitable world of tequila through the story of its most successful maker. The first biography of Cuervo, Tequila Wars uncovers the history of the man who would forever change not only the business of tequila, but international relations between Mexico and the United States. Read more