La Vida Idealist

From Flickr user uitdragerij via Creative Commons

For those of you about to leave or in the middle of your adventures, the following is a quick list of some of the books that have been helpful or have provided interesting perspectives to contemplate during my Kiva Fellowships in Nicaragua and Costa Rica.

The first three are development economics books with thought-provoking perspectives on the challenges facing developing countries, especially if you’re new to the econ genre. One downside is that none of them really focus on Latin America.

1) The Bottom Billion by Paul Collier evaluates the relationships between forces like civil war and economic growth using statistics. I especially enjoyed his thoughts on when aid and technical assistance are most efficient.

2) Development as Freedom by Amartya Sen argues that we should focus more on the freedoms people have as both the means and the end to development and less on income poverty.

3) The End of Poverty by Jeffrey Sachs uses “poverty trap” model to demonstrate his plan for ending global poverty in the next two decades.

Next I have a couple that are Central America specific, though I think both would be interesting if you are going anywhere in Latin America, especially if you’re interested in US involvement in Latin American affairs.

4) Inevitable Revolutions: The United States in Central America by Walter LaFeber: Not a very flattering image of the US, but helpful when thinking about US/LAC relations today and sentiments towards the US.

5) Country Under My Skin: A Memoir of Love and War by Gioconda Belli : She was closely involved with Sandinista Revolution in Nicaragua during the 1970s and the book provides an intimate picture of both the war and the Somoza era. A poet by trade, she writes beautifully and if you’re feeling bold I suggest reading it in Spanish.

And a miscellaneous few…

6) The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman is the story of a Hmong immigrant family with an epileptic daughter and their relationship with the American medical community. I always think of this book when I’m having trouble relating to someone’s perspective. It has nothing to do with Latin America, but it is enlightening when it comes to thinking about culture clash.

7) Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn: Focuses on women’s rights as the next major development challenge facing the world. A must if your work is focuses on women, like mine has at Fundación Mujer.

Catholicism pervades life in much of Latin America. No matter what your religion, I suggest reading up a bit on the basics of Catholicism to understand a lot of daily rituals and assumptions that exist in Latin America. I mainly used the internet, starting with Wikipedia, for this one.

Of course, this list could go on and on. But I’m wondering, what you think should be next on my list? In particular, are there some great books that are more focused on Latin America that any of you would recommend?

Meg Gray is currently a Kiva Fellow in San José, Costa Rica. For more info follow her or La Vida Idealist on Twitter or check out Kiva.org.

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