In the Shadow of the Giant

Price: $24.95  

Subtitle: The Americanization of Modern Mexico
Author: Joseph Contreras
Subject: Latin American Studies, American Studies
Cloth ISBN: 978-0-8135-4482-3
Pages: 272 pages
Publication Date: January 2009

Praise for In the Shadow of the Giant

"It's in capturing these two Mexicos—the one of past and the one of the present, both in the shadow of a giant—that Contreras excels. Whether it's examining the contrast of northern Monterrey with the capital and another secondary urban city, Guadalajara, or juxtaposing the Mexican attitude toward Cancún and colonial San Miguel de Allende with that of the expat, the author draws the reader into a Mexico that is as bewildered by U.S. influence as it is grateful or, at times, resentful. Contreras’s insights will likely stand the test of time."—Malcolm Beith, Newsweek

"...provocative and highly informative."—The Washington Post

"Joseph Contreras, who on two different occasions has covered the Mexico beat for Newsweek, offers a welcome, entertaining, and deeply insightful perspective of the dramatic impact of Americanization on our southern neighbor accessible to any reader, drawing on a wealth of personal experiences and numerous interviews, uniquely flavored
by his own Mexican-American origins."—Roderic Ai Camp, Author of Politics in Mexico:
The Democratic Consolidation

"Joseph Contreras puts his finger perceptively and knowledgeably on a fundamental issue in US-Mexico relations. Quality reporting, insightful vignettes, and a highly readable text make In the Shadow of the Giant a fine and necessary read."—Jorge Castañeda, Mexico's former foreign minister and Global Distinguished Professor at New York University

"In this illuminating book, Joseph Contreras persuasively shows us how, almost without noticing, Mexico has come to terms with its place in the shadow of the United States."—Alan Riding, author of Distant Neighbors: A Portrait of the Mexicans

"Joseph Contreras, a self-described "pocho" born in Los Angeles of Mexican parents, chronicles two journeys that pass each other moving in opposite directions – a personal one to return to his roots and a national one by Mexico to become modern.  In this unusually perceptive and well-written cross-cultural study, Contreras adopts the Mexico of a romantic, nationalistic past while Mexico opts for a North American future. I recommend all North Americans read the book and make the two-way journey."—Robert Pastor, author of Toward a North American Community: Lessons from the Old World for the New

The influx of Mexican immigrants to the United States throughout the years has
impacted our culture, labor force, and economy. Often these individuals are blamed
for the perceived ills they bring to this country. Yet few people ever consider the
profound influence that the United States has on Mexico.

In this first book to view modern Mexico in the era of NAFTA and globalization,
In the Shadow of the Giant offers insight into the land on our southern border.
What we find is a nation that looks more like the United States than even Mexicans
themselves could have imagined a decade ago:

• Rates of obesity are second only to the United States among the world’s industrialized countries
• Recreational drug use is soaring among young Mexicans
• Citigroup owns the largest bank in Mexico
• Wal-Mart is the country’s biggest private employer

Revealing a vastly different physical and cultural landscape from his days as a
young journalist living in Mexico in the mid-1980s, Joseph Contreras tracks
the relentless and ongoing Americanization of his ancestral home. Although
these changes may seem a natural part of globalization, the country had long
prided itself on the social, political, economic and even spiritual differences that
distinguished it from the United States. In addition to embracing our virtues
and vices, Contreras argues that our southern neighbor has become a de facto
economic colony of the United States.

At a time when immigration looms as a leading hot-button issue in American
politics, the time is ripe for examining our influences, for better or worse, on our
neighbor to the south.

JOSEPH CONTRERAS, a native of Los Angeles, spent twenty eight years at Newsweek magazine. He most recently was the publication’s Latin American regional editor.