Border Towns and Border Crossings : A History of the U.S.-Mexico Divide /

Bruns, formerly of the National Historical Publications and Records Commission of the National Archives and Records Administration, has written several biographies and reference works on all aspects of US culture and history. For instance, he recently focused on Latino issues and leaders in his Encyclopedia of Cesar Chavez (CH, Oct'13, 51-0624). Border Towns and Border Crossings constructs the story of the complex relationship between the US and Mexico through the history of their shared border. In this timely reference work, the author does not attempt to be comprehensive but chooses to look at what he sees as revealing aspects of the boundary over 13 topical chapters, including "Creating the Line," "Boom Towns along the Border," "Chicano Spirit on the Border," and "Cross-Border Spirit and Cooperation." Each chapter can be read separately or as a complete introductory history. The strength of this readable text is the original documents included with each chapter, which allow students to gain experience with primary source material. This text will be especially useful for community college libraries. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers and lower-division undergraduates. --John H. Pollitz, Southern Illinois University