Review by Choice Review
Maya scholars and lovers of good photography will remember Everton's first modern Maya book from over 20 years ago (The Modern Maya: A Culture in Transition, CH, Feb'92, 29-3369). This second volume is bigger, with more of his uniquely sensitive and evocative photographs, but the real difference is a new, much more scholarly text. Everton (National Geographic Society) weaves personal experiences and reminiscences together with particular grace and insight, and provides a full scholarly account in the footnotes for the dedicated Mayanist. The result is a unique book: a personal encounter with the beautiful, good, and largely unknown world of the Yucatec Maya of Mexico. Everton's camera and pen range over agriculture, town life, religion, and family and home life. He also covers archaeological and ecological research on the ancient Maya. Indispensable for anyone seriously interested in the Mexican Maya. Highly recommended for anyone who loves travel accounts, personal epiphanies, and fine photography. Summing Up: Essential. All levels/libraries. E. N. Anderson emeritus, University of California, Riverside
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
"One, ask people what they are thinking rather than assume that you already know. And two, listen. You never know what someone might say and where it could lead," says the author in Carter Wilson's introduction to this collection of Everton's photos and stories from his 40 years of visiting with the Maya. That Everton has followed his own advice is clear, as the book offers incredible access to the life of the Maya today. Everton asserts in his first chapter, a highly readable short history of the Mayan Civilization, that "The Maya never disappeared' and were never a lost civilization.' In fact, they showed a remarkable capacity to. reinvent themselves." His respect for the 4,000 year history of the Maya suffuses the entire project, but the book's real treasures are the authentic voices of the people Everton meets and befriends-such as Don Celso, who played a Mayan in Mel Gibson's Apocalypto. The numerous photos, ranging in size from the miniscule to full-spreads, are not as powerful as one might expect, but the occasional shot-especially those that feature Macduff immersed in his long-running relationships with his subjects-speaks to the author/photographer's authentic investment in his project and the still-vibrant Mayan people. 385 duotone photos. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Review by Library Journal Review
Writer and photographer Everton (contributing editor, National Geographic Traveler & Islands) has been traveling to the Yucatan for the past 40 years. This grand work is a sequel to his 1991 text, The Modern Maya: A Culture in Transition, but readers won't need to read the former to enjoy the latter. In this volume, he recounts the stories of the families he met and befriended in the previous book and provides updates and new photos. This later title also features resplendent panoramic photos of the Yucatan-both the natural land and the Mayan ruins; some are simply breathtaking. But the book's real strength is the stories of the families and their constant battle to survive, both individually and culturally. If there is a villain in this book, it is Cancun and its tourist industry, which lures the Maya from their traditional agrarian ways into livelihoods as maids and gardeners. Still, the problem is too complex, the economic issues are too real, and the stakes-the survival of a language and a culture-too high for an easy solution. VERDICT Recommended for readers interested in Mayan history and culture.-Lee Arnold, Historical Soc. of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Choice Review
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Review by Library Journal Review
