Culture and Customs of Ecuador (Culture and Customs of Latin America and the Caribbean)
Fourth in Greenwood's new series (see, for example, Argentina, LJ 11/15/98), this small volume on Ecuador is a synthesis of both English- and Spanish-language secondary sources covering the nation's rich and varied culture and its social customs. The plurinational (or multicultural) nature of Ecuador's history is reflected in its religion, literature, art, cinema, media, and performing arts, and the often tragic history of Indian, black, and mestizo cultures play an integral role in the book. In eight chapters, Handelsman (languages and literature, Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville) provides an overview of Ecuador's historical and contemporary culture. A largely agrarian and poor nation, Ecuador has recently had an oil boom that has aided the arts. The chapter on literature is excellent despite the scant attention poetry receives, and the chapter on broadcasting and the print media is quite good, though the lack of a well-developed publishing industry is barely mentioned. Handelsman saves his best for coverage of Ecuadorian film. Recommended for academic and public libraries.-Boyd Childress, Auburn Univ. Lib., ALCopyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.