An Edward Lear Alphabet by Edward Lear

An Edward Lear Alphabet by Edward Lear

The emergence of Latin American firebrands who champion the cause of the impoverished and rail against the evils of neoliberalism and Yankee imperialism--Hugo Chavez in Venezuela, Evo Morales in Bolivia, Nestor Kirchner in Argentina, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador in Mexico--has changed the landscape of the Americas in dramatic ways. This is the first biography to appear in English about one of these charismatic figures, who is known in his country by his adopted nickname of Little Ray of Hope.

The book follows Lopez Obrador's life from his early years in the flyspecked state of Tabasco, his university studies, and the years that he lived among the impoverished Chontal Indians. Even as he showed an increasingly messianic elan to uplift the downtrodden, he confronted the muscular Institutional Revolutionary Party in running twice for governor of his home state and helping found the leftist-nationalist Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD). As the PRD's national president, he escalated his political and ideological warfare against his former president, Carlos Salinas, and other conspirators determined to link Mexico to the global economy at the expense of the poor. His strident advocacy of the have-nots lifted Lopez Obrador to the mayorship of Mexico City, which he rechristened the City of Hope. Its ubiquitous crime, traffic, pollution, and housing problems have made the capital a tomb for most politicians. Not for Lopez Obrador. Through splashy public works, monthly stipends to senior citizens, huge marches, and a dawn-to-dusk work schedule, he converted the position into a trampoline to the presidency. Although he lost the official count by an eyelash, the hard-charging Tabascan cried fraud, took the oath as the nation's legitimate president, and barnstormed the country, excoriating the fascist policies of President Felipe Calderon and preparing to redeem the destitute in the 2012 presidential contest.

Grayson views Lopez Obrador as quite different from populists like Chavez, Morales, and Kirchner and argues that he is a secular messiah, who lives humbly, honors prophets, gathers apostles, declares himself indestructible, relishes playing the role of victim, and preaches a doctrine of salvation by returning to the values of the 1917 Constitution-- fairness for workers, Indians' rights, fervent nationalism, and anti-imperialism.

Edward Lear (1812--1888) was an illustrator, natural history artist, and writer, though he is best known for his nonsense poems. His collection of poetry, A BOOK OF NONSENSE, was published in 1846 and helped to popularize the limerick, a humorous form of verse. His most famous poem, THE OWL AND THE PUSSYCAT, has been made into many picture books -- including one published by Candlewick Press that was illustrated by Louise Voce.
Louise Voce has done illustrations for magazines, newspapers, greeting cards, and books for children, including WHAT NEWT COULD DO FOR TURTLE by Jonathan London and OVER IN THE MEADOW. She is also one of the illustrators for Candlewick's A COLLECTION OF RUDYARD KIPLING'S JUST SO STORIES. Louise Voce lives in Brighton, England.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780060281137
ISBN 10	0060281138
Title	An Edward Lear Alphabet
Author	Edward Lear
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	HarperCollins Publishers Inc
Year published	1999-04-01
Number of pages	25
Prizes	Winner of Parents Choice Award (Fall) (1998-2007) (Recommended) 1999
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
Note	Unavailable