Ciudadanias del Miedo

How can we address the fears of the citizens of Latin America's big cities? This is the question considered by the essays collected here, which were originally presented at a meeting of journalists, scholars, and writers in Cuernavaca, Mexico, in 2000 to discuss urban violence in Latin America. The essasyists represented include Carlos Monsivais, the best-known cultural critic in Latin America; Nancy C rdia, coordinator of the Center for the Study of Violence at the University of Sao Paolo; Jesus Martin Barbero, president of the Latin American Association of Communications Research; and the late Rotker, editor of this anthology and winner of the 1992 Casa de las Am ricas essay award for ""La invencion de una"" escritura (""The Invention of a Writing""), which is about Jos Marti's chronicles. With emphasis on the major cities in Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, and Brazil, these essays address issues such as the myths and facts of juvenile delinquency, state violence, and the ""professional"" morality of torturers. The book also considers how citizens of these troubled cities articulate their stories, as well as how journalists interpret them and participate in creating the image of a particular urban area. The perception of these cities as tragic and dangerous places could help us understand the complexities of migration and immigration across borders. Although the text is full of cold, hard statistics, they are admirably balanced by the well-built narratives. What results is a thorough analysis of the issues surrounding this highly charged topic. Recommended for large public and academic libraries. Lourdes V zquez, Rutgers Univ. Libs., New Brunswick, NJ