Using El lazarillo de ciegos caminantes (the -Guide for Blind Rovers- by Alonso Carrio de Lavandera, the best known work of the era) as a jumping off point for a sprawling discussion of 18th-century Spanish America, Ruth Hill argues for a richer, more nuanced understanding of the relationship between Spain and its western colonies. Armed with primary sources including literature, maps, census data, letters, and diaries, Hill reveals a rich world of intrigue and artifice, where identity is surprisingly fluid and always in question. More importantly, Hill crafts a complex argument for...

Parents can sometimes feel overwhelmed and frustrated when attempting to successfully provide loving, structured discipline to their children when they misbehave. At such times, parents may benefit from the sound advice offered in a well-written book that provides helpful strategies regarding how to discipline children in ways that do not include spanking. Such a book can educate parents in ways to communicate effectively with their children when managing poor behavior. It can also provide important strategies on setting appropriate limits with children, providing clear and consistent...

Once upon a time in beautiful Virginia there lived a little boy named Robert Edward Lee. It was in the days before the Civil War when, if we may believe all we hear, all the women were charming, and all the men were gentlemen.