Book Review: The Gringo Guide to Mexico, vol. II, by Murry E. Page
US$9.95 ebook, $17.95 paperback on Amazon as of  November 1, 2018
Link to volume 1

Many expats in Mazatlán are fans of Murry Page. I for one love his writing and used to regularly look forward to his blog posts. Murry would thoroughly research and write about a broad range of cultural and historical topics, from chile to Diego Rivera’s murals, tequila to organ grinders, and bullfighting to Carlos Slim. As he traveled through, lived in and learned more about Mexico, we were able to educate ourselves thanks to Murry and his noviaand collaborator, Linda Hull. I am eternally grateful to Murry and Linda because years ago they came to our house to interview and help our son when he was in the midst of a fundraising campaign to get himself to World Scout Jamboree in Sweden.

In November 2018 Murry plans to self publish two books, titled The Gringo Guide to Mexico: Its History, People and Culture. In them he assembles 56 editions of his Mazatlán Messenger column, The Page Turner, which he originally wrote over a five-year period. Murry has updated information where necessary to keep content current. He kindly shared with me a copy of volume 2 for review; it contains 160 pages and 28 chapters.

“… all of my writings have the purpose of providing foreign nationals living in México and those who hope to call México their home in the future, information that will make their life here more interesting and meaningful. It is hoped that those who read The Gringo Guide to México …will have a better understanding of the history, people, and culture of their new home.”
—page 4

If you were not able to read Murry’s work the first time around, and you are at all curious about this adopted country we call home, I highly recommend you get these books. And, if you did enjoy his columns the first time around, you may delight to read them all over again, remembering what you’d once read and since forgotten. While I learn something new every day, I am constantly saddened at the ignorance so many of us immigrants and seasonal visitors have about our host country. Are you aware of how Cinco de Mayo helped save the US from slavery? Why Pancho Villa is revered by some and hated by others, was first wanted by and later helped by the US government? And do you know the history of legal Mexican field labor up north, starting with the braceros?

It’s refreshing to read an engaging volume written by someone intelligent (retired lawyer), personable, and committed to the community—Murry dedicated 100% of the profits from his first book to Hospice Mazatlán and has served on the board of two local charitable organizations—on topics that pique our curiosity and are worthwhile knowing about in our daily lives. I love history, but I whither up in boredom reading a dry history book. These volumes are far from that—quick-reading and amusing, with personal reflections and anecdotes thrown in for good measure. I will admit to enjoying the columns more when they were spread out one every couple of weeks than in book form. As blog posts the facts and information were nice tapas, a fairly in-depth look at a topic that we could slowly savor. I would, therefore, recommend reading the book a chapter at a time, to more thoroughly relish the content. Discussing it with a partner or friends will let the facts settle in and stir further curiosity for learning.

Thank you, Murry, for being so generous with your passion for learning about Mexico, your time and your wonderful writing. Both books will be available in ebook (US$9.99 per volume) and paperback (US$17.95 per volume) on Amazon from November 1, 2018.