The first edition of this book, Gilderhus’s The Second Century, has been a respected standard treatment of US–Latin American relations since its publication in 1999. After the author's death in 2015, historians LaFevor and LaRosa proposed a revised and updated edition. They have respected Gilderhus’s work, maintained his standards, and left most of his prose intact, and their contributions have made this an excellent new edition. The authors have updated the chapter on Cuba, added a chapter that demonstrates changes in the post–Cold War relationship, updated the bibliography, added a photo section (most are LaFevor’s photos from Cuba and Mexico), and included a brief historiographical essay as a preface. The final chapter broadens Gilderhus’s traditional diplomatic approach. It includes a section on trade (and NAFTA in particular) and one on sources of conflict between Latin America and the US, as Gilderhus did, but it also investigates cultural cross-fertilization. As the Hispanic population of the US has increased, Latin American cuisine, literature, music, sports (soccer and Latin players in Major League baseball), and movies have traveled north as regularly as US influence travels to Latin America. A worthy successor to the first edition.

Summing Up: Highly recommended. Most levels/libraries.

Choice Reviews

The Third Century is written by two top scholars, and it shows. It is one of the best overviews of U.S.–Latin American relations available and a fine tribute to the author of the original edition, Mark Gilderhus. It combines the best of the old and new scholarship and is spiced up by an excellent choice of quotes from primary sources. Both undergraduate and graduate students will benefit from reading this new edition.

Jim Siekmeier, West Virginia University

This superbly updated edition of the late Mark Gilderhus’s acclaimed The Second Century retains the skillfully explained essence and nuances of U.S.–Latin American relations since 1889, while incorporating significant new material and interpretations. The discussion of cultural dynamics, the environment, and immigration in inter-American relations as well as reminders about the legacy of older problems (for example, U.S.–Cuban relations) provide a nice balance and make the volume valuable for both undergraduate and graduate students.

Lester D. Langley, emeritus, University of Georgia

LaFevor and LaRosa make a vital contribution to the increasingly important field of U.S. relations with Latin America. They not only preserve the original insights and graceful writing of the late Mark Gilderhus’s seminal work, but by updating and adding their own careful research they continue his legacy as one of the most important voices in the study of the tumultuous and often-misunderstood encounters between the United States and its neighbors to the south.

Michael Krenn, Appalachian State University

A very useful resource for students and scholars who want a comprehensive overview of this important and unfortunately relatively neglected area of U.S. foreign relations.

Robert D. Schulzinger, University of Colorado, Boulder

The Second Century is a concise, gracefully written survey of U.S.–Latin American relations during the last century. The story in all its complexity—clashing nationalisms, rival ideologies, ambitious personalities, and geopolitical imperatives—emerges with clarity and force. Gilderhus has used his well-known mastery of the subject to produce a book that is simultaneously accessible to the layperson and useful to the scholar.

Randall B. Woods, University of Arkansas