John Ross, journalist and author of the recently released El Monstruo: Dread and Redemption in Mexico City, has lived in the old colonial quarter of Mexico's capital for 30 years, reporting on the people and politics of the region for such publications as the San Francisco Bay Guardian, The Nation and The Texas Observer. During that time, Ross has seen the city - which he calls el monstruo, or monster - become a sprawling, chaotic, toxic and crime-ridden tangle. In El Monstruo, he discusses Mexico City's periods of boom, bust, war, revolution, success and failure, along with his own experiences of living in the belly of the beast. According to Ross, the largest urban center in the Western hemisphere, with an estimated 23 million residents, is in danger of losing its sense of history and culture and becoming just another McCity. Ross appears at Sedition Books today at 7:30 p.m. 901 Richmond. For information, call 713-523-0807 or visit www.seditionbooks.org. Free.
Wed., Feb. 17, 2010