The Militant (logo)  
   Vol.66/No.39           October 21, 2002  
 
 
Pathfinder titles well received
at Houston book fair
 
BY STEVE WARSHELL  
HOUSTON--A Pathfinder booth set up at the September 28-29 Latino Book and Family Festival here was well received by fair participants. The booth featured a display of Pathfinder’s newest release, October 1962: The "Missile" Crisis as Seen from Cuba, 15 of which were sold there. More than 100 other Pathfinder titles were sold during the two-day event, including four copies of Capitalism’s World Disorder and 12 copies of the Marxist magazine New International in English and Spanish. Among the other popular titles were Che Guevara Talks to Young People, Cuba and the Coming American Revolution, The Working Class and the Transformation of Learning, and Malcolm X Talks to Young People. In all, over $1,200 in books, six subscriptions to the Militant, and four subscriptions to Perspectiva Mundial were sold.

The festival attracted a broad cross section of the Latino population in Houston. Most of those present were Chicanos or immigrants from Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. Working people, as well as those from middle-class layers in the area, and a significant number of high-school and college-age youth also attended the book fair.

Many of those who stopped by the Pathfinder booth expressed opposition to the U.S. war drive in the Middle East. They said the looming war against Iraq reflected the desire of Washington to take control of the oil in the region.

A woman from Panama, who has lived in Houston for more than a decade, recalled the 1989 U.S. invasion of her country saying, "The only thing American presidents seem to do well is lie. They killed thousands during the invasion, but you’d think they were on a humanitarian mission if you believed them. The same thing is going on today."

Festival participants also expressed a wide range of views on other political questions such as Cuba, terrorism, and the forthcoming U.S. elections. Several people who expressed interest in the Cuban Revolution bought Pathfinder titles by Che Guevara, Fidel Castro, and other revolutionary leaders. They purchased 68 books and pamphlets dealing with the history, politics, and lessons of the Cuban Revolution--40 in English and 28 Spanish titles.

A high school student originally from Mexico City, who spent nearly an hour poring over different books about the Cuban Revolution, eventually bought the Spanish edition of Che Guevara Talks to Young People. He also asked to receive notices of newly arrived Pathfinder books and the Militant Labor Forums in the area.

One woman who purchased a copy of October 1962: The "Missile" Crisis as Seen from Cuba had read the book’s introduction by Mary-Alice Waters that explained the international effort by supporters of the communist movement to produce Pathfinder titles. She came back to the booth and asked to be part of the publishing house’s translation effort.

Brad Downs contributed to this article.  
 
 
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