**Timothy J. Henderson's A Glorious Defeat provide a short, accessible
account of the US-Mexican War.
**
The war that was fought between the United States and Mexico from 1846
to 1848 was a major event in the history of both countries: it cost
Mexico half of its national territory, opened western North America to
U.S. expansion, and brought to the surface a host of tensions that led
to devastating civil wars in both countries. Among generations of Latin
Americans, it helped to cement the image of the United States as an
arrogant, aggressive, and imperialist nation, poisoning relations
between a young America and its southern neighbors.
In contrast to many current books, which treat the war as a
fundamentally American experience, Timothy J. Henderson's A Glorious
Defeat offers a fresh perspective by looking closely at the Mexican
side of the equation. He examines the tremendous inequalities of Mexican
society and provides a greater understanding of the intense factionalism
and political paralysis leading up to and through the war. Also touching
on a range of topics from culture and ethnicity to religion and
geography, this comprehensive yet concise narrative humanizes the
conflict and serves as the perfect introduction for new readers of
Mexican history.