Bushnell, David, The Making of Modern Colombia: A Nation in Spite of Itself, University of California Press, 1993.

Bushnell contends that there is much more to Colombia than the drug trafficking, kidnappings, and terrorism that have dominated the news about the country over the past few decades. While acknowledging the prolific cocaine trade, violence, and unjust class system, Bushnell highlights a steady economic growth, a democratic government, and Colombia's artists and writers.

McBryde, John, Elaine Smokewood, and Harbour Winn, “Honoring Each Moment: An Interview with Naomi Shihab Nye,” in Humanities Interview, Vol. 22, No. 1, Winter 2004, pp. 1, 14-17.

In this lengthy interview, Nye focuses on the important role that poetry plays in her everyday life. As the title suggests, she contends that poetry has the ability to slow down people's daily lives if they will take the time to read a little and to pay attention to and...