Costa Rica Forum

RandL
Joined 2016
Posts: 60

7 years ago

The Costa Rica No One Talks About: Book Review

7 years ago

I need to preface this review by saying that we are an older couple who have only spent three weeks in Costa Rica. We are planning to move there in the next 2 to 3 years. Stating the obvious, we each bring our own perspective to the world as we experience it and I'm fairly certain the Author's perspective is very different from mine and from my wife's. But this does not reduce the value to us of what is there to learn.
This rather short book is in a somewhat informal tone, primarily structured around a string of anecdotes whose sequence is intended to show (in reverse order) how corruption seeps down from the top. Anecdotal evidence is also used support assertions regarding the level of violent crime and the demographics of perpetrators and victims. The author provides 22 web linked references that support the text's various presentations of the anecdotes. Let me be clear that I am not questioning the facts of the anecdotes. But, anecdotes do not provide a basis for more general assertions made about conditions in the country. For that one must have rigorous statistical evidence. The author explains a lack of such evidence by asserting either there is none available or that which is available is too flawed to consider. Still, the evidence presented does not necessarily imply the more general conclusions. Again, I am not asserting they are false, only that the evidence is weak in an analytic sense. NOTE: Thus far I have followed/read only two of the 22 reference links and found no corroborating statistical data. If any do provide such evidence I apologize and retract this caveat.
Though much of what is in the book can be gotten through web searches, here it is all in one place. That alone makes it worth the price and there is much of value in the book that I haven't found on line. So the book gets a definite buy recommendation from me at $3.99 (Kindle). However I will end with two examples from the book that I hope will convey the author's perspective on Costa Rica and approach to the world. Depending on how well yours fits theirs the book's value to you may vary.

Example 1:

The author establishes that a Gringo dealing with the bureaucracy of CR must not show impatience lest he be intentionally run through all manner of bureaucratic hell. He then observes that the Ticos dealing with bureaucrats chat with them in a friendly and informal manner and get much better service. The author finds the lost-time/inefficiency, inherent in the Tico transactional style extremely objectionable. But he concludes that it is better and quicker to adapt and go along than to be slowly dragged through hell.

“I always carried a small flask of rum with me and had a sip of rum before dealing with the Costa Rican bureaucracy order to remain calm.”

From its context in the book it was not at all clear that was meant entirely as humor.

Example 2:

The author first establishes that, for tourists, the price of entry to the national parks had been raised, in one fell swoop, by 1000% to ~$15.00.

“Imagine being a foreigner at the entrance of the park and discovering that the locals paid only US $1.50. How would that make you feel?”

Given the text preceding this quote it is clear the author assumes one will experience rather negative feelings. My wife and I were in that same situation on our first trip to CR last June and I did take note of it. However, having seen the poverty in the country, we had good feelings about it. Truly, one person's poison is another's medicine.

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