``Compared to the troubled conditions and civil wars in neighborourin countries like Guatelmal, El Salvador, and Honduras, there is much to be thankful for in Costa Rica. However, as Dana Sawchuk demonstrates in this study, it is not the paradise that the U.S. government (which has a vested economic and political interest) and other proponents suggest. Sawchuk's study [is a]...well-researched and well-written work.... The end product is a valuable socio-economic, cultural, and political study of a country that has often been misinterpreted by well-meaning outsiders.'' -- John Walker -- Canadian Book Review Annual, 2006, 200702