Scott Cook received his PhD in anthropology from the University of Pittsburgh. He taught anthropology at Michigan State University (1968–1971), and at the University of Connecticut (1971–1997). At UConn he also directed the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies (1987-1992) and the Puerto Rican and Latino Studies Institute (1996–2000). His most recent books are Handmade Brick for Texas: A Mexican Border Industry, Its Workers, and Its Business (Lexington Books, 2011) and Understanding Commodity Cultures: Explorations in Economic Anthropology with Case Studies from Mexico (Rowman & Littlefield, 2004).