Costa Rica Additional Resources

Costa Rica: Quest for Democracy, by John A. Booth.
The Costa Rica Reader: History, Culture, Politics, edited by Steven Palmer and Ivan Molina. A rich collection of essays on everything from the coffee industry to the plight of the indigenous people.
The Ticos: Culture and Social Change in Costa Rica, By Mavis Biesanz, Richard Biesanz, and Karen Biesanz. An in-depth examination of Costa Rican history, economy, family, education, and religion, and how they have contributed to modern tico culture.

When New Flowers Bloomed: Short Stories by Women Writers from Costa Rica and Panama, edited by Enrique Jaramillo Levi. A richly imagined collection of recent fiction from Central America.
Juan Valera, by Adolfo Herrera Garcia. A 1939 novel that follows its rural peasant protagonist as he moves into an urban environment full of poverty and social discontent.
Costa Rica: A Traveler’s Literary Companion, edited by Barbara Ras. A collection of 26 short stories written by 20th-century Costa Rican authors, organized by regional focus.
La Loca de Gandoca, by Anacristina Rossi. Though it’s only available in Spanish, this novel offers an perspective on sustainable tourism, chronicling one conservationist’s struggle to stop the construction of a hotel along an undeveloped stretch of the coast.
Jurassic Park, by Michael Crichton. Hard to list without cringing, but impossible to exclude. Though it hardly offers anything close to a perspective on contemporary Costa Rica, this page-turner is set here and features its nonexistent “Air Force” to amusing effect.

Costa Rica: The Last Country the Gods Made, by Adrian Colesberry. Essays on a variety of topics, ranging from indigenous religion to the politics of coffee.
Breakfast of Biodiversity: The Political Ecology of Rainforest Destruction, by John Vandermeer, Ivette Perfecto, and Vandana Shiva. Examines the relationships among agriculture, ecology, global warming, and economic progress in the Costa Rican ecosystem.
Green Phoenix: Restoring the Tropical Forests of Guanacaste, Costa Rica, by William Allen. The story of Costa Rican and American scientists and volunteers who set out to save northwestern Costa Rica in a large-scale tropical forest restoration project.
Monkeys are Made of Chocolate: Exotic and Unseen Costa Rica, by Jack Ewing. After moving to Costa Rica from his native Colorado, Ewing spent 30 years in the jungles of Costa Rica. This collection of essays chronicles his experiences and observations.

www.visitcostarica.com. The official website of the Costa Rica Tourism Board. Includes general information on Costa Rican culture, popular destinations, and hotels, as well as maps and an extremely useful national bus schedule.
www.infocostarica.com. An excellent source of general Costa Rican information. If you can navigate through all the ads, you’ll find hundreds of articles on Costa Rican attractions, art, culture, and history.
www.govisitcostarica.com. True to its name, this website encourages visitors to experience the best Costa Rica has to offer, with detailed listings of hotels, transportation options, and activities. A free monthly newsletter offers travel tips to those who sign up.
www.tourism.co.cr. Yet another compilation of various articles, tips, and pictures of Costa Rica. Small articles on everything from how to dress to partying “ tico style.”
www.entretenimiento.co.cr. This Spanish website contains detailed information on entertainment in Costa Rica, including movie times, music reviews, and information on television, theatrical, and sporting events.