A collection of 16 essays evaluating Evo Morales's first term (2006-2009, but extending slightly further). While most of the authors are sympathetic to the MAS government, the essays do offer critiques about the limitations and paradoxes of the new government, particularly the distance between political realities and rhetoric. Attention is given not only to Evo Morales, but to the broader political context: a chapter by Almust Schilling-Vacaflor looks at subtle forms of discrimination within the constituent assembly; another by Ana Mari a Isidoro Losada examines the resilience of economic elites (particularly in the lowlands). The volume offers essays on important issues: women's political participation, US-Bolivian bilateral relations, hydrocarbon policy, and the relationship between the Morales government and the media.