The growing diversification of the US Latino religious' experiences calls for scholarly attention beyond Protestant or Catholic categories. This study begins to answer this call. Using interview data with 26 Latinos collected over 2 years of observation at the True Lama Meditation Center (TLMC) in Houston, Texas, we describe how Latinos who convert to Buddhism or actively attend the temple while also continuing to attend Christian services (both Catholic and Protestant) see themselves and understand their religious identities and practices. We then explore the reasons for their conversion or changes in religious identities and practices through various theoretical lens. Although the majority of respondents now claim to be Buddhist, many did not switch religions but augmented or extended their religious identities and practices. Reasons for conversion to Buddhism or concurrent involvement at the temple and Buddhist faith practices include seeking material support and miracles and those seeking spiritual fulfillment they felt they were not getting in Christian faith practices.

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Steinke agrees. To say that his focus on a realist approach is at the expense of the idealist interpretation would be a straw man argument. He concludes that Germany's policy shift could have occurred only through the interaction of idealist and realist approaches. As he states (p. 131), ''It is only the overlap between idealists and power politicians which made the series of policy shifts . . . possible.'' Steinke's conclusions may not be surprising, but they are grounded and competently based on sound analysis. But this is also a book whose worth goes beyond its main conclusions. Both the historical analysis and the argument of how the power of the prosecutor is the prime force in the construction of historical narrative have merits of their own. Steinke's work is a worthy read.