100 Questions and Answers about Hispanics and Latinos by
"One Hundred Questions and Answers About Hispanics and Latinos" is part of the Michigan State University School of Journalism series in cultural competence. It focuses on the diversity of the largest ethnic group in the United States. This guide has sections on Hispanic and Latino identity, geography, language, religion, social norms, politics, immigration and deportation, education, work, money, families, culture, health and food. It explains terms such as Chicano, Tejano and Texano, Boricua and deals with deportation and immigration. The guide is intended for people in business, schools, places of worship, government, medicine, law enforcement, human resources and journalism-anywhere it is important to know more about communities. We hope this guide works for individuals who just have questions about the people around them. We began by asking Hispanics and Latinos about myths, misconceptions and biases that they run into and wish others knew more about. Questions include: What are the definitions of Hispanic and Latino? How did Hispanic and Latino become official terms? Are there U.S. regional or state preferences for Hispanic or Latino? So people can be one and not the other? What does "Latina" mean? What do "Chicano" and "Chicana" mean? What is the definition of Chican@? What does Tejano mean? What does Boricua mean? What race are Latinos and Hispanics? How many Hispanic people live in the United States? What are their places of origin? Which states have the largest Hispanic populations? Is Puerto Rico a country, colony or commonwealth? Why is Puerto Rico a territory and not a state or a country? Do people living in Puerto Rico vote in U.S. elections? Do Puerto Ricans in Puerto Rico pay U.S. taxes? What is Hispaniola? How prevalent is bilingualism? What is Spanglish? What is the English-only movement? Are Hispanics more religious than other Americans? Are U.S. Hispanics mostly Catholic? Is Pope Francis the first Latin American pope? Are Latinos generally more emotional or expressive than other Americans? Are Latinos traditionally modest about their accomplishments? How do Hispanics align politically? What are top political concerns for Hispanics today? How much weight does the Hispanic vote carry in U.S elections? What is turnout like among Hispanics voters? Are Hispanics represented proportionately in government? Who are some nationally prominent Hispanic politicians? What draws Latinos to the United States? What are the "waves" of Latino immigration to the United States? Are most Latinos in the United States today immigrants? Do most Latino immigrants come to the United States legally? What is the "DREAM Act?" What is DACA? What is the "Drop the I-Word" campaign? What is a green card? What are the difference between permanent residency and citizenship? What are remittances? Are Latinos profiled? What is the average educational level of Hispanics? Do Hispanics come to the United States for schooling? Which colleges or universities are more welcoming to Hispanics?
An African American and Latinx History of the United States by
An intersectional history of the shared struggle for African American and Latinx civil rights Spanning more than two hundred years, An African American and Latinx History of the United States is a revolutionary, politically charged narrative history arguing that the "Global South" was crucial to the development of America as we know it. Ortiz challenges the notion of westward progress, as exalted by widely taught formulations such as "manifest destiny" and "Jacksonian democracy," and shows how placing African American, Latinx, and Indigenous voices unapologetically front and center transforms American history into the story of the working class organizing against imperialism. In precise detail, Ortiz traces this untold history from the Jim Crow-esque racial segregation of the Southwest, the rise and violent fall of a powerful tradition of Mexican labor organizing in the twentieth century, to May 1, 2006, International Workers' Day, when migrant laborers-Chicana/os, Afro-Cubanos, and immigrants from nearly every continent on earth-united in resistance on the first "Day Without Immigrants." Incisive and timely, An African American and Latinx History of the United States is a bottom-up history told from the viewpoint of African American and Latinx activists and revealing the radically different ways people of the diaspora addressed issues still plaguing the United States today.
Atlas of Hispanic-American History by
This is an updated look at a vibrant culture and its peoples.""Atlas of Hispanic-American History, Second Edition"" chronicles the important cultural, historical, political, and social experiences of Hispanic Americans through the years. Completely updated and revised, this comprehensive atlas examines Spanish, Native American, and African influences and how they combine in different ways to form the varied cultures of Hispanic America. Numerous full-color maps engage readers with easy-to-grasp facts, figures, and images of everyday life. The coverage includes: The Roots of a People; Spain in the Americas; Independence in the New World; Manifest Destiny and Hispanic America; A Time of Transition; The Age of World Wars; The Hispanic American Civil Rights Era; and, Hispanic America Today.
Belief in Dialogue by
By uniting historical, cultural, religious, and literary commentary, Belief in Dialogue is designed to help the student or general reader to more completely enjoy and understand contemporary Latina writing. Although the discussions are informed by contemporary feminist and postcolonialist thought about color, gender, race, and class, they remain highly readable.
A Chicano Manual on How to Handle Gringos by
A tongue-in-cheek how to guide written by a hero of the Chicano movement for the education of grass-roots leaders Under this somewhat threatening title, the renowned civil rights leader Jose Angel Gutierrez provides a guidebook to minority empowerment through the use of analysis, practical experience and anecdote. His primary goal is the conversion of Latino demographic power into educational, economic and political power. In an incisive introduction, Gutierrez analyzes the types of power and evaluates Chicano and Latino access to power at various levels in U.S. society. In very plain, down-to-earth language and examples, Gutierrez takes pains to make his broad knowledge and experience available to everyone, but especially to those who want to be activists for themselves and their communities. For him the empowerment of a minority or working-class person can transfer into greater empowerment of the whole community. This manual penned by the founder of the only successful Hispanic political party, La Raza Unida, brings together an impressive breadth of models to either follow or avoid. Quite often, Gutierrez's voice is not only the seasoned voice of reason, but also that of humor, wry wit and satire. If nothing else, The Chicano Manual on How to Handle Gringos is a wonderful survey of the Chicano and Latino community on the move in all spheres of life in the United States on the very eve of its demographic and cultural ascendancy.
The Color of Citizenship by
The role of race in politics, citizenship, and the state is one of the most perplexing puzzles of modernity. While political thought has been slow to take up this puzzle, Diego von Vacano suggests that the tradition of Latin American and Hispanic political thought, which has long consideredthe place of mixed-race peoples throughout the Americas, is uniquely well-positioned to provide useful ways of thinking about the connections between race and citizenship. As he argues, debates in the United States about multiracial identity, the possibility of a post-racial world in the aftermathof Barack Obama, and demographic changes owed to the age of mass migration will inevitably have to confront the intellectual tradition related to racial admixture that comes to us from Latin America.Von Vacano compares the way that race is conceived across the writings of four thinkers, and across four different eras: the Spanish friar Bartolome de Las Casas writing in the context of empire; Simon Bolivar writing during the early republican period; Venezuelan sociologist Laureano VallenillaLanz on the role of race in nationalism; and Mexican philosopher Jose Vasconcelos writing on the aesthetic approach to racial identity during the cosmopolitan, post-national period. From this comparative and historical survey, von Vacano develops a concept of race as synthetic, fluid and dynamic - aconcept that will have methodological, historical, and normative value for understanding race in other diverse societies.
A Country for All by
For decades, fixing the United States' broken immigration system has been one of the most urgent challenges facing our country, and time and time again, politicians have passed the buck. With anti-immigrant sentiment rising around the country, and presidential elections on the horizon, it's no surprise immigration reform is on every candidate's agenda. While some candidates offer viable solutions, others perpetuate negative stereotypes and unpractical resolve. Ramos fearlessly questions political tactics, and has undoubtedly become the voice of the Latino vote in the US. It is now more important than ever to remember the role immigrants play in enriching our economy and culture, and to find a way to incorporate the millions of productive, law-abiding workers who have been drawn to the United States by the inexorable pull of freedom and economic opportunity. In this timely book, award-winning journalist Jorge Ramos makes the case for a practical and politically achievable solution to this poignant issue. Ramos argues that we have a simple choice: to take a pragmatic approach that deals with the reality of immigration, or to continue a cruel and capricious system that doesn't work, wastes billions of dollars, and which stands in direct opposition to our national principles.
César Chávez by
This brief biography of César Chávez documents the life of one of the most important labor organizers of the last half of the 20th century — a reformer and activist who personified the American struggle for democracy. His story is told through an evocative biographical essay accompanied by several types of documents: Chávez in his own words, Chávez in the words of his contemporaries, Chávez as seen by historians in a group of secondary sources, and finally a visual portfolio of 20 photographs and cartoons. The secondary sources focus on critical questions about the labor unions he helped to found and the impact he made on the Chicano population as well as the rest of the world. All of these materials are accompanied by a helpful chronology, bibliographic essay, and questions for consideration.
Dictionary of Chicano Folklore by
Dictionary of Chicano Folklore charts the rich religious, social, artistic, and cultural heritage of Mexican Americans, who continue to evolve the customs and rituals connected to their Spanish and indigenous roots and the Spanish language. Entries cover specific regions, genres of folk speech, folk narrative, cultural traditions, artifacts, foods, ceremonies, rites, and define contemporary Hispanic terms ranging from duendes, pintos, and las posadas to pachucos, low riders, and Zozobra. The Dictionary of Chicano Folklore is the perfect resource for high school and undergraduate students interested in Chicano culture or for scholars seeking bibliographic material. Over 200 A-Z entries defining historical and contemporary terms, customs, legends, and rituals 44 photos Extensive bibliography
Diego Rivera by
Early in the Depression, Diego Rivera was commissioned by Edsel Ford to create a series of murals in the gallery of the Detroit Institute of Arts, giant frescos whose theme would be America's industrial might. This volume studies the astonishing results and gives us a remarkably close look at Diego and his wife, Frida Kahlo. Rivera's Detroit Industry murals are one of this country's greatest treasures. In addition to providing full coverage and analysis of the murals, the book includes chapters on the murals' planning and antecedents, Rivera's working methods (which can be read as a primer on frescos), Diego and Frida's lives for their nine months in Detroit, and the public's dramatic response to the strong socialist/communist themes in the works.
El Norte by
Because of our shared English language, as well as the celebrated origin tales of the Mayflower and the rebellion of the British colonies, the United States has prized its Anglo heritage above all others. However, as Carrie Gibson explains with great depth and clarity in El Norte, the nation has much older Spanish roots--ones that have long been unacknowledged or marginalized. The Hispanic past of the United States predates the arrival of the Pilgrims by a century, and has been every bit as important in shaping the nation as it exists today. El Norte chronicles the sweeping and dramatic history of Hispanic North America from the arrival of the Spanish in the early 16th century to the present--from Ponce de Leon's initial landing in Florida in 1513 to Spanish control of the vast Louisiana territory in 1762 to the Mexican-American War in 1846 and up to the more recent tragedy of post-hurricane Puerto Rico and the ongoing border acrimony with Mexico. Interwoven in this stirring narrative of events and people are cultural issues that have been there from the start but which are unresolved to this day: language, belonging, community, race, and nationality. Seeing them play out over centuries provides vital perspective at a time when it is urgently needed. In 1883, Walt Whitman meditated on his country's Spanish past: "We Americans have yet to really learn our own antecedents, and sort them, to unify them," predicting that "to that composite American identity of the future, Spanish character will supply some of the most needed parts." That future is here, and El Norte, a stirring and eventful history in its own right, will make a powerful impact on our national understanding.
Everything You Need to Know about Latino History by
The popular primer to Latino life and culture. Latinos represent the fastest-growing ethnic population in the United States. In an accessible and entertaining question-and-answer format, this completely revised 2008 edition provides the most current perspective on Latino history in the making, including: * New Mexico governor Bill Richardson's announced candidacy for the 2008 presidential election * Ugly Betty--the hit ABC TV show based on the Latino telenovela phenomenon * The number of Latino players in Major League baseball surpassing the 25 percent mark * Immigration legislation and the battle over the Mexican border * The state of Castro's health and what it means for Cuba More than ever, this concise yet comprehensive reference guide is the ideal introduction to the vast and varied history and culture of this multifaceted ethnic group.
Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera and Twentieth Century Mexican Art by
Published in conjunction with an exhibition presented by museums in San Diego, Dallas, and Phoenix, this color catalogue of about 75 works contains many paintings by Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, whose sumptuous, psychologically and politically charged imagery and their tempestuous relationship have
From Here to Eternity by
A New York Times and Los Angeles Times Bestseller The best-selling author of Smoke Gets in Your Eyes expands our sense of what it means to treat the dead with "dignity." Fascinated by our pervasive fear of dead bodies, mortician Caitlin Doughty set out to discover how other cultures care for the dead. From Here to Eternity is an immersive global journey that introduces compelling, powerful rituals almost entirely unknown in America. In rural Indonesia, she watches a man clean and dress his grandfather's mummified body, which has resided in the family home for two years. In La Paz, she meets Bolivian natitas (cigarette-smoking, wish-granting human skulls), and in Tokyo she encounters the Japanese kotsuage ceremony, in which relatives use chopsticks to pluck their loved-ones' bones from cremation ashes. With boundless curiosity and gallows humor, Doughty vividly describes decomposed bodies and investigates the world's funerary history. She introduces deathcare innovators researching body composting and green burial, and examines how varied traditions, from Mexico's Días de los Muertos to Zoroastrian sky burial help us see our own death customs in a new light. Doughty contends that the American funeral industry sells a particular--and, upon close inspection, peculiar--set of "respectful" rites: bodies are whisked to a mortuary, pumped full of chemicals, and entombed in concrete. She argues that our expensive, impersonal system fosters a corrosive fear of death that hinders our ability to cope and mourn. By comparing customs, she demonstrates that mourners everywhere respond best when they help care for the deceased, and have space to participate in the process. Exquisitely illustrated by artist Landis Blair, From Here to Eternity is an adventure into the morbid unknown, a story about the many fascinating ways people everywhere have confronted the very human challenge of mortality.
Ghosts of Spain by
The appearance, more than sixty years after the Spanish Civil War ended, of mass graves containing victims of Francisco Franco's death squads finally broke what Spaniards call "the pact of forgetting"--the unwritten understanding that their recent, painful past was best left unexplored. At this charged moment, Giles Tremlett embarked on a journey around the country and through its history to discover why some of Europe's most voluble people have kept silent so long. Ghosts of Spain is the fascinating result of that journey. In elegant and passionate prose, Tremlett unveils the tinderbox of disagreements that mark the country today. Delving into such emotional questions as who caused the Civil War, why Basque terrorists kill, why Catalans hate Madrid, and whether the Islamist bombers who killed 190 people in 2004 dreamed of a return to Spain's Moorish past, Tremlett finds the ghosts of the past everywhere. At the same time, he offers trenchant observations on more quotidian aspects of Spanish life today: the reasons, for example, Spaniards dislike authority figures, but are cowed by a doctor's white coat, and how women have embraced feminism without men noticing. Drawing on the author's twenty years of experience living in Spain, Ghosts of Spain is a revelatory book about one of Europe's most exciting countries.
Great Hispanic-Americans by
Features inspiring stories of the leaders who blazed trails, rewrote history, created works of art, and changed the face of America. raquo; Over 50 profiles of great Hispanic Americans are included, and each biography discusses their accomplishments, contributions, and importance. raquo; Includes such figures as Nobel prize winners Luis Walter Alvarez and Mario Molina, civil rights worker Cesar Chavez, authors Isabel Allende and Oscar Hijuelos, and performers Rita Moreno and Tito Puente. raquo; Fully illustrated with portraits and other images of profiled subjects.
Harvest of Empire by
So many Hispanics came to this country toward the latter part of the twentieth century that they changed the face of the nation and are challenging its very identity. By 2050, one out of every five U.S. residents will be of Hispanic origin. The corner bodega, the salsa night spot, Mexican fajitas, and Spanish novellas are now as ubiquitous as rock 'n' roll and the state fair. But in this era of the global marketplace our government persists in erecting a steel, concrete, and electronic wall along our southern border to keep new Latinos out. Despite all efforts to restrict immigration in the 1990s, the Americanos keep coming--myriad differences among them in culture and class outlook, yet sharing the same language.Juan Gonzalez's passionate, sweeping, searching chronicle traces the Anglo-Hispanic encounter from the first sixteenth-century New World colonies and nineteenth-century U.S. conquest, gunboat diplomacy, and economic colonization of the Latin world up to the 1998 presidential election. Through intimate portraits (among them the author's own family), with which many readers will identify, Harvest of Empire reveals their experiences and concerns as they make a new life and transform this nation for a new century and an integrated hemisphere.
Hispanic-American Literature by
This is one of a series of brief anthologies designed for ethnic, multicultural and American literature courses. The series aims to introduce undergraduates to the rich but often neglected literary contributions of established and newer ethnic writers to American literature. Each text is organized chronlogically by genre and represents a wide range of literature. An introduction provides an historical overview and a celebration of the diversity within each ethnic group. It also addresses the general literary concerns students are likely to encounter in their readings. A seperate thematic table of contents provides the tutor with more flexibility in the classroom. All four anthologies include three bibliographies which suggest novels for further reading; aid students in their research and recommend films that would enhance the studies. Ishmael Reed, the general editor, is founder of the American Book Awards.
Latinization by
Although politicians discuss Latino immigration by the numbers, there is another side to the impact of immigrants: their influence on the culture and lifestyle of the countries they enter. Cristina Benitez, founder of Lazos Latinos, focuses her book on the positive influences that Latinos have on their new country, from culture to the high value Latinos place on their family relationships. Readers will come away with a better understanding of how to craft marketing messages that resonate with Latino customers. With a foreword by Henry Cisneros, and insights from 20 Latino experts, Latinization helps exlpain why Latino culture is here to stay.
Latin Numbers by
Latin Numbers is a work of performance history, examining the way in which Latino actors on the 20th century stage and screen communicated and influenced American ideas about race and ethnicity. Brian Eugenio Herrera looks at how these performances and performers contributed to American popular understanding of Latinos as a distinct racial and ethnic group. His book tracks the conspicuously "Latin" musical number; the casting of Latino actors; the history of West Side Story; how Latina/o performers confront stereotypes; and the proliferation of the gay Latino character in the AIDS era. With a flair for storytelling and a unique ability to see the deeper meanings embedded in popular culture, Herrera creates a history that will appeal to popular culture enthusiasts, theater aficionados, and those interested in the cultural history of Latinos. The book will also delight readers interested in the memorable (and many of the lesser-known) Latino performances on stage and screen.
Latino History and Culture by
Covering topics from the natural to the historical and beyond, the Smithsonian Q & A books are essential for any family reference shelf. Questions and answers are authoritative and accessible. Full-color illustrations and the Q & A format enable users to learn all about their favorite creatures and subjects. SMITHSONIAN Q & A: LATINO HISTORY & CULTURE will cover the history, culture, and society of Latinos in the United States from pre-colonial times to the present.
The Latino Reader by
"Compelling and enlightening" (Booklist), The Latino Reader covers nearly five centuries of an important American literary tradition in this groundbreaking anthology featuring a wide range of Latino voices. "Makes evident that works in Spanish have always been with us, helping to define and move American culture forward."--Nicolás Kanellos, founder and director of Arte Público Press With a broad and intriguing range of Latino voices and perspectives, from Cabeza de Vaca's mid-sixteenth-century writings to contemporary works from Cristina García and Sandra Cisneros, Harold Augenbraum and Margarite Fernández Olmos have collected history, memoirs, letters, essays, fiction, poetry, and drama into this essential anthology. Featuring work by writers not usually associated with the Latino tradition, notably poems by William Carlos Williams and fiction by John Rechy, The Latino Reader serves to highlight the substantial contribution this culture has made to American literature.
Latinos in the United States: Diversity and Change by
As the major driver of U.S. demographic change, Latinos are reshaping key aspects of the social, economic, political, and cultural landscape of the country. In the process, Latinos are challenging the longstanding black/white paradigm that has been used as a lens to understand racial and ethnic matters in the United States. In this book, Sáenz and Morales provide one of the broadest sociological examinations of Latinos in the United States. The book focuses on the numerous diverse groups that constitute the Latino population and the role that the U.S. government has played in establishing immigration from Latin America to the United States. The book highlights the experiences of Latinos in a variety of domains including education, political engagement, work and economic life, family, religion, health and health care, crime and victimization, and mass media. To address these issues in each chapter the authors engage sociological perspectives, present data examining major trends for both native-born and immigrant populations, and engage readers in thinking about the major issues that Latinos are facing in each of these dimensions. The book clearly illustrates the diverse experiences of the array of Latino groups in the United States, with some of these groups succeeding socially and economically, while other groups continue to experience major social and economic challenges. The book concludes with a discussion of what the future holds for Latinos. This book is essential reading for undergraduate and graduate students, social scientists, and policymakers interested in Latinos and their place in contemporary society.
Latinx by
The Latinx revolution in US culture, society, and politics "Latinx" (pronounced "La-teen-ex") is the gender-neutral term that covers one of the largest and fastest growing minorities in the United States, accounting for 17 percent of the country. Over 58 million Americans belong to the category, including a sizable part of the country's working class, both foreign and native-born. Their political empowerment is altering the balance of forces in a growing number of states. And yet Latinx barely figure in America's ongoing conversation about race and ethnicity. Remarkably, the US census does not even have a racial category for "Latino." In this groundbreaking discussion, Ed Morales explains how Latinx political identities are tied to a long Latin American history of mestizaje--"mixedness" or "hybridity"--and that this border thinking is both a key to understanding bilingual, bicultural Latin cultures and politics and a challenge to America's infamously black-white racial regime. This searching and long-overdue exploration of the meaning of race in American life reimagines Cornel West's bestselling Race Matters with a unique Latinx inflection.
Living in Spanglish by
Chicano. Cubano. Pachuco. Nuyorican. Puerto Rican. Boricua. Quisqueya. Tejano. To be Latino in the United States in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries has meant to fierce identification with roots, with forbears, with the language, art and food your people came here with. America is a patchwork of Hispanic sensibilities-from Puerto Rican nationalists in New York to more newly arrived Mexicans in the Rio Grande valley-that has so far resisted homogenization while managing to absorb much of the mainstream culture. "Living in Spanglish" delves deep into the individual's response to Latino stereotypes and suggests that their ability to hold on to their heritage, while at the same time working to create a culture that is entirely new, is a key component of America's future. In this book, Morales pins down a hugely diverse community-of Dominicans, Mexicans, Colombians, Cubans, Salvadorans and Puerto Ricans--that he insists has more common interests to bring it together than traditions to divide it. He calls this sensibility Spanglish, one that is inherently multicultural, and proposes that Spanglish "describes a feeling, an attitude that is quintessentially American. It is a culture with one foot in the medieval and the other in the next century." In "Living in Spanglish," Ed Morales paints a portrait of America as it is now, both embracing and unsure how to face an onslaught of Latino influence. His book is the story of groups of Hispanic immigrants struggling to move beyond identity politics into a postmodern melting pot.
Love in the Time of Cholera by
Set in a country on the Caribbean coast of South America, this is a story about a woman and two men and their entwined lives. From the author of the legendary One Hundred Years of Solitude.
Mexicans in the Making of America by
According to census projections, by 2050 nearly one in three U.S. residents will be Latino, and the overwhelming majority of these will be of Mexican descent. This dramatic demographic shift is reshaping politics, culture, and fundamental ideas about American identity. Neil Foley, a leading Mexican American historian, offers a sweeping view of the evolution of Mexican America, from a colonial outpost on Mexico's northern frontier to a twenty-first-century people integral to the nation they have helped build. Mexicans have lived in and migrated to the American West and Southwest for centuries. When the United States annexed those territories following the Mexican-American War in 1848, the unequal destinies of the two nations were sealed. Despite their well-established presence in farm fields, workshops, and military service, Mexicans in America have long been regarded as aliens and outsiders. Xenophobic fantasies of a tidal wave of Mexicans overrunning the borders and transforming "real America" beyond recognition have inspired measures ranging from Operation Wetback in the 1950s to Arizona's draconian SB 1070 anti-immigration law and the 700-mile security fence under construction along the U.S.-Mexican border today. Yet the cultural, linguistic, and economic ties that bind Mexico to the United States continue to grow. Mexicans in the Making of America demonstrates that America has always been a composite of racially blended peoples, never a purely white Anglo-Protestant nation. The struggle of Latinos to gain full citizenship bears witness to the continual remaking of American culture into something more democratic, egalitarian, and truer to its multiracial and multiethnic origins.
Our America by
The United States is still typically conceived of as an offshoot of England, with our history unfolding east to west beginning with the first English settlers in Jamestown. This view overlooks the significance of America's Hispanic past. With the profile of the United States increasingly Hispanic, the importance of recovering the Hispanic dimension to our national story has never been greater. This absorbing narrative begins with the explorers and conquistadores who planted Spain's first colonies in Puerto Rico, Florida, and the Southwest. Missionaries and rancheros carry Spain's expansive impulse into the late eighteenth century, settling California, mapping the American interior to the Rockies, and charting the Pacific coast. During the nineteenth century Anglo-America expands west under the banner of "Manifest Destiny" and consolidates control through war with Mexico. In the Hispanic resurgence that follows, it is the peoples of Latin America who overspread the continent, from the Hispanic heartland in the West to major cities such as Chicago, Miami, New York, and Boston. The United States clearly has a Hispanic present and future. And here is its Hispanic past, presented with characteristic insight and wit by one of our greatest historians.
Picturing the Barrio by
Mexican-American life, like that of nearly every contemporary community, has been extensively photographed. Yet there is surprisingly little scholarship on Chicano photography. Picturing the Barrio presents the first book-length examination on the topic. David William Foster analyzes the imagery of ten distinctive artists who offer a range of approaches to portraying Chicano life. The production of each artist is examined as an ideological interpretation of how Chicano experience is constructed and interpreted through the medium of photography, in sites ranging from the traditional barrio to large metropolitan societies. These photographers present artistic as well as documentary images of the socially invisible. They and their subjects grapple with definitions of identity, as well as ethnicity and gender. As such, this study deepens our understanding of the many interpretations of the "Chicano experience."
A Poet's Truth by
Among students and aficionados of contemporary literature, the work of Latina and Latino poets holds a particular fascination. Through works imbued with fire and passion, these writers have kindled new enthusiasm in their compatriots and admiration in non-Latino readers. This book brings together recent interviews with fifteen Latino/a poets, a cross-section of Chicano, Puerto Rican, and Cuban voices who discuss not only their work but also related issues that help define their place in American literature. Each talks at length about the craft of his or her poetry--both the influences and the process behind it--and takes a stand on social and political issues affecting Latinos across the United States. The interviews feature both established writers published as early as the 1960s and emerging artists, each of whom has enjoyed success in other literary forms also. As Bruce Dick's insightful questions reveal, the key threads linking these writers are their connections to their families and communities and their concern for civil rights--believing like Chicana writer Pat Mora that "the work of the poet is for the people." The interviews also reveal diversity among and within the three communities, from Victor Hernández Cruz, who traces Latino collective identity to Africa and claims that all Latinos are "swimming in olive oil," to Cuban writer Gustavo Perez Firmat, who considers nationality more important than ethnicity and says that "the term Latino erases [his] nationality." The dialogues also offer new insights on the place of Chicano/a writings in the U.S.-Mexico borderlands, on the Puerto Rican/Nuyorican establishment, and on the anti-Castro stand of Cuban-born poets. As these writers answer questions about their work, background, ethnic identity, and political ideology, they provide a wealth of biographical, intellectual, and literary material collected here for the first time. A Poet's Truth is a provocative and revealing book that not only conveys the fire of these writers' passions but also sheds important light on a whole literary movement.Interviews with: Miguel Algarín Martín Espada Sandra María Esteves Victor Hernández Cruz Carolina Hospital and Carlos Medina Demetria Martínez Pat Mora Judith Ortiz Cofer Ricardo Pau-Llosa Gustavo Pérez Firmat Leroy Quintana Aleida Rodríguez Luis Rodríguez Benjamin Alire Sáenz Virgil Suárez
The Poet X by
Winner of the National Book Award for Young People's Literature, the Michael L. Printz Award, and the Pura Belpré Award! Fans of Jacqueline Woodson, Meg Medina, and Jason Reynolds will fall hard for this astonishing New York Times-bestselling novel-in-verse by an award-winning slam poet, about an Afro-Latina heroine who tells her story with blazing words and powerful truth. Xiomara Batista feels unheard and unable to hide in her Harlem neighborhood. Ever since her body grew into curves, she has learned to let her fists and her fierceness do the talking. But Xiomara has plenty she wants to say, and she pours all her frustration and passion onto the pages of a leather notebook, reciting the words to herself like prayers--especially after she catches feelings for a boy in her bio class named Aman, who her family can never know about. With Mami's determination to force her daughter to obey the laws of the church, Xiomara understands that her thoughts are best kept to herself. So when she is invited to join her school's slam poetry club, she doesn't know how she could ever attend without her mami finding out. But she still can't stop thinking about performing her poems. Because in the face of a world that may not want to hear her, Xiomara refuses to be silent. "Crackles with energy and snaps with authenticity and voice." --Justina Ireland, author of Dread Nation "An incredibly potent debut." --Jason Reynolds, author of the National Book Award Finalist Ghost "Acevedo has amplified the voices of girls en el barrio who are equal parts goddess, saint, warrior, and hero." --Ibi Zoboi, author of American Street
Queer Brown Voices by
In the last three decades of the twentieth century, LGBT Latinas/os faced several forms of discrimination. The greater Latino community did not often accept sexual minorities, and the mainstream LGBT movement expected everyone, regardless of their ethnic and racial background, to adhere to a specific set of priorities so as to accommodate a "unified" agenda. To disrupt the cycle of sexism, racism, and homophobia that they experienced, LGBT Latinas/os organized themselves on local, state, and national levels, forming communities in which they could fight for equal rights while simultaneously staying true to both their ethnic and sexual identities. Yet histories of LGBT activism in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s often reduce the role that Latinas/os played, resulting in misinformation, or ignore their work entirely, erasing them from history. Queer Brown Voices is the first book published to counter this trend, documenting the efforts of some of these LGBT Latina/o activists. Comprising essays and oral history interviews that present the experiences of fourteen activists across the United States and in Puerto Rico, the book offers a new perspective on the history of LGBT mobilization and activism. The activists discuss subjects that shed light not only on the organizations they helped to create and operate, but also on their broad-ranging experiences of being racialized and discriminated against, fighting for access to health care during the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and struggling for awareness.
This Is How You Lose Her by
Finalist for the 2012 National Book Award A Time and People Top 10 Book of 2012 Finalist for the 2012 Story Prize Chosen as a notable or best book of the year by The New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, The LA Times, Newsday, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, the iTunes bookstore, and many more... "Electrifying." -The New York Times Book Review "Exhibits the potent blend of literary eloquence and street cred that earned him a Pulitzer Prize... Díaz's prose is vulgar, brave, and poetic." -O Magazine From the award-winning author, a stunning collection that celebrates the haunting, impossible power of love. On a beach in the Dominican Republic, a doomed relationship flounders. In a New Jersey laundry room, a woman does her lover's washing and thinks about his wife. In Boston, a man buys his love child, his only son, a first baseball bat and glove. At the heart of these stories is the irrepressible, irresistible Yunior, a young hardhead whose longing for love is equaled only by his recklessness--and by the extraordinary women he loves and loses. In prose that is endlessly energetic, inventive, tender, and funny, these stories lay bare the infinite longing and inevitable weakness of the human heart. They remind us that passion always triumphs over experience, and that "the half-life of love is forever."
The U. S. Latino Community by
Help readers attain the higher-level critical thinking and reading skills that are essential in a culture of diverse and contradictory opinions. This volume holds a collection of opposing essays across four chapters, over issues relating to the U.S. Latino Community. Readers will evaluate how the community is perceived, what immigration attitudes and polices affect the community, the political power that the community may hold, and the social issues that impact the U.S. Latino community.
The Words of Cesar Chavez by
César Chávez's relentless campaign for social justice for farm workers and laborers in the United States marked a milestone in U.S. history. Through his powerful rhetoric and impassioned calls to action, Chávez transformed as well as persuaded and inspired his audiences. In this first published anthology, Richard J. Jensen and John C. Hammerback present Chávez in his own terms. Through this collection and through his own words and analysis of his major speeches and writings, Jensen and Hammerback reveal the rhetorical qualities and underlying rhetorical dynamics of a master communicator and also offer a rich source of the history of the farm workers' movement Chávez led from the early 1960s to his death in 1993. Each chapter features a clear introductory section that helps the reader focus on the highlights that won Chávez a reputation as an effective communicator. The editors explain the sources of Chávez's motivation to campaign for farm workers, his selection of characteristic and signature rhetorical elements, and the success of specific campaigns and his overall career. The Words of César Chávez offers an important new resource for scholars of public discourse, Chicano studies, and César Chávez himself. It complements the editors' earlier study, The Rhetorical Career of César Chávez, by providing the primary materials for that rhetorical profile of Chávez. Through his own words, Jensen and Hammerback present Chávez doing what he did best: teaching and influencing audiences who would enact his agenda to create a new and better world.
The Woman Who Lost Her Soul by
Many of the folklore-based stories in this volume were published by Gonzalez in periodicals from the 1920s through the 1940s.
Bilingual Is Better by
For years immigrants were told that the only way for their children to embrace American culture was to leave behind their heritage language and speak only English. But what if this advice was based solely on political motives and not the wellbeing of children? What if the truth was that all children in America, regardless of their cultural background, would actually benefit from learning two languages? The answer to this question has sparked a new Latino parenting revolution that is changingthe face of America. Roxana and Ana, founders of the wildly successful parenting blog SpanglishBaby, are part of a growing movement of Latino parents who are proudly reclaiming their language and cultural heritage for themselves and their children. Laugh and cry with them as they stumble through the ups and downs of raising bilingual, bicultural children in America and discover themselves in the process. This inspiring parenting memoir includes practical tips and resources to help parents from all backgrounds give their children the benefits of bilingualism.Bilingual Is Betterdebunks old stereotypes while shedding new light on hot topics like bilingual education, cultural heritage, and what it really means to be Latino. A perfect blend of hilarious anecdotes and solid research, this book is a fun, engaging read which is sure to spark conversation and positive change. Roxana A. SotoandAna L. Floresco-founded the popular parenting blog SpanglishBaby, which was recently named a Must Read Mom's Blog byParentingmagazine. Both authors are well known, award-winning bilingual journalists.
Hispanic New York by
Over the past few decades, a wave of immigration has turned New York into a microcosm of the Americas and enhanced its role as the crossroads of the English- and Spanish-speaking worlds. Yet far from being an alien group within a "mainstream" and supposedly pure "Anglo" America, people referred to as Hispanics or Latinos have been part and parcel of New York since the beginning of the city's history. They represent what Walt Whitman once celebrated as "the Spanish element of our nationality." Hispanic New York is the first anthology to offer a comprehensive view of this multifaceted heritage. Combining familiar materials with other selections that are either out of print or not easily accessible, Claudio Iván Remeseira makes a compelling case for New York as a paradigm of the country's Latinoization. His anthology mixes primary sources with scholarly and journalistic essays on history, demography, racial and ethnic studies, music, art history, literature, linguistics, and religion, and the authors range from historical figures, such as José Martí, Bernardo Vega, or Whitman himself, to contemporary writers, such as Paul Berman, Ed Morales, Virginia Sánchez Korrol, Roberto Suro, and Ana Celia Zentella. This unique volume treats the reader to both the New York and the American experience, as reflected and transformed by its Hispanic and Latino components.
LatinX Voices by
LatinX Voices is the first undergraduate textbook that includes an overview of Hispanic/LatinX Media in the U.S. and gives readers an understanding of how media in the United States has transformed around this audience. Based on the authors' professional and research experience, and teaching broadcast media courses in the classroom, this text covers the evolving industry and offers perspective on topics related to Latin-American areas of interest. With professional testimonials from those who have left their mark in print, radio, television, film and new media, this collection of chapters brings together expert voices in Hispanic/LatinX media from across the U.S., and explains the impact of this population on the media industry today.
Latina/o Midwest Reader by
From 2000 to 2010, the Latino population increased by more than 73 percent across eight midwestern states. These interdisciplinary essays explore issues of history, education, literature, art, and politics defining today's Latina/o Midwest. Some contributors delve into the Latina/o revitalization of rural areas, where communities have launched bold experiments in dual-language immersion education while seeing integrated neighborhoods, churches, and sports teams become the norm. Others reveal metro areas as laboratories for emerging Latino subjectivities, places where for some, the term Latina/o itself corresponds to a new type of lived identity as different Latina/o groups interact in shared neighborhoods, schools, and workplaces. Eye-opening and provocative, The Latina/o Midwest Reader rewrites the conventional wisdom on today's Latina/o community and how it faces challenges--and thrives--in the heartland. Contributors: Aidé Acosta, Frances R. Aparicio, Jay Arduser, Jane Blocker, Carolyn Colvin, María Eugenia Cotera, Theresa Delgadillo, Lilia Fernández, Claire F. Fox, Felipe Hinojosa, Michael D. Innis-Jiménez, José E. Limón, Marta María Maldonado, Louis G. Mendoza, Amelia María de la Luz Montes, Kim Potowski, Ramón H. Rivera-Servera, Rebecca M. Schreiber, Omar Valerio-Jiménez, Santiago Vaquera-Vásquez, Darrel Wanzer-Serrano, Janet Weaver, and Elizabeth Willmore
Latina Writers by
Latina literature is one of the fastest growing areas of American literature today, and the impact Latina writers have had on the literary scene is undeniable. This volume features the most significant articles including peer-review essays, interviews, and reviews to bring together the best scholarship on Latina writers ever compiled. Learn about these authors' lives and extraordinary careers, as well as the social and political issues their works address. 10 signed articles, essays, and interviews are included in the volume, which encourage readers to examine Latina writers from a wide variety of theoretical perspectives, including feminism, postmodernism, postcolonialism, gender, border, linguistic, and pan-American studies. Also featured is an introduction by Ilan Stavans, one of the foremost authorities on Latino culture, to provide historical background and cultural context and suggestions for further reading to aid students in their research.
The Latino Question by
*Winner of the Latino Politics Book Award 2019*While so many Latino/Chicano Americans struggle in pursuit of the 'American dream', while figures such as Donald Trump are accepted in mainstream politics, and scaremongering and paranoia is rife, the need for a vivid, empirically grounded study on Latino politics, culture and society has never been greater.The Latino Question fulfils this need, offering a cutting-edge analysis of the transformative nature of Latino politics in the US. In a radical alternative to dominant ideas, the authors emphasise the importance of political economy for understanding Latino politics, culture and social issues. It draws from original research and a number of critical traditions including the thought of Karl Marx and Antonio Gramsci, to understand the politics of race and ethnicity in a modern capitalist society.Including case studies of how Latino/Chicano communities across the US are not only resisting, but also reinventing and transforming ethnic politics in the age of neoliberalism, this book is required reading for all those hoping to understand the 'Latino question' in contemporary America.
Undocumented Latino Youth by
Though often overlooked in heated debates, nearly 1.8 million undocumented immigrants are under the age of 18. How do immigration policies shape the lives of these young people? How do local and state laws that are seemingly unrelated to undocumented communities negatively affect them? Marisol Clark-Ibáñez delivers an intimate look at growing up as an undocumented Latino immigrant, analyzing the social and legal dynamics that shape everyday life in and out of school.
The Latino Generation by
Latinos are already the largest minority group in the United States, and experts estimate that by 2050, one out of three Americans will identify as Latino. Though their population and influence are steadily rising, stereotypes and misconceptions about Latinos remain, from the assumption that they refuse to learn English to questions of just how "American" they actually are. By presenting thirteen riveting oral histories of young, first-generation college students, Mario T. Garcia counters those long-held stereotypes and expands our understanding of what he terms "the Latino Generation." By allowing these young people to share their stories and struggles, Garcia reveals that these students and children of immigrants will be critical players in the next chapter of our nation's history. Collected over several years, the testimonios follow the history of the speakers in thought-provoking ways, reminding us that members of the Latino Generation are not merely a demographic group but, rather, real individuals, as American in their aspirations and loyalty as the members of any other ethnic group in the country.
Latino American Folktales by
Latino Americans have a powerful voice in society and a wealth of cultural traditions. Fundamental to those traditions are numerous folktales. Some are funny, some draw upon the supernatural, some look back on ancestral ways, and some capture the experience of Latinos in the United States. Written expressly for students and general readers, this book assembles and comments on a wide range of Latino American folktales. These are grouped in topical sections on origins; heroes, heroines, villains, and fools; society and conflict; and the supernatural. Each tale is introduced by a headnote, and the volume closes with a selected, general bibliography of print and electronic resources suitable for student research. Students of literature and language will value this book for its exploration of Latino American folktales, while students of history and society will welcome its illumination of the Latino American experience. The more than 30 tales are grouped in thematic sections on origins; heroes, heroines, villains, and fools; society and conflict; and the supernatural.
Where I Come From by
America's most prominent Latino chef shares the story behind his food, his family, and his professional journey Before Chef Aaron Sanchez rose to fame on shows like MasterChef and Chopped, he was a restless Mexican-American son, raised by a fiercely determined and talented woman who was a successful chef and restaurateur in her own right--she is credited with bringing Mexican cuisine to the New York City dining scene. In many ways, Sanchez, who lost his father at a young age, was destined to follow in his mother Zarela's footsteps. He spent nights as a child in his family's dining room surrounded by some of the most influential chefs and restaurateurs in New York. At 16, needing direction, he was sent by his mother to work for renowned chef Paul Prudhomme in New Orleans. In this memoir, Sanchez delves into his formative years with remarkable candor, injecting his story with adrenaline and revealing how he fell in love with cooking and started a career in the fast-paced culinary world. Sanchez shares the invaluable lessons he learned from his upbringing and his training--both inside and outside the kitchen--and offers an intimate look into the chaotic and untraditional life of a professional chef and television personality. This memoir is Sanchez's highly personal account of a fatherless Latino kid whose talent and passion took him to the top of his profession.
¡Muy Pop! by
Although investigations of Hispanic popular culture were approached for decades as part of folklore studies, in recent years scholarly explorations--of lucha libre, telenovelas, comic strips, comedy, baseball, the novela rosa and the detective novel, sci-fi, even advertising--have multiplied. What has been lacking is an overarching canvas that offers context for these studies, focusing on the crucial, framing questions: What is Hispanic pop culture? How does it change over time and from region to region? What is the relationship between highbrow and popular culture in the Hispanic world? Does it make sense to approach the whole Hispanic world as homogenized when understanding Hispanic popular culture? What are the differences between nations, classes, ethnic groups, religious communities, and so on? And what distinguishes Hispanic popular culture in the United States? In ¡Muy Pop!, Ilan Stavans and Frederick Luis Aldama carry on a sustained, free-flowing, book-length conversation about these questions and more, concentrating on a wide range of pop manifestations and analyzing them at length. In addition to making Hispanic popular culture visible to the first-time reader, ¡Muy Pop! sheds new light on the making and consuming of Hispanic pop culture for academics, specialists, and mainstream critics.
Chicano Communists and the Struggle for Social Justice by
In the 1930s and 1940s the early roots of the Chicano Movement took shape. Activists like Jesús Cruz, and later Ralph Cuarón, sought justice for miserable working conditions and the poor treatment of Mexican Americans and immigrants through protests and sit-ins. Lesser known is the influence that Communism and socialism had on the early roots of the Chicano Movement, a legacy that continues today. Examining the role of Mexican American working-class and radical labor activism in American history, Enrique M. Buelna focuses on the work of the radical Left, particularly the Communist Party (CP) USA. Buelna delves into the experiences of Cuarón, in particular, as well as those of his family. He writes about the family's migration from Mexico; work in the mines in Morenci, Arizona; move to Los Angeles during the Great Depression; service in World War II; and experiences during the Cold War as a background to exploring the experiences of many Mexican Americans during this time period. The author follows the thread of radical activism and the depth of its influence on Mexican Americans struggling to achieve social justice and equality. The legacy of Cuarón and his comrades is significant to the Chicano Movement and in understanding the development of the labor and civil rights movements in the United States. Their contributions, in particular during the 1960s and 1970s, informed a new generation to demand an end to the Vietnam War and to expose educational inequality, poverty, civil rights abuses, and police brutality.
Marching Students by
In 1968 over 10,000 Chicana/o high school students in East Los Angeles walked out of their schools in the first major protest against racism and educational inequality staged by Mexican Americans in the United States. They ignited the Mexican-American civil rights movement, which opened the doors to higher education and equal opportunity in employment for Mexican Americans and other Latinos previously excluded. Marching Students is a collaborative effort by Chicana/o scholars in several fields to place the 1968 walkouts and Chicana and Chicano Civil Rights Movement in historical context, highlighting the contribution of Chicana/o educators, students, and community activists to minority education. Contributors: Alejandro Covarrubias, Xico González, Eracleo Guevara, Adriana Katzew, Lilia R. De Katzew, Rita Kohli, Edward M. Olivos, Alejo Padilla, Carmen E. Quintana, Evelyn M. Rangel-Medina, Marianna Rivera, Daniel G. Solórzano, Carlos Tejeda
Finding Latinx : in search of the voices redefining Latino identity by 
The Hispanic American Experience by
The Hispanic American Experience shines a spotlight on Hispanic Americans and their many exciting contributions to American society. from musicians and artists to actors and athletes, Hispanic Americans enrich American life.
Hispanic Culture by
Hispanic Art And Culture Come To Life With Rich Illustrations.