Latinos : a biography of the people

Author / Creator

Shorris, Earl, 1936-2012

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Summary

"They are sometimes called the people who died twice, once at the hands of the Spaniards and their brutal process of civilization, more recently at the hands of Anglos, practicing a subtler exploit...

"They are sometimes called the people who died twice, once at the hands of the Spaniards and their brutal process of civilization, more recently at the hands of Anglos, practicing a subtler exploitation. They are Latinos, the fastest growing minority in the United States; this book explores their lives and their history as descendants of the Spanish conquest of the native populations of the New World." "When he was looking for the proper collective designation for the Spanish-speaking peoples of America, Earl Shorris was admonished: "You must tell them we are not all alike!" He took the advice to heart, and as his book makes wonderfully clear through biographical sketches of Mexican-Americans, Cuban-Americans, Puerto Ricans, and others - rich and poor, strivers and fatalists - this fiercely guarded diversity is at once the glory and the undoing of the Latinos. On one hand is the exuberant vitality of Latino culture as expressed in music, literature, and art. On the other, the rivalry and prejudice between these groups have abetted the forces of Anglo society in preventing Latinos, collectively, from assuming a significant role in the politics and economy of the United States." "Shorris's deeply moving narrative, enlivened by many portraits of people struggling with the burden of a rich and terrible history, illuminates every aspect of the Latino experience, from language to education, to social and political organization. It is an account that inspires sympathy, understanding, coraje (righteous anger), and hope."--BOOK JACKET.

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