Everything You Need to Know About Latino History: 2008 Edition

by Himilce Novas

Overview

The popular primer to Latino life and culture?updated for 2008

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781101213537
Publisher:	Temple Publications International, Inc.
Publication date:	11/27/2007
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	eBook
Pages:	432
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Novas is the author of numerous works of fiction and non-fiction. Her fiction works include Mangos, Bananas and Coconuts: A Cuban Love Story (Arte Público Press, 1996; Riverhead/Penguin, 1997 paperback) and Princess Papaya (Arte Publico Press, 2005). Among her works of non-fiction are the popular Everything You Need to Know About Latino History (Plume/Penguin 1994;1997;2003); Latin American Cooking Across the USA (Knopf, 1997); La Buena Mesa (Knopf, 1997); Latino Art and Culture in the United States (The National Museum of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 1996); Everything You Need to Know about Asian American History (Plume/Penguin, 1996; 2003 ); The Hispanic 100: A Ranking of the Latino Men and Women Who Have Most Influenced American Thought and Culture (Citadel Press, 1995); Remembering Selena: A Tribute in Pictures and Words / Recordando a Selena: Un tributo en palabras y fotos (St. Martin's Press, 1995).

Himilce Novas has taught literature and writing as visiting author at vatious colleges and universities, among them the University of California at Santa Barbara (UCSB), Wellesley College and Tulane University and continues to speak on Latino history and culture at colleges across the country. She spans both coasts and currently resides in the West.

Editorial Reviews

Designed for "interactive reading," this book is organized in a question-and-answer format that allows one to look up specific information (e.g., "What Were the Zoot Suit Riots?") or to read from cover to cover. Chapters include the following: definitions and overview; the Hispanic, African, and indigenous roots of today's Latinos; the newest immigrants-Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, Cubans, Dominicans, and Central Americans; the political impact of Hispanics in the United States; and famous Latinos. Overall, the tone of the work is light-hearted; the all-too-frequent instances of Anglo-Latino duplicity (and even Latino-Latino antagonisms) are treated with a measure of good humor and without rancor. Sources for further reading are current and ample. This is both an informative and entertaining volume, written in a conversational, colloquial style. Recommended for general readership.-Charles E. Perry, East Central Univ., Ada, Okla.

Library Journal

If present demographic trends continue, Latinos will emerge as the largest ethnic minority in the U.S. within a decade. Despite recent efforts at multicultural education, most U.S. citizens (including most Latinos) remain woefully ignorant regarding the history and contributions of those who trace their cultural roots to Spanish-speaking countries. Using a question-and-answer format, Novas significantly alleviates that deficit. In a snappy, rapid-fire manner, she provides loads of useful and frequently surprising information. For example, of the 5,000 U.S. casualties during the Spanish-American War, only 379 were battlefield related; the balance were from a variety of tropical diseases. During the Mexican War, both Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant protested against the "injustice" of that conflict. In a broader sense, Novas provides an invaluable service by illustrating the rich diversity of Latino culture in the U.S. This book is suitable for the general reader and can be utilized in teaching multicultural studies at the high-school level.

Jay Freeman