Mexicanos: A History of Mexicans in the United States Book

"Exhaustive and destined for controversy, this survey of the historical literature about Mexicans in what has become the United States is also a critique of the Chicano studies field. . . . In the end, Gonzales brings a bracing perspective to this epic story." --Publishers Weekly "A thoughtful, thorough survey of events in the history of Mexican-Americans, Chicanos, Mexicanos, Hispanos, and Latinos." --Kirkus Reviews " . . . Gonzales's overview [takes] advantage of significant new scholarship on a variety of subjects over the past two decades; he incorporates that material gracefully in his narrative of more than two centuries of Mexican American history."--Booklist "The author is also especially good in weaving relevant historical developments in Mexico throughout the analysis. This, in particular, should set this book apart from others in the field, and adds a much needed transnational dimension to Mexican American history. . . . [A] readable, engaging, and lively synthesis." -David G. Gutierrez, University of California, San Diego Rather than studying Mexican American history from the militant perspective so popular in recent decades, this book offers a fresh reassessment of that past which paints a more nuanced portrait of Mexican American life. Victimization and resistance are not the only themes that thread their way through this complex history. Gonzales's narrative embraces all segments of a heterogeneous community, not just the heroes who loom so large in movement portrayals. Moreover, in contrast to older studies, Gonzales's book probes the failures as well as the successes of the community. The result is a timely and valuable new history that is both fair and balanced.Read More