Encyclopedia of the Mexican American civil rights movement /

This encyclopedia addresses the need for a reference source that provides a basic understanding of the struggle for civil rights by Mexican Americans. Meier (author of other reference books about Mexican Americans including Notable Latino Americans: A Biographical Dictionary, CH, Nov'97) and Gutierrez (Mexican American and Latino Studies Librarian, Univ. of Texas) have organized a compact work that describes specific organizations, key personalities, court cases, historical incidents, and concepts like leadership and political participation. Clear, readable entries are predominantly a page or less in length, but all include see also references and suggested further readings. The work's greatest strength is its biographical coverage, but the history of legal battles is also well represented. Six appendixes include a helpful chronology, a list of acronyms, important legal documents, and notes on Spanish pronunciation. Although entries are arranged alphabetically, a useful index provides deeper access to concepts, events, and people within the text. A timely resource highly recommended for all academic and public libraries. J. H. Pollitz; St. Ambrose University

Containing biographical sketches, organizational histories, legislative summaries, and court cases, this work covers the Chicano, or Mexican American (used interchangeably), civil rights movement from the 1836 Texas revolt to the current debate over bilingualism. Arranged alphabetically, each entry ranges in length from one paragraph to two pages and contains a list of cross-references. Probably the most useful feature is the bibliographic citations at the end of each entry. The book concludes with several appendixes: a chronology, the text of the U.S. Bill of Rights and the Fourteenth Amendment, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, a list of acronyms, notes on Spanish pronunciation, and a general index. Co-compiled by Meier, a prolific author and editor of works on Mexican-Americans, this volume both updates and revises many of the civil rights entries in his previously coauthored book, Dictionary of Mexican American History (1981), which did not contain the helpful bibliographic references. Although this work fills a void in the reference literature on one of America's fastest-growing minority groups, the quality of some entries mars the reference value. Black civil rights influence, Chicano studies departments, and Racism are much too superficial, and no entry (at least easily identified by subject entry) discusses the complex relations among the various Hispanic groups throughout the country. The chronology is fairly skimpy and the appendixes could have been expanded with more pertinent documents, such as tables listing bibliographic information for important newspapers and periodicals, demographic statistics, and the number of Chicano-studies programs. Nevertheless, this work does provide much useful and hard-to-find information. Future editions should make needed revisions to enhance the reference value. Recommended for academic and larger public libraries serving interests in Mexican American culture and history.