Hispanics/Latinos in the United States : ethnicity, race, and rights /

Hispanics are one of the fastest growing minority groups in the US, but also one of the least understood. This diverse collection of excellent essays dealing with Hispanic identity, empowerment, affirmative action, and the people's connection to the political system does a lot to bring understanding to a complex group. As the essays point out, the problem with understanding Hispanics is the diversity among this group. The word Hispanic has always been a convenient term to lump together all persons with origins in Latin America, but it is filled with problems. A recent immigrant from the Dominican Republic has little connection to the experiences of a Mexican American from Texas or New Mexico whose family might well predate that region's conquest by the US. US society is dominated by the issue of race and several essays in the book focus on this topic, examining the inclusion of black Hispanics in the context of prevailing concepts concerning race. All collections. R. S. Guerra; University of Texas--Pan American