Malaquias Montoya /

Malaquias Montoya's trajectory as an artist is expansive and diverse. A central artistic figure in the Chicano movement, his core message, however, has always remained the same: working in favor of human rights and as a strong advocate against injustice--working, as he states, as a voice to the voiceless. Independent curator Romo offers an account that is exhaustive in its presentation, not only of Montoya's life and the cultural and political issues of his times, but also in showing the sources and development of the work and writings that emerge from them. Montoya's media--painting, printmaking, and muralism--along with his involvement with the Mexican American Liberation Art Front and his educational role as a college professor, are shown within a broader agenda of political art making and of his commitment to the Latino and immigrant communities. The book's structure is primarily biographical and, through it, Romo discusses Montoya's key ideas, influences from and connections to other artists, and specific events that have become central to the work. She also presents emblematic works (many beautifully reproduced in color), explaining their production and symbols as well as their relationship to Montoya's writings. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and above; general readers. L. E. Carranza Roger Williams University