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A review by jamgrl
Finding Latinx: In Search of the Voices Redefining Latino Identity by Paola Ramos
informative
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
This book is like an extra long special interest story, which makes it really easy to read. It is perhaps not as comprehensive as the description makes it seem- there is a lot of the U.S. that she doesn’t visit, for example- but I did learn about a variety of communities I didn’t know about and it gave me a lot to think about, leaving me wanting to learn more.
The book is quite political, which I appreciated- it questions and complicates our understandings of the political leanings and influence of Latinos across the US, which is largely what it is about. The downside of the way she approaches the subject is that most people she talks to are activists/very politically active in some way, so I’m not sure we get a strong sense of less politically engaged people, but the whole book is kind of like little snapshots and does the job of reminding us not to treat “Latinx” as a political monolith. And, we also learn about groups that are often not part of the conversation when we think of “Latino” or “Hispanic”, with a strong focus on indigenous people and a lot of conversation about racism and colorism in Latinx communities.
Overall, I appreciated this book and think it is a good entry into thinking about and learning about Latinx communities around the country.
Warning: It starts out very heavy- after the first two chapters, I was nervous to continue, but it lightens up as the book goes on.
The book is quite political, which I appreciated- it questions and complicates our understandings of the political leanings and influence of Latinos across the US, which is largely what it is about. The downside of the way she approaches the subject is that most people she talks to are activists/very politically active in some way, so I’m not sure we get a strong sense of less politically engaged people, but the whole book is kind of like little snapshots and does the job of reminding us not to treat “Latinx” as a political monolith. And, we also learn about groups that are often not part of the conversation when we think of “Latino” or “Hispanic”, with a strong focus on indigenous people and a lot of conversation about racism and colorism in Latinx communities.
Overall, I appreciated this book and think it is a good entry into thinking about and learning about Latinx communities around the country.
Warning: It starts out very heavy- after the first two chapters, I was nervous to continue, but it lightens up as the book goes on.