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A review by brice_mo
Defectors: The Rise of the Latino Far Right and What It Means for America by Paola Ramos
3.0
Thanks to NetGalley and Pantheon for the ARC!
Paola Ramos’s Defectors is an engaging exploration into three factors that have influenced the US Latino population’s rightward shift—tribalism, traditionalism, and trauma.
For better or worse, Defectors feels heavily shaped by Ramos’s tenure with VICE. The book is filled with deeply empathetic interviews, all of which form a nuanced picture of human complexity that avoids political simplifications. It’s intensely readable, and the author is so thoughtful toward her interviewees. That said, the book does not avoid simplifications altogether—the analysis often takes a backseat to the human interest aspects of the writing. Each chapter centers around a few richly described profiles, which are supplemented with Ramos’s own experience and some supporting research, but they typically don’t move very far beyond a basic takeaway like “People are motivated by fear of the other.” I really appreciate this style of writing online, but it feels underdeveloped here.
Ramos’s approach certainly doesn’t diminish the value of the book, but it does reframe it—it feels more concerned with the “who" and the “what” than the “why.” Defectors excels at showing how far-right alignment has a real impact on real lives, but only certain chapters offer insight into its appeal. For example, Ramos’s exploration of Christian nationalism effectively shapes a great deal of history and theology into a compelling argument, and the chapter on the dissemination of misinformation is similarly focused. Unfortunately, the writing style feels less coherent in chapters that use Latino identity as a lens for analysis rather than its subject. Several of these chapters feel a little too general to be relevant; while these sections are still interesting, they feel like part of a different book because they prioritize universality over the specificity that defines the stronger chapters.
Speaking of the book’s strengths, “Part III: Trauma” showcases Ramos at the height of her ability, and her analysis of political habits as a trauma response feels very insightful. Here, the author interviews a few people with a politically flexible penchant for extremism, and she gracefully articulates how a generational fear of communism can motivate such behavior. It’s in moments like this that Defectors reaches its potential, but they feel like glimpses of a different book—one that looks beyond documentation and toward interpretation.
These are, perhaps, the limits of journalism, but I found myself wanting a little more.
Paola Ramos’s Defectors is an engaging exploration into three factors that have influenced the US Latino population’s rightward shift—tribalism, traditionalism, and trauma.
For better or worse, Defectors feels heavily shaped by Ramos’s tenure with VICE. The book is filled with deeply empathetic interviews, all of which form a nuanced picture of human complexity that avoids political simplifications. It’s intensely readable, and the author is so thoughtful toward her interviewees. That said, the book does not avoid simplifications altogether—the analysis often takes a backseat to the human interest aspects of the writing. Each chapter centers around a few richly described profiles, which are supplemented with Ramos’s own experience and some supporting research, but they typically don’t move very far beyond a basic takeaway like “People are motivated by fear of the other.” I really appreciate this style of writing online, but it feels underdeveloped here.
Ramos’s approach certainly doesn’t diminish the value of the book, but it does reframe it—it feels more concerned with the “who" and the “what” than the “why.” Defectors excels at showing how far-right alignment has a real impact on real lives, but only certain chapters offer insight into its appeal. For example, Ramos’s exploration of Christian nationalism effectively shapes a great deal of history and theology into a compelling argument, and the chapter on the dissemination of misinformation is similarly focused. Unfortunately, the writing style feels less coherent in chapters that use Latino identity as a lens for analysis rather than its subject. Several of these chapters feel a little too general to be relevant; while these sections are still interesting, they feel like part of a different book because they prioritize universality over the specificity that defines the stronger chapters.
Speaking of the book’s strengths, “Part III: Trauma” showcases Ramos at the height of her ability, and her analysis of political habits as a trauma response feels very insightful. Here, the author interviews a few people with a politically flexible penchant for extremism, and she gracefully articulates how a generational fear of communism can motivate such behavior. It’s in moments like this that Defectors reaches its potential, but they feel like glimpses of a different book—one that looks beyond documentation and toward interpretation.
These are, perhaps, the limits of journalism, but I found myself wanting a little more.