The Latino Reader: An American Literary Tradition from 1542 to the Present

From the Publisher

"Anthologies of Latino literature abound, and rightly so, but most focus on contemporary authors. Augenbraum and Olmos dig deeper, tracing the roots of this vibrant literary tradition all the way back to the mid-sixteenth century. They have selected strikingly effective works of history, memoirs, letters, essays, poetry, drama, and fiction, including texts translated into English for the first time, creating a broad range of voices and perspectives. The volume begins with Alva Nunez Cabeza de Vaca's Account, a chronicle of a disastrous 1527 expedition in the Southwest that is emblematic of all encounters between Spanish conquistadores and the indigenous peoples of the Americas. This powerful piece serves as the anthology's overture, and establishes Latino literature's key cultural and political themes. Other compelling and enlightening offerings include works by William Carlos Williams, a poet whose Puerto Rican heritage has rarely been considered integral to his poetic innovations; novelist John Rechy; Cleofas Jaramillo, a descendent of hispano pioneers; and a host of remarkable Latino writers prominent in decades past but overlooked in recent compilations." Booklist, ALA

Library Journal

The compilers, scholars who have studied and written about the Latino population in the United States, have put together an anthology of literary works dealing with the panorama of Latino writings in the United States. The selections range widely, from Cabeza de Vaca's 1542 description of the South to recent excerpts from Cuban, Puerto Rican, and Mexican American authors. The collection is primarily literary though it does include some historical, autobiographical, and essay excerpts. It offers what would be expected in this type of anthology, with an occasional surprise, such as an excerpt from John Rechy's novel City of Night. Readers will be primarily college and university students, but this will also be of value to smaller public libraries with limited Latino collections. [Editor Augenbraum is a longtime LJ reviewer.-Ed.]-Mark L. Grover, Brigham Young Univ., Provo, Utah