Description
Book Synopsis"Latinx" (pronounced 'La-teen-ex) is the gender-neutral term that covers the largest racial minority in the United States, 17 percent of the country. This is the fastest-growing sector of American society, containing the most immigrants. It is the poorest ethnic group in the country, whose political empowerment is altering the balance of forces in a growing number of states. And yet, Latin barely figure in America's racial conversation-the US census does not even have a category for "Latino." In this groundbreaking discussion, Ed Morales explains how Latin political identities are tied to a long Latin American history of mestizaje, translatable as "mixedness" or "hybridity", and that this border thinking is both a key to understanding bilingual, bicultural Latin cultures and politics and a challenge to America's infamously black/white racial regime. This searching and long-overdue exploration of a crucial development in American life updates Cornel West's bestselling
Race Matters with a Latin inflection.
Trade ReviewAn important contribution. * Morning Star *
The book's deep dive into the crosscurrents of Latinx identity is a powerful reminder that, as Americans wrestle with questions about who is and who is not 'American' - and, indeed, questions about what it means to be an American in the 21st century - the nation can benefit immensely from the robust inclusion and understanding of a community that has spent generations grappling with nearly every facet of its own identity. -- Julian Castro * The New York Times *
The term Latinx is here to stay, and according to journalist and author Ed Morales, it's reflective of the mixed-race and multicultural history of Latinos - and our country's future.Ed Morales examines how Latinx people figure into America's conversations about race and ethnicity, while exploring the contradictions surrounding Latino American identity. -- Raul A. Reyes * NBC News *
A sprawling study of Hispanic identity in the United States.Ed Morales stresses the "in-between space" that Latinos inhabit, crossing racial, national, cultural and gender identities and sometimes falling into the cracks. -- Carlos Lozada * Washington Post *
