cover image His Panic: Why Americans Fear Hispanics in the U.S.

His Panic: Why Americans Fear Hispanics in the U.S.

Geraldo Rivera. Penguin Books, $24.95 (262pp) ISBN 978-0-451-22414-9

With lengthy anecdotes and limited analysis, journalist Rivera attempts to change the negative misconceptions about Hispanic migrants in this exploration of illegal immigration in the US today. Often reading like a rebuttal to the pundits and politicians he's come to blows with throughout his storied career-Lou Dobbs, Rep. Tom Tancredo, Michelle Malkin and others-Rivera's counterarguments frequently come in the form of Latino success stories such as Eddie Olmos and Cheech Marin (with whom, as he never misses an opportunity to mention, Rivera maintains close, personal relationships). More worthy sections deftly refute claims that illegal immigrants have hurt the economy, using strident statistical evidence and cagey reasoning. Rivera's wide net can lead to rambling; the immigration stance of Cesar Chavez and race relations in Miami are notable digressions. His most poignant (and fresh) argument comes in his closing statement, that the burgeoning Latino voting bloc, alienated by conservative immigration vitriol, could very well be the undoing of the GOP in 2008. Astute observations such as this save what could ultimately been written off as another Al Capone's Vault.