Latino Literacy: The Complete Guide to Our Hispanic History and Culture

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, nearly 10% of our population is Latino, a term used to define ""people of various racial backgrounds whose ancestors lived in Spain or Latin America."" De Verona attempts to provide a guide--in three parts: history, culture and people--to understanding the impact of America's rapidly expanding minority. Though at times confusing in its organization (obvious omissions from the ""people"" section end up listed in the ""culture"" section and vice versa), this book serves as a starting point. De Varona divides 500 years of Latino history into two parts: first is the Spanish-American history from Columbus until the 1854 Gadsden Purchase; second is Latino-American history that continues through the Spanish-American War (here called the Spanish-Cuban-American War) and the continuing dissent over Castro (de Varona steers adroitly here). Not all of the Hispanic influences are as obvious, e.g., the extensive Spanish contribution to the look of New Orleans' French Quarter or Walt Disney (ne Jose Luis Guirao to a philandering doctor in Spain, according to one ""credible but unconfirmed source""). The criteria for defining contributions to our culture is baffling at times, however, as in the book's literature section, where de Verona includes only works that characterize the American experience and omits more reflective works by Latinos, such as Julia Alvarez's In Time of the Butterflies. (Dec.)