Unputdownable books that speak to Chicano politics, identity, and culture.
Via wikipedia.org
As U.S. policymakers continue the back-and-forth debate on immigration reform and, yet again, only the ills of the U.S.–Mexico border dominate the popular media, it becomes essential to read the words of Chicano writers who explore the complexities of that particular Latino landscape through story, personal narrative, and poetry.
Chicano is a politicized identity that recognizes a Mexican ancestry, that places its unique American experiences at the center of the conversation, away from the margins, and that believes, quite simply, in speaking for itself. Its literary lineage dates back to the social movements of the 1960s, when poetry, storytelling and theater participated in expressing the Chicano community's gains and challenges as it fought for political agency and pushed back against egregious misrepresentations of its people. Indeed, the struggle, or la lucha, continues and so does the work of Chicano writers who bear witness from the inside.
Of course, not all Chicano writers direct their imaginations toward the U.S.–Mexico border, but they do examine other preoccupations (history, feminism, and queerness, which at times overlap with border politics) with the same passion and creativity. The following is a list of recent or forthcoming titles I strongly recommend.
The Boy Kings of Texas by Domingo Martinez
Martinez’s memoir about growing up in the border town of Brownsville, Texas, just across from Matamoros, Mexico, provides incredible insights into how difficult it is for a young man to shake the dominance of machismo that afflicts his psyche, household, and neighborhood. Martinez must take charge and become the protagonist of his story in order to accept his contrasting path toward masculinity.
Available from Lyons Press
A Tongue in the Mouth of the Dying by Laurie Ann Guerrero
This book of poems by a young poet who was just named poet laureate of San Antonio takes a great risk in exploring one of the most conflicted figures of Mexican history, La Malinche. Guerrero deconstructs the familiar narrative of La Malinche’s betrayal in service to the Spanish colonizers, and uncovers a startling legacy in the way gender expectations affecting women today are haunted (and empowered) by the specter of La Malinche’s alleged offenses.
Available from University of Notre Dame Press
