Latinos are already the largest minority group in the United States, and experts estimate that by 2050, one out of three Americans will identify as Latino. Though their population and influence are steadily rising, stereotypes and misconceptions about Latinos remain, from the assumption that they refuse to learn English to questions of just how ""American"" they actually are. By presenting thirteen riveting oral histories of young, first-generation college students, Mario T. Garcia counters those long-held stereotypes and expands our understanding of what he terms ""the Latino Generation."" By allowing these young people to share their stories and struggles, Garcia reveals that these students and children of immigrants will be critical players in the next chapter of our nation's history.
Collected over several years, the testimonios follow the history of the speakers in thought-provoking ways, reminding us that members of the Latino Generation are not merely a demographic group but rather real individuals, as American in their aspirations and loyalty as the members of any other ethnic group in the country.
Mario T. Garcia is professor of Chicano studies and history at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He is author of Blowout!: Sal Castro and the Chicano Struggle for Educational Justice.
Skillfully written, The Latino Generation goes beyond any stereotypical views that many Americans may have toward Latinos."" - Santa Fe New Mexican
""Garcia has generated an interesting cross-sectional portrait of the largest ethnic minority in the nation."" - El Paso Time
""An outstanding analysis of the new Latino Generation as a way to explain the significance of a new America that is developing."" - Southwestern Historical Quarterly
