Summary
Fostering creativity due to adversity or poverty or by breaking rules of stoic propriety, the resiliency and spirit of Latino writers, journalists, and editors bring pride and significance to their heritage. Since European colonization of what would become the United States began in 1542, Latinos have documented both their experiences and the experiences of others. Latino Writers and Journalists profiles 151 Latino Americans, such as Rubén Martínez, Sandra Cisneros, and Isabel Allende. This exciting volume profiles the valor and tenacity of the Latino experience—from daily life to fighting prejudice and small-mindedness, teaching children pride in La Raza, and the need for assimilation. Filled with emotion and intelligence, the stories of Latino writers and journalists speak of courage and a love of life as they claim their rightful place in literature and journalism.
Entries in this biographical volume focus on poets, playwrights, screenwriters, children's book authors, publishers, and others. More than one-third of the subjects were personally interviewed by the author. Whether an individual was born in the United States or emigrated from such countries as Mexico, Chile, Ecuador, or Spain, each Latino profiled has made significant contributions to the fields of writing and journalism in the United States. Additional features include a bibliography that provides listings of anthologies, biographies, critical studies, and literary movements pertaining to Latino writers and journalists. One subject index allows the reader to search by such subjects as "Chicano movement" and "magical realism." Other indexes organize subjects by their year of birth and by their ethnicity. This entertaining volume is enhanced throughout by numerous black-and-white photographs of the Latino writers and journalists presented.
Specifications
Black-and-white photographs. General index. Subject indexes. Bibliography. Further reading.
About the Author(s)
Jamie Martinez Wood holds a B.A. in communications and public relations from California University. She has studied Spanish, Chicano studies, and Latino women in literature at California University and has advanced her studies of the Hispanic culture by becoming a member of the Orange County Mexican American Historic Society. She is very active in promoting literature for the local community, in particular the Latino community, has participated and spoken at the Latino Book and Family Festival, and has been a guest author at the Festival of Books at UCLA. Affiliated with the Martinez Bookstore, which promotes Latino literature and art, she speaks regularly at local racially mixed elementary schools for authors' fairs and special events and as a guest literature teacher. She is the author of five nonfiction books, including The Hispanic Baby Name Book, and is a member of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, as well as Las Comadres, a networking group of supportive Latinas.