The Latina/o Midwest Reader Edited by Omar Valerio-Jiménez, Santiago Vasquera-Vásquez, and Claire F. Fox

Abstract

In their introduction to The Latina/o Midwest Reader, the editors state that one of the motivations for this volume was the need to dispel the notion that Latinas/os are newcomers to the Midwest. The continuous Latina/o presence in this area since the 1880s becomes a thread that connects a wide variety of topics, methodologies, and perspectives, even if sometimes at the cost of unavoidable repetition of historical facts throughout the volume. The text is ambitious in scope, as it sets to recognize, document, and celebrate both the past and present of very diverse Latina/o Midwest populations, from large urban centers to small rural communities, while trying at the same time to compare these narratives to those that characterize other areas of established Latina/o immigration in the country.