Latinoland A portrait of America's largest and least understood minority

The celebrated Arana (Silver, Sword, and Stone: Three Crucibles in the Latin American Story, 2019) unpacks one of the most contentious demographic categories in the U.S. by examining race, religion, politics, and professions among Latinos. Beginning with her own story of migration, which took her from her birthplace of Peru to New Jersey, Arana widens the aperture and dials back time, all the way to the first Latino to set foot on Manhattan in 1613, a Dominican named Juan Rodriguez. Arana's keen grasp of history and incisive writing bring each chapter to life, whether she's calling out the CIA for its role in seeding coups across Latin America or connecting the casta paintings of colonial Mexico to the frustrating inadequacy of contemporary census forms. Arana also zooms in on everyday individuals who embody the contradictions of Latino identity, such as Isabella Do-Orozco, an undergraduate student at MIT, who identifies as an Asian Latina and doesn't feel completely at home in either culture. Other examples include celebrities, among them Anna Taylor-Joy, a blonde, light-skinned actress of Argentine heritage. In her sympathetic snapshots and deeply researched reporting, Arana tells a compelling story of Latinos as "mutable, uncertain creatures, protean in our very selves--the bewildered offspring of centuries of cross-fertilization and chance."

An impressively wide-ranging overview of the turbulent history of Latine people in America. Arana, the inaugural literary director of the Library of Congress, has always been ambitious in her work, from American Chica to Bolivar to Lima Nights. In her latest book, which ably blends historical research with insightful anecdotes, she sets out to tell the story of the people who have come from the Spanish-speaking countries of Central and South America to the U.S., a project that she, as a person of half American, half Peruvian background, is well placed to undertake. The author admits that this vast history is too much for a single book, so she breaks it into a series of illustrative vignettes and interviews. "The U.S. Bureau of the Census predicts that, by 2060, Americans of Hispanic descent will total 111.2 million--almost 30 percent of the people in this country," writes Arana. "The great majority of us are American born, speak English as well as any native, are employed, obey the law, work hard." People from Latin America are a melting pot of nationalities, ethnicities, and skin tones, with strains of European, African, and Asian DNA. There is a dark history of racism against the Latinx population, but it seems to be weakening, with many Latine Americans moving up the economic ladder. In fact, Arana wonders whether it's still possible to speak of Latine culture in the United States at all. She eventually gives a resounding affirmation, concluding that "the business of identity may be complicated, the political affiliation shifty, but, as contradictory as it sounds, Latino unity is surprisingly hale and strong." Though the author may not answer all the questions she asks, this book is a significant, engaging read. Arana has a fascinating, complex, and deeply personal story to tell, and she narrates it with abundant verve and intelligence. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.