Great Lives from History: Latinos Review

Tuesday, February 27, 2018 11:01:27 PM
"This revised and updated second edition introduces students to the lives of notable Latinx Americans. Academic experts in Latinx history have contributed 565 articles on individuals able to trace ancestral heritage to one of the 20 countries or territories in Latin America. Each essay summarizes the subject's life story and places major accomplishments into context. The three volume work anticipates high-school curricula based upon precise selection criteria identified in introductory notes. A sampling of recognizable figures from both past and present includes Elizabeth Acevedo, Alexander Hamilton, Albert Pujols, Óscar de la Renta, Sonia Sotomayor, and Patricia Zavella. The work also expands into a wide range of fields covering scientists, artists, athletes, business and political leaders, doctors, philosophers, inventors, and notable figures in numerous other significant areas. This biographical collection features reliable reference guideposts, such as contents, sidebars, photographs, bibliographies, websites, and indexes, all useful for those beginning in research. This informative resource can help combat prejudice and current political vitriol. Recommended for high-school and undergraduate researchers and general-interest readers."
- Booklist

… “Great Lives from History: Latinos is an easy-to-use reference resource that will appeal to high-school readers and up. Each entry provides a good overview of the individual along with an annotated list of suggested readings that the reader can consult for further information.” …

… “the depth and breadth of these three volumes offer readers a great jumping off point for their research.” …

-Against the Grain

“Great Lives from History Latinos, another set in the superb series Great Lives from History, fully covers 514 Latino people in 3 volumes with 1,000- to 2,000-word narratives. All three volumes have a contents page, a useful key to pronunciation, and a complete list of contents. Volume 3 lists the Latino individuals additionally with appendixes: organizations and societies, literary bibliography, mediagraphy, chronological list of entries by year of birth, research centers and libraries, bibliography, and Website directory. Volume 3 also offers three handy indexes including category index showing people by their fame, geographic index sharing which Latin American countries the Latinos are from, and a subject index. Each narration shares further reading in the form of an annotated bibliography. The narratives tell readers the Latino's history, what they are most known for, special names, and where they came into the world, lived, are living now, or died. More than 400 pictures accompany the three volumes and serve to capture the reader's attention while learning about the legendary Latinos. The back cover of the magnificent publication provides a code used to search the online availability of Great Lives from History Latinos without a fee. Some well-known Latinos portrayed are Jennifer Lopaz, Rita Moreno, Desi Arnaz, Carmen Miranda, Mariah Carey, Ricardo Montalban, Anthony Quinn, Ricky Martin, and Rita Hayworth. All academic and public libraries should add this reference work to their collection for patrons wanting well-researched data on extraordinary Latinos.”
-ARBA

“Tafolla, an award-winning author of Chicana literature for children and adults (Univ. of Texas at San Antonio Coll. of Education and Human Development) and librarian and activist Cotera (Diosa y Hembra: The History and Heritage of Chicanas in the U.S.; The Chicana Feminist) provide brief biographical essays covering 518 figures from Latino history. Those featured are “of at least partial Hispanic ancestry who were or are American citizens or who have resided or worked in the United States long enough to become identified with the Spanish-speaking Latino community.” They represent a wide range of occupations, from entertainment (Desi Arnaz, Rita Hayworth) to athletics (Teddy Bruschi, Tony Romo). Each of the well-written essays is divided into the sections “Early Life,” “Life’s Work,” and “Significance” before closing with further-reading suggestions and cross-references to other figures in similar fields. Included in the purchase is access to the online version of the full content of the printed work.

VERDICT A useful tool for those beginning their research on prominent figures in Latino history, this will be a solid addition to secondary libraries that need to update their collective biographies as well as their history collection.”
-Library Journal