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Latino Americans: The 500-Year Legacy That Shaped a Nation
Chronicling the rich and varied history of Latinos in the United States, this companion to the PBS documentary miniseries vividly and candidly tells how the story of Latino Americans is the story of our country.
Latino Americans chronicles the rich and varied history of Latinos, who have helped shaped our nation and have become, with more than fifty million people, the largest minority in the United States.
Author and acclaimed journalist Ray Suarez explores the lives of Latino American men and women over a five-hundred-year span, encompassing an epic range of experiences from the early European settlements to Manifest Destiny; the Wild West to the Cold War; the Great Depression to globalization; and the Spanish-American War to the civil rights movement.
Latino Americans shares the personal struggles and successes of immigrants, poets, soldiers, and many others—individuals who have made an impact on history, as well as those whose extraordinary lives shed light on the times in which they lived, and the legacy of this incredible American people.
Latino Americans chronicles the rich and varied history of Latinos, who have helped shaped our nation and have become, with more than fifty million people, the largest minority in the United States.
Author and acclaimed journalist Ray Suarez explores the lives of Latino American men and women over a five-hundred-year span, encompassing an epic range of experiences from the early European settlements to Manifest Destiny; the Wild West to the Cold War; the Great Depression to globalization; and the Spanish-American War to the civil rights movement.
Latino Americans shares the personal struggles and successes of immigrants, poets, soldiers, and many others—individuals who have made an impact on history, as well as those whose extraordinary lives shed light on the times in which they lived, and the legacy of this incredible American people.
272 pages, Paperback
First published September 3, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
October 30, 2013
This is a book every politician and policy maker needs to read. Also every educator who works with Latino children will want to read this book. In fact everyone who votes and/or cares about immigration reform needs to read this book. I believe that takes care of most people. :) In other words, it is an excellent book that I highly recommend. On 10-29-13 we watched the DVD Hell to Eternity that was mentioned in this book. Although it was a great story about a Hispanic young man, Guy Gabladon, it was disappointing that a Hispanic didn't play Guy's part in the movie nor was it never even mentioned that he was Hispanic.
August 15, 2020
Latino Americans: The 500 Year Legacy that Shaped a Nation is a fascinating look at the historical forces that affects Hispanic Americans. It is very readable and filled with facts and antedotes which provides the reader with insight and understanding.
May 12, 2025
The five stars is a signal to encourage you to read this book asap. You’ll learn a lot and you’ll finish the book with a desire to dig deeper.
Yes, the book was worth the time I invested to read it.
Yes, the book was worth the time I invested to read it.
March 5, 2014
While shedding light into some historical facts, this book is basically a liberal overview of the history of Hispanics in America. Ray Suarez has a political correct approach in the telling of the story of Hispanics; I am not surprised at all being the liberal that he is. This is perhaps the Hispanic version of Howard Zinn’s “A People’s History of the United States”. My problem with Suarez’s approach is that he portrays Hispanics as complete victims of America. According to Suarez, the Mexicans who lived in the Southwest before those territories were American were all discriminated against and have suffered second class citizenship status. The Puerto Ricans have and continue to suffer because of America’s unwillingness to admit Puerto Rico to the union and its unwillingness to accept Puerto Ricans as full Americans. The Central Americans have come in droves in the past 30 years because of American intervention in their countries. At times this book reads like a trail of tears, a story of the oppressor (white America) versus the oppressed (Brown Hispanics). As I said before, I am not surprised about this narrative; this is typical in historical literature today. What bothers me so much is that for Suarez as for many liberals, individuals are not free agents who know what is best for them and hence are unable to make cogent decisions to improve their lives; but rather the individual is stuck in a historical structure where the powerful impose their might on the powerless to their detriment. You see this in most history books that have to do with minorities, what is hard to understand to the reasonable mind is why people would demand legalization of their immigration status and many more risk their lives to come to a country that is as unjust as Suarez’s America.
It did not occur to Mr. Suarez that all those Hispanics that he writes about have made the decision to either stay or risk their lives to come to America because they perceive it as a better decision than not to come to America. Nowhere in this book will you read anything positive about America, most of the people Suarez talks about are people who have a bone to pick with this country, disgruntle activists who are convinced that America’s constant trait is its racism, Puerto Rican separatists ready to use violence to free PR from the great despotic empire that is America, Central American refugees who blame America for the mess in their countries.
You will not read in this book about the repeated referendums where Puerto Ricans have had the opportunity to democratically decide whether they want statehood, remain as a commonwealth or become a free nation. Time and again, Puerto Ricans have decided to remain a commonwealth. You will also not read anything negative said about the countries where most Hispanic immigrants originate from and the causes that force people to leave. Unlike Suare’s phony and simplistic explanation, the reason that Mexicans and Central Americans leave to come to the US has little or nothing to do with American intervention. It has mostly to do with historically corrupt, inept, inefficient, undemocratic and oppressive governments south of the border. Most of these governments were already dysfunctional long before the US intervened politically there, but why bother, right Mr. Suarez?
What is hard to understand is why, if America has treated Hispanics so badly throughout the years and continues to do so, they have decided to stay and to work here and to have families here too; and why millions more risk their lives to come here every year? Answer: It has everything to do with the opportunities to live fulfilled lives here, something that their own countries have been incapable of providing them. But you will not read that in this book, I guess sob stories about oppressed people sells more. To me personally, people who vote with their feet every day to come here is more indicative of this country’s meaning than any revisionist history this author wants you to believe. The fact that currently there are 11 million people who have decided to stay here, working and living in less than prodigious conditions, rather than going back to their countries, speaks volumes about the reality and promise of America than any self-hating modern day liberal victim story.
It did not occur to Mr. Suarez that all those Hispanics that he writes about have made the decision to either stay or risk their lives to come to America because they perceive it as a better decision than not to come to America. Nowhere in this book will you read anything positive about America, most of the people Suarez talks about are people who have a bone to pick with this country, disgruntle activists who are convinced that America’s constant trait is its racism, Puerto Rican separatists ready to use violence to free PR from the great despotic empire that is America, Central American refugees who blame America for the mess in their countries.
You will not read in this book about the repeated referendums where Puerto Ricans have had the opportunity to democratically decide whether they want statehood, remain as a commonwealth or become a free nation. Time and again, Puerto Ricans have decided to remain a commonwealth. You will also not read anything negative said about the countries where most Hispanic immigrants originate from and the causes that force people to leave. Unlike Suare’s phony and simplistic explanation, the reason that Mexicans and Central Americans leave to come to the US has little or nothing to do with American intervention. It has mostly to do with historically corrupt, inept, inefficient, undemocratic and oppressive governments south of the border. Most of these governments were already dysfunctional long before the US intervened politically there, but why bother, right Mr. Suarez?
What is hard to understand is why, if America has treated Hispanics so badly throughout the years and continues to do so, they have decided to stay and to work here and to have families here too; and why millions more risk their lives to come here every year? Answer: It has everything to do with the opportunities to live fulfilled lives here, something that their own countries have been incapable of providing them. But you will not read that in this book, I guess sob stories about oppressed people sells more. To me personally, people who vote with their feet every day to come here is more indicative of this country’s meaning than any revisionist history this author wants you to believe. The fact that currently there are 11 million people who have decided to stay here, working and living in less than prodigious conditions, rather than going back to their countries, speaks volumes about the reality and promise of America than any self-hating modern day liberal victim story.
July 31, 2019
I went to school with several Chicano kids but never really knew much about their background and history. Then at 19 I was assigned as a missionary to the Latino barrios of New York City. It was a marvelous experience that opened my eyes to Latin Culture and its broad diversity. I came to know and love Latinos from every Spanish speaking country in the world. I came to love their culture and the differences in language, food and attitudes. All living in the US while retaining their unique culture. As a result of that experience I minored in Spanish in college and worked as a paralegal with migrant farm workers in college and law school.
This book is the companion to a PBS series. The author, Ray Suarez, was a senior correspondent for PBS. At a time when issues of race in the US seem to be regressing, this history is timely and insightful. It came about partly due to there was virtually no mention of Latino Americans in the PBS WWII documentary. Despite tremendous contributions to the war effort by Latino community. For example Guy Gabaldon single-handedly captured more than 800 Japanese fighters. Yet when Hollywood made a movie about his exploits after the war, Mr. Gabaldon, who is short with dark hair, was played by a tall, blond actor. His Latino identity was never mentioned.
The book attempts to tell the saga of Spanish-speaking people on the American continent from their arrival to the present, starting with the Spanish admiral who laid claim to St. Augustine, Fla., in 1565 — more than four decades before the English founded a fort at Jamestown, Va. The book brings together the varied experiences of Latinos with different national origins, from the Mexican-Americans whose ancestors inhabited the Southwest before the United States were united; to the Puerto Ricans, Dominicans and Cubans who flocked to the East Coast during the past century; to the Central and South Americans who spread across the country in recent decades. In a civil rights theme, it portrays people of Hispanic heritage who, despite strong roots in the United States, have continually faced dispossession and discrimination and struggled for recognition. It is a challenge to construct one narrative that captured the different threads of Latino experience and culture. There are many groups with parallel histories.
There are many interesting stories that I had not heard. For example there is the story of Juan Seguín, a Mexican who fought with the defenders of the Alamo in 1836 and went on to become mayor of San Antonio. But settlers from the East were pushing Mexicans off their Texas land, and Mr. Seguín became one of them, forced to live out his life on the run as a foreigner in his native land. And the story of a WWII infantryman named Macario García, who received the Medal of Honor then two weeks later was denied service in a whites-only restaurant near his hometown in Texas.
When it comes to dealing with contemporary immigration issues, the book tells the stores of Latino immigrants hit with deportation, but avoids taking any partisan positions.
This book is the companion to a PBS series. The author, Ray Suarez, was a senior correspondent for PBS. At a time when issues of race in the US seem to be regressing, this history is timely and insightful. It came about partly due to there was virtually no mention of Latino Americans in the PBS WWII documentary. Despite tremendous contributions to the war effort by Latino community. For example Guy Gabaldon single-handedly captured more than 800 Japanese fighters. Yet when Hollywood made a movie about his exploits after the war, Mr. Gabaldon, who is short with dark hair, was played by a tall, blond actor. His Latino identity was never mentioned.
The book attempts to tell the saga of Spanish-speaking people on the American continent from their arrival to the present, starting with the Spanish admiral who laid claim to St. Augustine, Fla., in 1565 — more than four decades before the English founded a fort at Jamestown, Va. The book brings together the varied experiences of Latinos with different national origins, from the Mexican-Americans whose ancestors inhabited the Southwest before the United States were united; to the Puerto Ricans, Dominicans and Cubans who flocked to the East Coast during the past century; to the Central and South Americans who spread across the country in recent decades. In a civil rights theme, it portrays people of Hispanic heritage who, despite strong roots in the United States, have continually faced dispossession and discrimination and struggled for recognition. It is a challenge to construct one narrative that captured the different threads of Latino experience and culture. There are many groups with parallel histories.
There are many interesting stories that I had not heard. For example there is the story of Juan Seguín, a Mexican who fought with the defenders of the Alamo in 1836 and went on to become mayor of San Antonio. But settlers from the East were pushing Mexicans off their Texas land, and Mr. Seguín became one of them, forced to live out his life on the run as a foreigner in his native land. And the story of a WWII infantryman named Macario García, who received the Medal of Honor then two weeks later was denied service in a whites-only restaurant near his hometown in Texas.
When it comes to dealing with contemporary immigration issues, the book tells the stores of Latino immigrants hit with deportation, but avoids taking any partisan positions.
March 23, 2018
I really enjoyed this book even though I don't care much for history. Although it was primarily focused on Mexico, Central America & the Caribbean, it was still a good read. There was so much that I learned from this that I was actually surprised at what I was reading. It's like certain things made sense & came together since I am not one for history. Actually seeing how much of the US that Mexico actually owned but then it was taken away after they fought each other for the area which was after it's getting out from under Spain. I appreciated all the different facets that were explained in this book like regarding how Latinos & Indigenous people were colonized in various places w/ no regard to them being on certain lands first. So it seems like some things never change. I mean how is Puerto Rico not a state or a colony & yet we (United States) own it but they can't vote for president. That's just wrong on so many levels. The way he writes about all the different issues that Latinos face in the US & have over the many years is simply enlightening & so well done in his writing. Most people don't understand what Latinos have gone though nor what they currently have to endure. So glad I read it.
March 31, 2019
Solid summary of the various histories of the people who are now considered part of the Latino community. Some were immigrants, and the struggles they faced were like some of the other peoples who have been persecuted. And some of them were here long before the white people immigrated. These complicated strands of history form a fascinating tapestry. And as this group of people is 50 million strong, the history and future of America.
August 12, 2025
This was a great introduction to and reminder of the history of Latino Americans. Gave a bunch of useful pointers on people to read more about including Sonia Sotomayor, Jose Marti, Freddie Prinze, Cesar Chavez, Dolores Huerta to name a few.
August 9, 2018
Good additional information and some personal stories to infuse into my curriculum.
November 3, 2019
A must read for any American. Very easy to read and understand, not to mention highly informative.
October 4, 2021
very informative comprehensive history of latinos in america. Paired with the PBS documentary, its a great way to learn more about historical Latino/a figures/events
July 12, 2022
3.5 stars
October 16, 2022
Good book but no citations and several grammatical errors. The stories are interesting.
January 10, 2023
I thought the novel was interesting and I like reading history that I didn’t know about
March 3, 2020
SO SO GOOD! I learned so much I never know about the Latino culture and how America responded.
November 1, 2015
A short companion book to the PBS documentary that isn't quite enough. I haven't seen the PBS documentary of the same name, so I wonder if I might have gotten more out of it if I had. The book is a good primer for anyone who would like to know more, but the style was off-putting. It was very much like the PBS documentaries that I HAVE seen (ie focusing on the stories of individuals in the particular time period).
While this isn't a bad way to introduce the viewer/reader to the broader subject, I felt a bit lost without the greater historical context. I did feel I learned a lot: the initial section was a good compliment to the 'Journey to the Sun' book, which is about the origins of the state of California. But being written by a journalist and being a companion book to the documentary just made me feel a bit confused.
There are complaints about the book becoming "political" but honestly I'm not really sure why it's a problem. It IS perhaps a bit one-sided (Suarez has a section about why Latinos are not natural supporters for the Republican Party in the US) but immigration and immigrants remain very topical issues that raise a lot of passion among people. And there are polls and other studies that support the author's statements. I wasn't bothered by it, but then again I also agree with the author.
It wasn't a terrible book but I'm not sure it works without the documentary. I wrote that maybe it's a good introduction to the subject but I'd also add the caveat that it needs other books to supplement this once. So while I felt I learned a bit, it also left me wanting to know more and looking for other books on the subject.
Recommend the library, in conjunction with the show that goes with it if it's available. It can be read alone but I think it needs other sources too.
While this isn't a bad way to introduce the viewer/reader to the broader subject, I felt a bit lost without the greater historical context. I did feel I learned a lot: the initial section was a good compliment to the 'Journey to the Sun' book, which is about the origins of the state of California. But being written by a journalist and being a companion book to the documentary just made me feel a bit confused.
There are complaints about the book becoming "political" but honestly I'm not really sure why it's a problem. It IS perhaps a bit one-sided (Suarez has a section about why Latinos are not natural supporters for the Republican Party in the US) but immigration and immigrants remain very topical issues that raise a lot of passion among people. And there are polls and other studies that support the author's statements. I wasn't bothered by it, but then again I also agree with the author.
It wasn't a terrible book but I'm not sure it works without the documentary. I wrote that maybe it's a good introduction to the subject but I'd also add the caveat that it needs other books to supplement this once. So while I felt I learned a bit, it also left me wanting to know more and looking for other books on the subject.
Recommend the library, in conjunction with the show that goes with it if it's available. It can be read alone but I think it needs other sources too.
March 20, 2014
I'm always happy to find a book about Latin history with my library's e-books program; it's pretty rare. This one was heavily biased -- within the first ten pages I was realizing I'd have to do some more research on my own and read with a specific lens -- but I still learned some interesting facts and enjoyed the perspective.
Suarez gives a high-level overview of the past 500 years of the Americas, spending a good chunk of time on Spanish and American colonization of Mexico (including all parts of the USA that used to be Mexico) and the Caribbean. He makes some good points about what we learn as children in the US about the "settling" of US cities.
Some of the book is a bit eye-roll inducing when he bends over too far backward trying to justify extremist actions ("this Latino activist did set bombs, but didn't kill anyone!") but I very much enjoyed reading more about Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta particularly, as well as the sections about the migration of Latin peoples throughout major cities and then into more suburban areas. He has some interesting points on immigration and the role of Latinos in the future of the US. However, near the end his structure started to unravel and it seemed to just turn into a list of Latin celebrities and sports stars.
In the end I'd recommend it if choices are limited, but I'm sure there are much more well-balanced and better organized books out there.
Suarez gives a high-level overview of the past 500 years of the Americas, spending a good chunk of time on Spanish and American colonization of Mexico (including all parts of the USA that used to be Mexico) and the Caribbean. He makes some good points about what we learn as children in the US about the "settling" of US cities.
Some of the book is a bit eye-roll inducing when he bends over too far backward trying to justify extremist actions ("this Latino activist did set bombs, but didn't kill anyone!") but I very much enjoyed reading more about Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta particularly, as well as the sections about the migration of Latin peoples throughout major cities and then into more suburban areas. He has some interesting points on immigration and the role of Latinos in the future of the US. However, near the end his structure started to unravel and it seemed to just turn into a list of Latin celebrities and sports stars.
In the end I'd recommend it if choices are limited, but I'm sure there are much more well-balanced and better organized books out there.
June 2, 2014
Quotes I found especially important:
"Reason demands that his life be spared, because of the futility of his horrendous act and because killing the monster is an inadequate way of ending nature's power to grow monsters-for,, in the end, moved by prolongued solitude and fear watered by tears, the gnawed-away man may revive deep within his body, and in these days of wrath justice might appear to be vengeance. One should not kill a wild beast in a time when one feels oneself to be a wild beast." -Jose Marti p44
"As the percentage of foreign-born Americans began to decline, so did many Americans' intimate, close-in memory of the challenges and struggles in the lives of immigrant people. That only made it easier to look at newcomers from Latin America with no glimmer of familiarity. Threadbare clothing, callused hands, and nutritional diseases provoked no memory of deprivation and hard labor. Latino immigrants, as the mania for assimilation and "Americanism" rose through the 1950s, would get preciousl ittle sympathy from people whose own parents and grandparents faced many of the same challenges just a short time ago." p122
"Reason demands that his life be spared, because of the futility of his horrendous act and because killing the monster is an inadequate way of ending nature's power to grow monsters-for,, in the end, moved by prolongued solitude and fear watered by tears, the gnawed-away man may revive deep within his body, and in these days of wrath justice might appear to be vengeance. One should not kill a wild beast in a time when one feels oneself to be a wild beast." -Jose Marti p44
"As the percentage of foreign-born Americans began to decline, so did many Americans' intimate, close-in memory of the challenges and struggles in the lives of immigrant people. That only made it easier to look at newcomers from Latin America with no glimmer of familiarity. Threadbare clothing, callused hands, and nutritional diseases provoked no memory of deprivation and hard labor. Latino immigrants, as the mania for assimilation and "Americanism" rose through the 1950s, would get preciousl ittle sympathy from people whose own parents and grandparents faced many of the same challenges just a short time ago." p122
February 17, 2014
As a Latina American I appreciate this book for educating me on my heritage. Though I am half-Salvadorian I learned very little about about that side of my family. What this book shows is that my experience as a Latina in America is not solely shaped by a Central American nation, but by a long history of immigration into the United States. There have been waves of population influxes from various Latin American countries, and all of those waves have been triggered by different events. Each wave has also been treated differently by the population and policy of the US.
This is a great overview of a very specific history. It's also vitally important to grasp the underlying immigration issues before tackling current policy changes. As the author says in the last pages, this nation is projected to be more and more Latino, making this history one that will eventually be seen as the shaping of a country.
This is a great overview of a very specific history. It's also vitally important to grasp the underlying immigration issues before tackling current policy changes. As the author says in the last pages, this nation is projected to be more and more Latino, making this history one that will eventually be seen as the shaping of a country.
September 25, 2014
NF chronicles the rich and varied history of Latinos, who have helped shaped our nation and have become, with more than fifty million people, the largest minority in the United States. This companion to the landmark PBS miniseries vividly and candidly tells how the story of Latino Americans is the story of our country.
Author and acclaimed journalist Ray Suarez explores the lives of Latino American men and women over a five-hundred-year span, encompassing an epic range of experiences from the early European settlements to Manifest Destiny; the Wild West to the Cold War; the Great Depression to globalization; and the Spanish-American War to the civil rights movement.
Author and acclaimed journalist Ray Suarez explores the lives of Latino American men and women over a five-hundred-year span, encompassing an epic range of experiences from the early European settlements to Manifest Destiny; the Wild West to the Cold War; the Great Depression to globalization; and the Spanish-American War to the civil rights movement.
February 11, 2014
An excellent and easy to read book, highly recommended for that amorphous thing called a "general educated audience." This book is a good companion to Gonzales "Harvest of Empire", but much more centrist in its rhetoric. Where Gonzales sees fallout from the brown and black nations that America helped create/uphold, Suarez sees freedom and opportunity loving immigrants looking for a place to land. Both authors take a radical stance: Latinos are central to the American experience. Some of us see this as *duh, but this conclusion sounds like blasphemy to many.
May 10, 2014
Obviously not comprehensive, given its size and scope. But there are too few nonfiction books about recent Latino history and culture (especially compared with the overflow of books on African-American/white race relations). One of the cool things I learned from this book is that there actually were "Zoot Suit Riots" in the 1940's in LA between dandied up Latino youths and white soldiers and sailors. (One more reason the Cherry Poppin' Daddies were overrated.)
June 2, 2014
Suarez is candid in analyzing his information, clearly telling the American public that Latinos can be expected to have a much larger voice in defining American values, politics, and culture than they have in the past. He provides statistics, history, and examples of current changes to support his statements.
Suarez writes in a similar manner to his television presence, with a quiet and firm voice. I found his book a worthy read.
August 19, 2015
I heard Ray Suarez speak on immigration at The Chautauqua Institution recently and thought that he was one of the very best speakers I had heard, on any topic, in a very long time. That lecture led to the decision to read his book which is a companion to the PBS documentary series on Latino Americans.
The book is well written and effectively highlights the complexity of this subject. Just a bit too "inside baseball" for my tastes
The book is well written and effectively highlights the complexity of this subject. Just a bit too "inside baseball" for my tastes
October 20, 2013
Really, 3 1/2 stars. It's hard to cover 500 years of history in less than 300 pages, so I felt this book was a good survey of the history of Latinos in the United States. I did, however, feel there was a lack of depth to the coverage of the various topics raised in the book. I did learn things I hadn't known, even after over a decade of teaching Spanish.
November 9, 2013
A nice history of the Latinos in our midst. The early history from the 1800s was very interesting. When it got to recent history of the last 20-30 years, it became too political and sounded like propaganda.
March 16, 2014
I thoroughly enjoyed the PBS series because it plugged many holes in my understanding of American history and current events. Reading the book has been fun so far, and will help cement names of heros and shocking events in my memory.
September 25, 2015
This is a companion piece to a PBS Series. It is readable but not nearly as good as hearing the author Ray Suarez speaking on similar topics. He spoke this year, 2015 in Chautuaqua's week on Immigration.
December 7, 2014
An OK primer for Latino history. I would recommend it as a fist read for the interested reader who knows absolutely nothing about the subject.
November 24, 2015
Good overview of the history of Hispanics in the US.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews