As the heyday of the Chicano Movement of the late 1960s to early 70s fades further into history and as more and more of its important figures pass on, so too does knowledge of its significance. Thus, "Chicano Movement For Beginners" is an important attempt to stave off historical amnesia. It seeks to shed light on the multifaceted civil rights struggle known as "El Movimiento" that galvanized the Mexican American community, from laborers to student activists, giving them not only a political voice to combat prejudice and inequality, but also a new sense of cultural awareness and ethnic pride.
Beyond commemorating the past, "Chicano Movement For Beginners" seeks to reaffirm the goals and spirit of the Chicano Movement for the simple reason that many of the critical issues Mexican American activists first brought to the nation's attention then--educational disadvantage, endemic poverty, political exclusion, and social bias--remain as pervasive as ever almost half a century later."
In this graphic novel, Maceo Montoya does an excellent job of presenting the reader to the Chicano Movement. I strongly suggest the book to people who are unfamiliar with the movement and its complexities.
I very much enjoyed listening to this audiobook! I loved it so much, I went and ordered the physical copies! This is an excellent introduction to Chicano history and I would definitely recommend this to those who are looking to reconnect with their Mexican roots but don't know where to start. start with your Mexican American history and go from there!! What makes us Chicanos and who gets to define it? I do want to note that not everyone in Mexico is indigenous and not every indigenous person in Mexico is Aztec! I also liked that it spoke about how even some of the organizers and movements were problematic or had problematic roots. Not a lot of people were aware that Cesar Chavez fought for the people but was also not a big supporter of immigrants! That was so wild.. I can go on and on about this book and how much i enjoyed it and everything I enjoyed.....but it would be like me taking a highlighter to the whole thing.. hahaha
This is a fantastic intro to the Chicano movement. It provides some important information while being easy to comprehend. I appreciated that the author is both able to celebrate the movement for its victories and contribution to civil rights while also acknowledging where the movement fell short especially when it came to women's rights.
I won a copy of this book during a Goodreads giveaway. I am under no obligation to leave a review or rating and do so voluntarily. I am paying it forward by passing this book along to a family member who I think will enjoy it too.
Succinct text about chicanx history…i was looking for a refresher on all of the history I’ve learned for the sake of preservation and remembering. I could critique the gaps but this is honestly a great beginners guide #slay!!
An excellent, approachable yet thorough introduction to an important and criminally under-represented part of our history. A must-read for students in Texas, California and throughout the Southwest.