Chicanas of 18th Street: Narratives of a Movement from Latino Chicago

Latinos in Chicago and the Midwest

by Leonard G. Ramírez, Yenelli Flores, María Gamboa

Overflowing with powerful testimonies of six female community activists who have lived and worked in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago, Chicanas of 18th Street reveals the convictions and approaches of those organizing for social reform. In chronicling a pivotal moment in the history of community activism in Chicago, the women discuss how education, immigration, religion, identity, and acculturation affected the Chicano movement. Chicanas of 18th Street underscores the hierarchies of race, gender, and class while stressing the interplay of individual and collective values in the development of community reform.

Highlighting the women's motivations, initiatives, and experiences in politics during the 1960s and 1970s, these rich personal accounts reveal the complexity of the Chicano movement, conflicts within the movement, and the importance of teatro and cultural expressions to the movement. Also detailed are vital interactions between members of the Chicano movement with leftist and nationalist community members and the influence of other activist groups such as African Americans and Marxists.

Genres: Nonfiction

272 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2011

Reviews

[Izzy Senechal · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wish the narrative portions were better edited. As is, they read like interview transcriptions.

[Yesenia · Rating 3 out of 5]

The history of their activism was very interesting, but their narratives were poorly written and made it difficult to get through the book. Sometimes it was hard to follow along because they described orgs in the footnotes and not in the text. Nonetheless, it was wonderful to see how women were activists on the South Side of Chicago.

[Marie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great topic about interesting people, but the first person narratives were very dry and the writing would have benefited from direction and editing.