The Columbia History of Latinos in the United States Since 1960

Book excerpt: The Columbia History of Latinos in the United States Since 1960 provides cutting-edge interpretations of recent Latino history, including essays on the six major immigrant groups (Mexicans, Cubans, Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, Central Americans, and South Americans) and insight into areas of important historical debate. Contributors explore the recent histories of all the major national and regional Latino subpopulations and reflect on what these historical trends might mean for the future of both the United States and the other nations of the Western Hemisphere. While at one point the histories of national populations might have been explored in isolation from one another, all of the contributors to this volume highlight the deep transnational ties and interconnections that bind different peoples across national and regional lines. Each chapter on Latino national subpopulations considers the ambiguous and shifting boundaries that so loosely define them both in the United States and in their countries of origin. This multinational perspective informs a realistic interpretation of the Latino experience in the United States and makes this text a singularly important resource.