Americanos: Latino Life in the United States

From Library Journal
Bilingual and heavily illustrated, this book is part of a project spearheaded by activist/actor Olmos that includes an HBO documentary and a traveling exhibition starting at the Smithsonian.Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
This is a beautiful, vibrant coffee-table book; it may also be one of the more socially important books to appear in some time. Americanos forces us (gently) to reevaluate, reconsider, and reestablish the very important fact that Latinos have been an integral part of the history of the U.S. "The face of America should include us," Edward James Olmos asserts in his preface, and it takes but a few moments glancing at these well-rendered photographs to recognize that "face" in all its diversity. Some images will be familiar from the entertainment world; others will strike one more directly: faces we see each day, down the street, down the hall, or right next to us. In his rhythmical and joyful introduction, Carlos Fuentes admonishes us, "All together now, keep your eyes open beyond yourselves, see the margins of the world, where those who are different from us are waiting to demonstrate that they are as human as we." If that bridge into the twenty-first century that politicians enjoy talking about is going to be successfully and intelligently crossed, it would bode well to recognize how important it is for all of us to join in the journey. This is a timely and handsome book, and as contributor David Carrasco says of Latinos, "We are both an accomplished and an unfinished people," and the same could be said of this country and all its promise. Raul Nino


Language Notes
Text: English, Spanish


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The portraits included in Americanos represent an unprecedented effort to illuminate and celebrate the lives of Latinos. Under the direction of actor and activist Edward James Olmos, more than thirty award-winning photographers fanned out across the country to capture life on the neighborhood playgrounds, on the streets of New York, on the banks of the Rio Grande, at the flamenco bars, at work, and in the churches. Thousands of miles and thousands of photographs later, the result is an exciting panoramic vision of the United States today - a place where Latinos live a broad range of lifestyles and contribute to American society in exciting ways. With the addition of bilingual essays, poetry, and commentary from such notable figures as Carlos Fuentes and Maya Angelou, Americanos succeeds in capturing the astounding diversity and energy of today's Latin-American communities. Readers will glimpse the lives of celebrities such as Gloria Estefan, Andy Garcia, and Tito Puente, as well as meaningful moments in the lives of everyday heroes.


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