SOMOS CHICANOS

by David F. Gomez ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 26, 1973

Part militant manifesto, part autobiography, Somos Chicanos is the author's contribution to the building of Aztlan, a new Chicano community in ""conquered Mexico."" Gomez remembers with bitterness the American schooling which ""stripped away"" his Mexican identity and made him forget la raza, leaving his desperate to assimilate into a gringo culture. He made the long trip back to his people via the Paulist Brothers and the Catholic priesthood which sent him to work with migrants in Utah where he became immersed once again in the harsh cycle of poverty, exploitation and white racism which he had tried so hard to flee. An activist and proselytizer for solidarity, Gomez sees all forms of community organization from the Chavez-led farm workers' union to Corky Gonzales' ethnic Freedom School in Denver, to the ""brown berets"" of the barrio as hopeful signs of a new spirit of resistance and cohesion in the Mexican-American community. Most of the slogans (""Chicano is beautiful"") and tactics of the still inchoate ""movement"" seem to have been modeled on black civil rights organizations and the author dutifully points up the special problems of Chicano males suffering from an excess of machismo. Not a very sophisticated analysis or program for ethnic uplift but valuable for those gringos who are still unaware of the special heritage of the Chicano and why you shouldn't buy lettuce.

Pub Date: Sept. 26, 1973

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Beacon

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1973

Categories: NONFICTION