FAMOUS PEOPLE OF HISPANIC HERITAGE

In the first of eight projected volumes (II and III are also available), of utilitarian mien but inspirational content, Marvis (Famous People of Asian Ancestry, Vol. I-V, 199394, not reviewed) presents four success stories: journalist/entertainer Geraldo Rivera, political figure Federico Pe§a, astronaut Ellen Ochoa, and actress Melissa Gonzalez. All were interviewed for the book, utter proper sentiments about staying in school, and describe in detail their work, important memories, etc. Although Marvis cleans her subjects up (silent, for instance, on Rivera's seamier talk-show encounters), her choices for inclusion and the wealth of new material guarantee popularity. A selection of black-and-white baby pictures and other snapshots adds an air of intimacy missing from both of the two more comprehensive books entitled Hispanic American Almanac (1993 and 1995). (index) (Biography. 10-13)