LEYENDAS/LEGENDS

Salutes to a diverse array of modern achievers from Celia Cruz, Queen of Salsa, to immigrant activist Sophie Cruz, born in 2010.

How many of Mancillas’ selections “changed the world” is moot, but all certainly left their marks on it. Some did so literally, like artists Frida Kahlo and Jean-Michel Basquiat, while others, such as storyteller Pura Belpré, flamboyant celebrity astrologer Walter Mercado, and singer/songwriter Shakira, have left a mark in real but less tangible ways. Monolingual despite the title and arranged roughly by birth year, the entries start with a quick identifier (most commonly a variation on “Activist”) and national “Heritage” for each subject, then move on to profiles highlighted by star-flanked summations in larger type to facilitate quick scanning. Emotion often runs high: Gabriela Mistral “was born with the heart of a poet”; in Congress, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez “was targeted in ways that stank of sexism and prejudice.” Though the biographical specifics tend to be slight, Mancillas includes multiple leads to further information about everyone at the end. Both Mancillas and Zeferino effectively cast their subjects in heroic molds that will appeal to young readers in need of role models. Better yet, the diversity of achievement they celebrate encompasses strides in gender and disability rights as well as groundbreaking feats by social warriors, scientists, athletes, artisans, and more.

A passionate, opinionated, and wide-ranging work.