WE WERE ALWAYS HERE

Debut memoir from a longtime Mexican American journalist.

In a narrative that blends memoir and sociological and cultural issues, Chavira explores how embracing his identity became his greatest strength as a storyteller. His book is ambitious, spanning generations and tracing the history of his family, who experienced frequent racism and struggled to call America home. The author had a tumultuous childhood with an alcoholic father, teachers who cast doubt on his intellectual abilities, and publications that did not see his value as a writer, making his ascent into the pages of major outlets such as Time magazine all the more impressive. As an adolescent, he writes, “I had concluded that Mexicans must be incapable of performing jobs that required skills or intelligence,” a belief that would haunt him for years. Eventually, however, he realized that his status as an underdog—“as someone who encountered systematic racism and marginalization in the United States, with ancestors who had suffered even more”—allowed him to see and understand the stories of others who were overlooked or marginalized. Over the course of the book, Chavira transports readers through significant elements in the recent history of Latin America, including the long civil war in Nicaragua, the Castro family’s vicelike grip on Cuban society, and the downfall of the PRI government in Mexico after the 1985 earthquake. This is a work that eludes neat categorization. Chavira's personal story feels like a reported endeavor, and there are times when he shies away from divulging intimate details, which makes it feel fragmented and detached. Though the prose is straightforward and journalistic, sometimes pedestrian, this easily digestible book will appeal to those interested in the geopolitical conflicts of Latin America as told from the knowledgeable perspective of someone who was there.

An informative portrayal of a life spent telling the stories of others.