AsweepingsagaoftheSpanishhistoryandinfluenceinNorthAmericaoverfivecenturies,fromtheacclaimedauthorofEmpire’sCrossroadsBecauseofoursharedEnglishlanguage,aswellasthecelebratedorigintalesoftheMayflowerandtherebellionoftheBritishcolonies,theUnitedStateshasprizeditsAngloheritageaboveallothers.However,asCarrieGibsonexplainswithgreatdepthandclarityinElNorte,thenationhasmucholderSpanishroots--onesthathavelongbeenunacknowledgedormarginalized.TheHispanicpastoftheUnitedStatespredatesthearrivalofthePilgrimsbyacentury,andhasbeeneverybitasimportantinshapingthenationasitexiststoday.ElNortechroniclesthesweepinganddramatichistoryofHispanicNorthAmericafromthearrivaloftheSpanishintheearly16thcenturytothepresent--fromPoncedeLeon’sinitiallandinginFloridain1513toSpanishcontrolofthevastLouisianaterritoryin1762totheMexican-AmericanWarin1846anduptothemorerecenttragedyofpost-hurricanePuertoRicoandtheongoingborderacrimonywithMexico.Interwoveninthisstirringnarrativeofeventsandpeopleareculturalissuesthathavebeentherefromthestartbutwhichareunresolvedtothisday:language,belonging,community,race,andnationality.Seeingthemplayoutovercenturiesprovidesvitalperspectiveatatimewhenitisurgentlyneeded.In1883,WaltWhitmanmeditatedonhiscountry’sSpanishpast:“WeAmericanshaveyettoreallylearnourownantecedents,andsortthem,tounifythem,“predictingthat“tothatcompositeAmericanidentityofthefuture,Spanishcharacterwillsupplysomeofthemostneededparts.“Thatfutureishere,andElNorte,astirringandeventfulhistoryinitsownright,willmakeapowerfulimpactonournationalunderstanding.
race COMMUNITY LANGUAGE RACE community
