Rating: 
Summary: Mexico enforces Spanish, keeps troops on border
Review: Every view that we will ever see about history is a view that is skewed by personal feelings. As historians, it is our job to figure out what is fact and what is feeling. This book may not be the most objective book about the history of the Xicano people, but it spoke to me in the same way that the Anglo child finds solace in the played out text books found in school. I relate to the stories that Acuna tells, and I enjoy his point of view. He is a wonderful historian, and worthy of being put in the same class as Zinn (A people's history of the U.S.) I hope you enjoy this book, and listen to the frustration in the writing. It is the key to the Chicano's history in a society where Anglo paradigms edit the truth.
Rating: 
Summary: Occupied America
Review: Every view that we will ever see about history is a view that is skewed by personal feelings. As historians, it is our job to figure out what is fact and what is feeling. This book may not be the most objective book about the history of the Xicano people, but it spoke to me in the same way that the Anglo child finds solace in the played out text books found in school. I relate to the stories that Acuna tells, and I enjoy his point of view. He is a wonderful historian, and worthy of being put in the same class as Zinn (A people's history of the U.S.) I hope you enjoy this book, and listen to the frustration in the writing. It is the key to the Chicano's history in a society where Anglo paradigms edit the truth.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent, Scholarly, Objective
Review: I am a PhD Candidate in Political Science at the Claremont Graduate University and found this book by Dr. Rodolfo Acuña excellent, objective and well researched. The only persons who would not like this book would be from the extreme right wing who do not like true history to be written.
Rating:
Summary: Great Basic Review of Chicana/o History
Review: Mexicans, and for that matter People of Color in general, have occupied an important space/place in the labor force. Historical documents and current trends only serve to demonstrate that without Mexican labor, the development of agriculture, mining, construction (universities), railroads, and highways would have been considerably slowed to a crawl in the Southwest. Even if Mexicans are to be regarded as important or at least acknowledged to have had a presence in the Southwest, it has not been until the recent fifty years in which we have begun to see in depth scholarly work focused on the working classes--including Chicana/os. Professor Acuña is able to provide some of the most basic underpinnings of Chicana/o History. This book provides basic information that can be used to supplement a teacher in providing a more thorough history of the United States in a strict standard based High School Course. Knowingly, if one is using this book at a level higher than high school or if it is the base of an ethnic studies, its use becomes of central importance due to its demonstration of injustices, experiences, and mediatory experiences of the Chicana/o community. Although Acuña has received criticisms for his usage of words/depictions in the trajectory of the Chicana/o experience, they are unfounded. The book tries to present experiences--experiences that decimated, raped, and destroyed Chicana/os as a community. Additionally, take a look at the sources as a form of guidance towards more books and articles that can only serve to further knowledge and teaching material. Furthermore, the amount of existing work and the topics that are being written about remains limited.
Rating:
Summary: Great Basic Review of Chicana/o History
Review: Mexicans, and for that matter People of Color in general, have occupied an important space/place in the labor force. Historical documents and current trends only serve to demonstrate that without Mexican labor, the development of agriculture, mining, construction (universities), railroads, and highways would have been considerably slowed to a crawl in the Southwest. Even if Mexicans are to be regarded as important or at least acknowledged to have had a presence in the Southwest, it has not been until the recent fifty years in which we have begun to see in depth scholarly work focused on the working classes--including Chicana/os. Professor Acuña is able to provide some of the most basic underpinnings of Chicana/o History. This book provides basic information that can be used to supplement a teacher in providing a more thorough history of the United States in a strict standard based High School Course. Knowingly, if one is using this book at a level higher than high school or if it is the base of an ethnic studies, its use becomes of central importance due to its demonstration of injustices, experiences, and mediatory experiences of the Chicana/o community. Although Acuña has received criticisms for his usage of words/depictions in the trajectory of the Chicana/o experience, they are unfounded. The book tries to present experiences--experiences that decimated, raped, and destroyed Chicana/os as a community. Additionally, take a look at the sources as a form of guidance towards more books and articles that can only serve to further knowledge and teaching material. Furthermore, the amount of existing work and the topics that are being written about remains limited.
Rating:
Summary: Mexico or America
Review: Mexico and the U.S. are just as bad. Both oppress our people. We should just send all Europeans back where they came from and take control of our land again.
Rating:
Summary: Great Basic Review of Chicana/o History
Review: Professor Acuna is able to provide some of the most basic underpinnings of Chicana/o History. This book provides basic information that can be used to supplement a teacher in providing a more thorough history of the United States in a strict standard based High School Course. Knowingly, if one is using this book at a level higher than high school or if it is the base of an ethnic studies, its use becomes central importance due to its demonstration of injustices, experiences, and mediatory experiences of the Chicana/o community. Although Acuna has received criticisms for his usage of words in the trajectory of the Chicana/o experience, they are unfounded. The book tries to present experiences, experiences that decimated, raped, and destroyed Chicana/os as a community. Additionally, take a look at the sources as a form of guidance towards more books and articles.
Rating:
Summary: Great Basic Review of Chicana/o History
Review: Professor Acuna is able to provide some of the most basic underpinnings of Chicana/o History. This book provides basic information that can be used to supplement a teacher in providing a more thorough history of the United States in a strict standard based High School Course. Knowingly, if one is using this book at a level higher than high school or if it is the base of an ethnic studies, its use becomes central importance due to its demonstration of injustices, experiences, and mediatory experiences of the Chicana/o community. Although Acuna has received criticisms for his usage of words in the trajectory of the Chicana/o experience, they are unfounded. The book tries to present experiences, experiences that decimated, raped, and destroyed Chicana/os as a community. Additionally, take a look at the sources as a form of guidance towards more books and articles.
Rating: 
Summary: Mexicans have always been oppressed
Review: R Acuña's treatise of Mexican Americans (now called Chicanos or Pochos) includes what many would call 'the Underside of American History' (search title). The fact is, America waged war against the Mexicans, using many of the same methods that we now accuse those of Iraq or Bosnia of using, and differs little from the 'ethnic cleansing or genocide of the modern world. In school, most US Americans are given a glossed-over summary of key US propaganda regarding the history lessons that politicians want people to know, rather than an objective, 'tell-it-like-it-is/was' history that encompasses true social responsibility.
The wars waged against the mostly poor mexican countrymen, living in Mexican territory, under siege from an offensive US American anglo army, parallel little of the 'good american' reputation widely distributed today. The author, in his extensive research, pulls up countless accounts of slaughter, rape, torture, mutilation, and abuse of mexican men, women, children, mostly incited as a sort of blood sport by American cavalry, enlisted men, volunteers, and associates, as well as the leveling of Mexican cities and towns just for target practice. To add to the war crimes, most of the Americans involved, even the command of Zachary Taylor, were never brought up on any charges, nor even in the most slightest way, reprimanded for their actions. Of course, if the truth were known by many, or the school kids of today taught the real truth, Perhaps people would have an entirely different view of what America Wants vs. what America will do to get it.
People can talk of the opression of the Mexicans that exists today, by Mexicans, but they are only following the example we set first
Rating:
Summary: More politically correct, multicultural group-think...
Review: What Acuna talks about in this vast overview is very true and enlightening. However, it purports to be a history book, and all great history books must be objective. Unfortunately, by being a textbook for a discipline that calls for a very narrow minded view of history (namely, that of the Chicano exploitation by the United States), it cannot possibly be objective. Acuna resorts to name-calling and demonizing those who oppressed Chicanos and although it is deserved, in a history text slandering is verbotem if the text is to be respected. What this book amounts to is a one-sided argument, although in all fairness the other side would have to be the "official" US history that academia has forced on us.
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