Occupied America: A History of Chicanos (4th Edition)

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.

Rating:
Summary: Great, but...
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.

Rating:
Summary: Tear Away At The Mask
Review: When I sat in school learning about George Washington for about the thousandth time, my teachers started to wonder why I was becoming disenchanted with school. I wasn't educated enough (at the time) to realize that I wasn't the problem, the material I was being force fed was the problem. Occupied America fills in the gaps in my history. When a student is developing a self identity it is important that he or she has heros and sheros that they can identify with. This book gives those student (of all ages 7-70) that are Chicano a chance to see effective heros that made/make a difference in our every day lives. I recomend this book to anyone that will be teaching a history class with a multicultural focus, (and every teacher should be since we live in a multicultural society.)

Rating:
Summary: Tear Away At The Mask
Review: When I sat in school learning about George Washington for about the thousandth time, my teachers started to wonder why I was becoming disenchanted with school. I wasn't educated enough (at the time) to realize that I wasn't the problem, the material I was being force fed was the problem. Occupied America fills in the gaps in my history. When a student is developing a self identity it is important that he or she has heros and sheros that they can identify with. This book gives those student (of all ages 7-70) that are Chicano a chance to see effective heros that made/make a difference in our every day lives. I recomend this book to anyone that will be teaching a history class with a multicultural focus, (and every teacher should be since we live in a multicultural society.)