The Rise of the Latino Vote: A History by Benjamin Francis-Fallon

Abstract

Reviewed by: The Rise of the Latino Vote: A History by Benjamin Francis-Fallon Felipe Hinojosa The Rise of the Latino Vote: A History. By Benjamin Francis-Fallon. (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2019. Pp 494. Illustrations, notes, index.) To write a history of the rise of the Latino vote in the United States is no easy task. It requires a readiness to confront the unexpected, to merge local and national politics, and to navigate how groups coalesce amidst national and political differences. I will admit to being skeptical about whether the author could pull that off. But not only does he succeed, he does so with grace and a narrative brilliance that keeps the reader engaged through twists and turns by political leaders in South Texas, East Los Angeles, and East Harlem. While the Latino community shares histories of colonialism, immigration, and racial formation, the experiences are vastly different along lines of citizenship, race, and culture. Benjamin Francis-Fallon acknowledges these differences with an impressive analysis of Mexican American, Puerto Rican, and Cuban politics even as he highlights their combined political efforts. He takes what are difficult and complex movements and organizes them so readers see the many ways that Latinos have carved political space for themselves. Chronological chapters give equal time to progressive and conservative Latinos as they struggled to become forces within the two-party system. This straightforward narrative history sticks to its main purpose: telling the story of the Latino vote. The book is big—385 pages of narrative in eleven chapters—but rather than creating a cumbersome read, the author keeps readers on the alert with his gripping narrative and [End Page 232] chapters that are precise in their purpose and clear in their arguments. Significant here is the centrality of Mexican American politics in the Southwest to the larger scene of Latino politics across the nation. Even as the "Viva Kennedy" campaign emerged in the Southwest and brought together a cadre of Mexican American politicians, the national scope of the movement helped form coalitions with New York Puerto Ricans. As the author correctly points out, "Kennedy's victory in the historically close 1960 presidential election was in no small part due to Puerto Rican and Mexican-American votes" (62). The book does have its weaknesses. The role of Latinas in forging these politics is almost absent, and the author should have focused more on the role of grassroots radical Latino politics. While the author does devote a few pages to the New York Young Lords and the Texas-based Mexican American Youth Organization (MAYO), their influence is downplayed. But aside from these criticisms, The Rise of the Latino Vote succeeds on many levels, especially in the way the author recognizes the complexities of Latino politics even as he makes a compelling case for the importance of their struggle to present a united front. This book should be required reading for students of Mexican American history, state and national politicians and anyone interested in understanding the significant role that Latinos have played, and continue to play, in Texas and national politics. Felipe Hinojosa Texas A&M University Copyright © 2020 The Texas State Historical Association