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Viva Kennedy : Mexican Americans in search of Camelot / Ignacio M. Garcâia

By: Garcâia, Ignacio M.
Material type: materialTypeLabelBookSeries: Texas A & M southwestern studies ; no. 1. Publisher: College Station : Texas A&M University Press, c2000Edition: 1st ed.Description: xi, 227 p. : ill. ; 25 cm.ISBN: 0890969175 (cloth : alk. paper).Subject(s): Mexican Americans -- Politics and government | Mexican Americans -- Societies, etc | Kennedy, John F. (John Fitzgerald), 1917-1963 -- Relations with Mexican Americans | Presidents -- United States -- Election -- 1960 | United States -- Politics and government -- 1961-1963
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Book University of Texas At Tyler
Stacks - 3rd Floor 		E184.M5 G367 2000 (Browse shelf) Available 0000001480516

Includes bibliographical references (p. [207]-217) and index

Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

Viva Kennedy Clubs, according to Garcia, came about to help elect John F. Kennedy in 1960. Although they were crucial to his election, Kennedy dashed the aspirations of Mexican American reformers by not living up to campaign promises. Even so, Mexican Americans attempted to build on the experience by creating the Political Association of Spanish-Speaking Organizations (PASO), which splintered regionally and ideologically. Garcia's narrative is clear and interesting, but he tries to accomplish too much. He would have done better to limit himself to Texas. For example, he neglects California, not fully developing the importance of then Los Angeles city councilman Edward K. Roybal and power brokers such as Bert Corona. Garcia also ignores background material such as this reviewer's Community under Siege (1984) and uses dated material (e.g., the 1981 edition of this reviewer's Occupied America). Like other scholars, he assumes that Kennedy attracted Mexican American leaders because he was Catholic. The truth is that many leaders of Mexican origin are Protestants. Indeed, the roots of the Viva Kennedy movement are found in WW II and the Korean conflict, and even the GI Bill. Nevertheless, like Garcia's other work,Viva Kennedy is important and provocative. All levels. R. Acu~na; California State University, Northridge

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Ignacio M. Garcia, associate professor of history at Brigham Young University, is the author of several books and articles on Chicano politics. He has been a correspondent for the San Antonio Express-News and the Tucson Citizen , as well as editor of Nuestro magazine.

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