Occupied America: A History of Chicanos

the book was purchased used but received new and the delivery time is dependable. thank you.

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.

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.

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.)

For all of you that got a little queasy during middle school history lessons, this book pinpoints the source of your nausea. By now, most of us realize the true nature of white Americans push westward from the 18th century onward. It was a cruel, intrusive robbery that stole, raped and destroyed the dynamic culture and societies of the indigenous peoples of the Americas. However, little is ever discussed about the entirely different and much older paradigm of U.S. history: the push from the south to the north. Acuna examines the nature of the Spanish and Indian cultures that amalgamated and moved forward, only to collide with the U.S. expansion in the Mexican War. He also looks at the many levels of exploitation the mexican-american people have faced over the centuries and current movements to stop or reverse these practices. A fascinating book and an enlightening adventure.