Translation Nation: Defining a New American Identity in the Spanish-Speaking United States

Northwest of Atlanta, a thriving community of Latinos has recreated the town of Dalton, Georgia. Bused in years ago to work in the carpet factories, these immigrants are now part of the largest minority in America, which number more than 13 percent of our population. Though many come to Los Angeles, this Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist insists that reality, for most Hispanics, is far from that cliché. Using a story-based approach based on interviews and experiences he lived, Tobar demonstrates that significant changes are underway for our country and citizens. Fascinating reading - and essential for anyone who wants to understand who we are becoming, as a nation.

I needed it for a class,and was surprised about the fast shipping, great price, especially for a hardcover. very satisfied.

Hector Tobar is a journalist now living in Argentina who also happens to be a fine writer. Probing his own past as the son of immigrants from Guatemala as a baseline and investigating like families and individuals, TRANSLATION NATION is one of the more interesting, readable, and informative books about the current rise in the number of Latin Americans who in their immigration to a new country have made a solid impact on the cultural, artistic, gastronomic, and political face to the USA. Tobar interviews and follows histories of some fascinating and courageous people, documenting their diaspora-like web across the country. From the Cuban exiles in Florida and the massive Los Angeles and Southern California Hispanic population we all know to the enclaves and pockets of 'latinidad' communities sprinkled across the entire United States, Tobar gleans a feeling of identity, of success stories, of the numbers of Hispanics who have gained national importance and prominence to the beautifully persistent folk traditions that remain intact despite the surrounding environs. The importance of 'futbol' (soccer), the explosion of cuisines not only form the ubiquitous Mexican fast food chains but also the increasingly popular cuisines of Central and South America, the popularity of Chicano painting and crossover music, the on-going debates about border control - Tobar manages to define just what impact 'latinidad' has had and will continue to have as the Latino population grows faster than any other group in census studies. In a time when the government seems to be polarizing the nation about the Latino influx it is refreshing to read Tobar's eminently optimistic evaluation of this newest aspect of the Melting Pot concept of America. An informative and fine read. Grady Harp, July 05

This is the best book I've read in the past five years. Tobar is so smart, so insightful, so eloquent I'm annoyed that I've missed reading his stuff before now. I'm going to buy his fiction now and am prepared to be blown away again.