Reviews for Narratives of Greater Mexico: Essays on Chicano Literary History, Genre, and Borders

The average rating for Narratives of Greater Mexico: Essays on Chicano Literary History, Genre, and Borders based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2008-06-20 00:00:00 Ken Zabko Quite a few things to like about this book. Let's talk form first. They are essays that look at the work of a few Chicano writers (America Paredes, Rudolfo Anaya, Tomas Rivera, Oscar Zeta Acosta, Cherrie Morraga, Rolando Hinojosa, and Sandra Cisneros) but instead of just the cut and dry academic approach, Calderon interweaves his own personal story/history/reflections throughout each essay. This approach viscerally connects the writers' work to the personal experience and growth. But it is not just about Chicano identity at all but much about the cultural history of the Southwest United States. If you do not know much about it or if you think that "Mexicans" are new to this country well you'll learn more about the real history of the Southwest not what you see on TV or learned in school.

Review # 2 was written on 2008-06-16 00:00:00 Robert Murdoch Calderon seeks to reframe Chicano literature as literature of Greater Mexico (Paredes' term). Each chapter reads a particular text central to the chicano literary canon through its thematic and genre relationships to Mexico. The book does a convincing job - it starts with Paredes, then looks at Anaya, Tomas Rivera, Oscar Zeta Acosta, Cherrie Moraga and Sandra Cisneros. The writing style includes lots of first person anecdotes which are enjoyable to read.