The Latino Wave: How Hispanics Are Transforming Politics in America

I just got done reading this book, and found it excellent. I'm a young Hispanic male, and very involved in politics. This book was very informative, and unbiased. He bashed Bush as much as he stood up for him and bashed Kerry as much as he stood up for him. I'd highly recommend this book to anyone involved in politics, Latino culture, or both. This book is about the vivid and bright future of how important Latinos are/will be to our future.

Univision national anchor Jorge Ramos has written an impressive piece of scholarship with "The Latino Wave," his timely look at how the current wave of immigration from Latin America is changing the face of politics in America. I give Ramos major credit for his industriousness: he obviously conceived and pieced together the book while reporting on the 2004 presidential election for Univision. In doing so, he really proves that he's no mere talking head. To the contrary, there are some real heady, well-thought out policy ideas in 'Wave.' For example, Ramos concludes his book by laying out 10 recommendations for politicians to "understand the Hispanic experience and improve the lives of Latinos." One of those points is "Make Latin America a Prominent Part of US Foreign Policy." At this point in the book, Ramos has detailed quite effectively the short shrift that Latin American politics are given by our leaders, the price to be paid (and will be paid) for that neglect, and how this oversight infuriates Latinos in this country. Ramos also has his finger right on the pulse of the hidden secret of immigrant labor: while many politicians publicly denounce its impact, the truth is that immigrant labor pays taxes and FICA and thereby is a critical cog in shoring up our Baby Boomers' expectations of Social Security benefits. As one expert is quoted as saying, because of the size of the Baby Boomer generation compared to our 'indigenous' workforce, the US economy is more dependent on immigrant labor now than at any point in the last 100 years. Jorge Ramos' insightful work is definitely worth your time.

Jorge Ramos does a great job outlining the crisis of leadership in the Latino/Hispanic community and lack of national leadership to implement a unified agenda. He provides great guidance and suggestions for a community in need of leadership. A must read for anyone interested in the Latino perspective.

Al principio del libro el autor asegura que intenta "tratar a ambos partidos - Demócrata y Republicano - de la misma manera," y que no le interesa "ganar votos ni apoyar a ningún candidato." Eso no puede estar más lejos de la verdad. Para empezar con el primer capítulo, el autor describe el "fracaso terrible" de la campaña de Gore para conseguir el voto hispano, aunque Gore le sacó una gran ventaja a Bush en el voto hispano final. El autor es parcial a algunos individuos hispanos de la campaña de Bush y los describe en detalle, ni comentando sobre los de la campaña de Gore. Si el autor quiere escribir un libro partidista, que lo haga. Sólo quiero no nos mienta.

I have read significant parts of this book and I have found it very informative, well-researched. It contains much data on the Hispanic culture, the two most important issues for them (education & jobs), immigration, spanglish and its effect on the English language and much more. We should be aware how Hispanics will change the dynamic of our nation.