Killing Spanish:
Literary Essays on Ambivalent US Latino/a Identity
by Lyn Di Iorio Sandín
PS153 .H56 S36 2004
New Book Island, 2nd floor
Browsing the New Book Island, this book instantly grabbed my attention, as I studied Spanish language and literature for seven years. Sandín, a professor at the City College at the City University of New York, delves in the question of the US Latino/a identity through the examination of several contemporary authors, such as Edward Rivera, Cristina García and others. She conjectures that the protagonists struggle between their present assimilation to American culture and their past origins. The ties to the homeland take shape in the other characters, with the protagonist embodying the American way of life. The novels in question handle the situation by killing the “Spanish” counterpart, which sheds light on the title. It’s definitely a scholarly work, but an interesting subject nonetheless.
