Collection Spotlight

In honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month (celebrated annually in the United States from September 15^th to October 15^th) today’s blog post discusses books about Hispanic legal issues, lawyers, and fictional literature. All books listed below can be found in the print collection of the UNT Dallas College of Law Library. 

Legal issues:

Everyday Injustice by Maria Chávez; Joe R. Feagin (Foreword by); Maria Chávez

Call Number: HD8081.H7 C43 2011

ISBN: 9781442209190

Publication Date: 2011-07-15

Noted professor of political science Maria Chávez examines the challenges faced by Latino professionals in the United States. She looks at Latino lawyers in depth, through case studies, interviews, survey research, and focus groups. Chapters cover Latinos and race in America, Latinos in the workplace, cultural foundations and civic participation, and the need for education; one chapter deals specifically with the double challenge faced by Latinas as both women and minorities.

U. S. Latinos and Criminal Injustice by Lupe S. Salinas

Call Number: KF4757.5.L38 2015

ISBN: 1611861764

Publication Date: 2015-07-01

Latinos in the United States are a broad demographic with complex justice concerns. This book examines their relationship with America’s criminal justice system in three parts: The U.S Latino and American Society; Latinos and Law Enforcement; and Issues Facing Latinos in the Courts. Author Lupe Salinas, a retired Texas state judge and current tenured Professor of Law at the Thurgood Marshall School of Law of Texas Southern University, traces the history of United States’ Latino population within American culture, and the treatment of Latinos by both law enforcement and the American legal system. A well-researched, well-annotated book, it concludes with Notes, References, and a list of cases, constitutions, treaties, statutes, and regulations cited within the text.

 

Lawyers:

All Rise: Reynaldo G. Garza, the first Mexican American Federal Judge by Louise Ann Fisch

Call Number: KF373.G35 | F57 1996

ISBN: 9780890967133

Publication Date: 1996-09-01

This book traces the career of Judge Garza, the first Mexican American federal judge, from modest beginnings in Brownsville, Texas to his appointment to the United States District Court in 1961 and through his rise and tenure on the United States Court of Appeals. A respected federal jurist for over thirty-five years, he was able to hold on to the tenets of his ethnic heritage while integrating himself into the then Anglo-dominated legal culture. Author Louise Ann Fisch uses interviews with Garza, his family and associates, and unrestricted access to his papers to document the life and accomplishments of this extraordinary man.

 

 

My Beloved World by Sonia Sotomayor

Call Number: KF8745.S67 A3 2013

ISBN: 9780307594884

Publication Date: 2013-01-15

In this autobiography, Sonia Sotomeyer, the first Hispanic and third woman appointed to the Supreme Court, discusses her journey from a Bronx housing project to the federal bench. Recounting a difficult, but loving, childhood, Justice Sotomeyer traces her unlikely path from a child whose only legal role models were television characters to her appointment to the Federal District Court before the age of forty. Open and honest, her writing is a testimony to the power of determination and belief in oneself.

Literature:

All the Crooked Saints by Maggie Stiefvater

Call Number: PZ7.S855625 Al 2017

ISBN: 9780545930802

Publication Date: 2017-10-10

Maggie Stiefvator, a noted author of YA fiction, sets this novel in Colorado in 1962, where the Mexican-American Soria family confront an unusual and problematic family gift—they can perform miracles for pilgrims who seek them out. Steifvator writes lyrical prose and infuses her writing with magical realism and intrigue.

 

 

 

 

 

Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass by Meg Medina

Call Number: PZ7.M512765 2014

ISBN: 9780763671648

Publication Date: 2014-08-26

Cuban-American author Meg Medina won the 2014 Pura Belprè award (given for a work which best portrays the Latino cultural experience) for her sympathetic treatment of a Latina teenager bullied at her high school. Priddy Sanchez endures constant bullying from the title character, Yaqui Delgado, and her followers, although Priddy is not exactly sure what caused Yaqui to dislike her. Eventually, she must decide how to deal with this and the other issues which challenge her. Despite overwhelmingly positive critical reception, the book has been nonetheless challenged in schools for its course language and title.

 

 

- Mary Ritter, MS-LS Candidate 2022