As I lay in bed with a stomach virus in Cuernavaca, Mexico, some years ago, I began to consider what type of book I would most enjoy writing. Whatever it would be, I knew that it would have to be something that would incorporate academic research with field work and, at the same time, bring [...]
I was amused by Leticia Salais’ piece on “Saying ‘Adiós’ to Spanglish” in Newsweek (December 17, 2007), in part because it reflects how little so many people know about language and its centrality in human intercourse and development. I was also saddened by the article because it tells us much about dysphoria (alienation) and its [...]
Make up you mind!
That, undoubtedly, is the prerogative of every citizen in a free, democratic society. But CBS Evening News thinks otherwise. In a recent news story (”Illegal Immigrant Births - At Your Expense,” April 7, 2008) about the citizenship status of children born to undocumented U.S. immigrants, the newscast has given up on objectivity [...]
Earlier this week, Junot Diaz became the second U.S. Latino to win a Pulitzer prize for fiction for his debut novel, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. The novel had already earned the 2007 National Books Critics Circle Award.
Diaz, 39, was born in the Dominican Republican, and arrived in the U.S. in 1974. He [...]
With the heat of the presidential primaries at a record level, one TV network covering the campaign is emerging a winner: CNN. The thoughtful team of specialists isn’t eclipsing the candidates’ words, which is a welcome respite to viewers often bombarded with inimical commentary by know-it-alls. Indeed, the political symmetry within the team allows for [...]
In a time when the national temper calls for reason in the solution of problems facing the American people, a powerful media venue like CNN mixes jingoism with (advocacy) journalism, not just with Lou Dobbs but with Nancy Grace and others. Fox News is not any better. Networks like ABC, CBS, and NBC have pretty [...]
Welcome to "En mi opinión," a blog hosted by Ilan Stavans, Advisory Editor of The Latino American Experience, a full-text reference tool exploring the history and culture of U.S. Latinos.
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