From Library Journal
This is a biography of Reynaldo G. Garza, the first Mexican American to reach a federal judgeship and a member of an important generation of Mexican Americans about whom little has been written, particularly for a general audience. The book is valuable for what it reveals about upwardly mobile middle-class Mexican Americans growing up in Texas, a state memorable for its anti-Mexican prejudice. The author's primary thesis is that Judge Garza succeeded by retaining a "bi-cultural ethnicity," allowing him to achieve successful integration into Anglo culture. A Texas native working as a writer in Washington, D.C., Fisch illustrates this point effectively. But there is little depth in her examination of the personal philosophy of Garza, whom she occasionally paints too uncritically, and at times her thesis seems unchallenged. Despite these shortcomings, much can be learned about Mexican Americans of this era. For ethnic studies collections.?Roderic A. Camp, Latin American Ctr., Tulane Univ., New Orleans
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
About the Author
Louise Ann Fisch, a native of Brownsville, Texas, received a bachelor of journalism degree from the University of Texas at Austin and an M.A. in history from Tulane University. She currently works as a writer in Washington, D.C.
