From Booklist
Arranged from the most influential person (Cesar Chavez) down, four-to five-page biographies (reminiscent of Current Biography) include background, achievements, and occasionally personal remarks about the individuals' heritage. It appears that two contributors wrote the material because the style and emphasis falls into two main types; one begins with family background, chronologically covers achievements and private life, and ends with influential contributions and personal insights. The other begins with contributions, follows the career, and finishes with awards. In some cases, private life is detailed, but in others, such as Linda Ronstadt, it is not mentioned. Black-and-white portraits are provided for each biographee. The introduction describes the major Latino/Hispanic groups.
The major limitation of this work is the ranking itself. Specific criteria are not given beyond trailblazing, legendary status, and broad influence. Moreover, it seems that the author and the editor did the rankings without outside verification. Information about many of these people is available in other reference sources, for example, Who's Who among Hispanic Americans [RBB Mr 15 91], The Hispanic American Almanac [RBB Ap 15 93], and its spinoff for middle-schoolers, Hispanic American Almanac [RBB Ap 15 95]. But this compilation about Hispanic legends provides valuable role models, and public and middle-and high-school libraries will welcome this inexpensive first effort.
