Customer Reviews

The Zoot-Suit Riots: The Psychology of Symbolic Annihilation (Cmas Mexican American Monographs)

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The Zoot-Suit Riots is a well written and scholarly book about some racial disturbances that occurred in Los Angeles in 1943. These "riots" were not actual riots at all, but conflicts between angry sailors and Latinos. No one was killed or seriously injured in these conflicts, and there was little property damage except for some torn up suits and shaved heads.

The author, Mauricio Mazon, gives good documentation and reports from sources on both sides of the clashes. The newspapers of the time get low grades for their efforts at reporting the fighting. Indeed, Mazon blames them in part for actually stirring up trouble in order to get a good story. High government officials fared no better. They were worried about causing a mutiny and undermining morale and unfairly blamed the Mexicans.

I would recommend the book to all history buffs interested in World War II. This book shows another side to what some people call "The Greatest Generation."

My only criticism of the book is the lack of good photographs of these conflicts. There are, however, several pages of cartoons drawn by Al Capp which make fun of the zoot suit fad.