Aztlán and Viet Nam
Chicano and Chicana Experiences of the War
George Mariscal, editor

Aztlán and Viet Nam is a remarkable anthology of Chicano and Chicana expressions about the U.S. war in Southeast Asia. The book contains poems, essays, speeches and a few posters from the Viet Nam Era as well as new historical and critical essays by the editor. The editor, George Mariscal, is a literature professor and a Viet Nam veteran.

Taken together these pieces present a powerful and complex set of voices from domestic communities deeply affected by the war whose voices are seldom reported in the standard literature on the war. One especially moving short poem, Heroes, by Gina Valdes, describes how members of a community, waiting for their proud warriors to return, embrace an AWOL GI who refused to fight in the war.

Mariscal’s introductory essays are themselves significant contributions to the history of Chicano communities and the war. They provide a seldom-reported history of the Chicano anti-war movement, the perspectives of returning soldiers and the reactions of those communities to the War, warriors and the dominant politics of the country. Mariscal chronicles debates within Chicano communities and discusses the significance of social justice movements of that era.

Aztlán is an indigenous Mexican term which refers to an unspecified region north of what is now Mexico City. It is often regarded as the region now known as the Southwest. The concept of Aztlán has been used in different ways over the years. Mariscal explains that during the sixties, many in the Chicano movement spoke of it as the stolen homeland and future nation of the Chicano people. Aztlán and Viet Nam is a must read.

Published by the University of California Press. $18.95 in paper.

Past resources of the month are listed in the resource section of the Y&M website.

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