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Students
of Texas history, particularly those interested in the Mexican and
Tejano heritage, should read this admirable publication, a collection
of biographical essays examining eleven important figures. Dr. Joseph
provides thoroughly researched, clearly written, and discerning
discussions of Antonio Lopez
de Santa Anna, Erasmo and Juan
N. Seguin, Juan
Nepomuceno Cortina, Adina
De Zavala, Emma Tenayuca, Jovita Gonzalez and Edmundo E. Mireles,
Raul "Roy" Perez Benavidez, Irma Lerma Rangel, and Selena Quintanilla-Perez.
These notable individuals, she contends, "are a varied group, ranging
from an infamous Mexican president to an iconic Tejana singer. With
one-or possibly two-exceptions, they are sterling examples of the
ways in which ethnic diversity has enriched the Lone Star State."
In her introduction, the author, a professor of history at the University
of Texas Rio Grande Valley, asserts, "That Mexicans and Tejanos
have played a significant role in Texas history before and since
the state became part of the United States is beyond dispute. What
is being heavily debated is whether their role has been-and is-a
positive or a negative one…Their many contributions are often ignored
in this heated discussion." This wide-ranging volume, intended for
college students and lay historians, begins in 1794 (the year of
Santa Anna's birth) and covers numerous fields, including military,
political, and labor history as well as folklore and pop culture.
From Santa Anna to Selena complements two of Dr. Joseph's
earlier biographical collections, co-authored with UNT professor
Donald E. Chipman: Notable Men and Women of Spanish Texas
(UT Press, 1999) and Explorers and Settlers of Spanish Texas
(UT Press, 2001). These three impressive studies belong in the library
of every Texas history enthusiast.
Dr.
Kirk Bane,
Book Review Editor,
Central Texas Studies
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