I should have expected this to be an academic text when I requested it but alas, LATINX LITERATURE UNBOUND proved to be too dense for me. I feel this is more of my issue as a reader than anything the book puts forth, so while it didn't work for me I'd still recommend others pick it up if the material sounds interesting and they were looking to analyze literary criticism through a Latine lens.

Ralph E. Rodriguez has gifted readers with an illuminating exploration of Latinx literature, while challenging us to think critically about how to engage with the literary elements of this complex genre!

In the aftermath of ongoing public conversations like #WeNeedDiverseBooks and #1000blackgirlbooks, Prof. Ralph E. Rodriguez offers an examination of the complexity of the mechanics of ethnic identity as a system of literary categorizations in Latinx Literature Unbound. His text is saturated with questions about the often arbitrary and contrived criteria used to define ethnicity and cultural authenticity.

The inviting tone of Latinx Literature Unbound projects a sense that the author is sharing with readers his private debate about the pros and cons of grouping literature according to imprecise, shifting ethnic labels. His rigorous dismantling (absent malice) of authors and their works both supports and contradicts many of his theories. References to literary theory and theorists don't detract from the accessibility of the content.

Latinx Literature Unbound is an intriguing conversation about the variety and complexity of internal and external elements that contribute to the composition of each unique, multifaceted human being as artist. It makes a strong case for incorporating other comprehensive ways of describing literature created by people who are not Anglo, male, hetero, socioeconomically privileged or for other reasons considered mainstream.