Why read Defectors?

Book cover of Defectors

Book description

An award-winning journalist's exploration of how race, identity and political trauma have influenced the rise in far-right sentiment among Latinos, and how this group can shape American politics

“A deeply reported, surprisingly personal exploration of a phenomenon that is little understood in our politics: the affiliation of Latino voters with…

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Why read it?

2 authors picked Defectors as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Mara White

Author

This is a fascinating, if painful breakdown of the far right swing of US Latino voters. The history of colonialism and how it affects identity is illuminating and frankly, heartbreaking. The writing is unbiased and the reporting is profound and personal.

From Mara's 3 favorite reads in 2024.

Marlene Laruelle

Author

This book was a discovery for me, as I know very little about Latino culture, but it’s super well-written and argued. Paula Ramos presents us with the whole spectrum of Latino figures who rallied to the Republican Party and their reasoning behind this, but she also adds a lot of personal introspection to it.

As a European émigré in the US, I could relate to many of her stories about what it means to embrace American national identity and the issues immigrants and second and third generations have to address.

From Marlene's list on The best books to understand why Donald Trump won.