Defectors
The Rise of the Latino Far Right and What It Means for America
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4.3 • 16 Ratings
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- $4.99
Publisher Description
AN NPR BEST BOOK OF 2024 • 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 causes and candidates that would seem, at first glance, unwelcoming to them." —Rachel Maddow
Democrats have historically assumed they can rely on the Latino vote, but recent elections have called that loyalty into question. In fact, despite his vociferous anti-immigrant rhetoric and disastrous border policies, Trump won a higher percentage of the Latino vote in 2020 than he did in 2016. Now, journalist Paola Ramos pulls back the curtain on these voters, traveling around the country to uncover what motivates them to vote for and support issues that seem so at odds with their self-interest.
From coast to coast, cities to rural towns, Defectors introduces readers to underdog GOP candidates, January 6th insurrectionists, Evangelical pastors and culture war crusaders, aiming to identify the influences at the heart of this rightward shift. Through their stories, Ramos shows how tribalism, traditionalism, and political trauma within the Latino community has been weaponized to radicalize and convert voters who, like many of their white counterparts, are fearful of losing their place in American society.
We meet Monica de la Cruz, a Republican congresswoman from the Rio Grande Valley who won on a platform centered on finishing “what Donald Trump started” and pushing the Great Replacement Theory; David Ortiz, a Mexican man who refers to himself as a Spaniard and opposed the removal of a statue of a Spanish conquistador in New Mexico; Luis Cabrera, an evangelical pastor pushing to “Make America Godly Again;” Anthony Aguero, an independent journalist turned border vigilante; and countless other individuals and communities that make up the rising conservative Latino population. Cross-cultural and assiduously reported, Defectors highlights how one of America's most powerful and misunderstood electorates may come to define the future of American politics.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this revealing account, Emmy-winning journalist Ramos (Finding Latinx) draws on more than a decade of reporting for Vice News and MSNBC to examine the growing presence of Latinos in America's far-right movement. She identifies three major influences that push Latinos rightward—tribalism, traditionalism, and trauma. In the section on tribalism, she profiles Anthony, a onetime Beto O'Rourke volunteer who is now a vigilante border patrolman and member of the militia group United Constitutional Patriots, and who was among those who stormed the Capitol on January 6. A first-generation American, Anthony strives to be seen as a patriot, going to extremes, according to Ramos, to differentiate himself from other Latinos arriving in the country as migrants. Elsewhere, Ramos explores the rapidly growing number of Latino evangelicals, including church leaders, who invoke Christian nationalism, and argues that Latinos who arrive traumatized from places of civil distress are particularly susceptible to political strongmen and misinformation. Ramos's probing interview style generates many eye-opening moments, as when she asks Anthony whether he gets lonely and he replies that "a lot of people tell me: ‘You're weird.' I travel with the music off a lot of the time." It's a nuanced view of what motivates far-right extremism in America.
Customer Reviews
Pathetic book
I bought this book to learn about the details of Latinos in the United States and why they are turning right politically. I expected it to be an analysis but instead it was a personal biased document. Every reference to conservatism is labeled instead as fascist and white supremacy. Every viewpoint is viewed from a racist lens. Being white is evil. This author is so steeped in a progressive victim attitude that she loses sight of her real job. And that is to be an analyst and a journalist not an opinion reporter. She is the epitome of the reason why people do not trust “reporters “anymore. They no longer report, they espouse their viewpoint. There is no balance there is no seeing outside their own lens. Simplistic, immature, and uninvolved. This was a waste of my time and money.