Cultures only flourish in contact with others; they perish in isolation. ~Carlos Fuentes

If we do not recognize our humanity in others, we shall not recognize it in ourselves.

~Carlos Fuentes

Recently I have been identified as being diplomatic and idealistic, two adjectives that I would not have chosen for myself. I suppose I continue to have the same self-image I’ve had for some time, without taking into consideration the development my identity has experienced. Identity has always been an intriguing subject. The multicultural identity is fascinating and often overlooked. Why? Perhaps it is a misunderstanding? Perhaps it is easier to understand a clearer, more black and white definition? Or perhaps I am attempting to intellectualize a subject that cannot be understood completely through the intellect and better through instinctive knowledge. So, yes, I suppose that the desire to share the sensitive and cultural experiences of diverse people in a tactful and exploratory manner, with the goal to collectively appreciate all sundry cultures, would then make me an emissary with a tendency to experience life in the pursuance of the ideal global community.

A multicultural identity should be positively recognized, should be appreciated, and should not be denied. Earth is old enough, approximately 4.55 billion years old, and populated extensively, that ethnicities have intermixed and multicultural groups have evolved. Denying their identity and obligating such groups to choose one cultural over another could only cause harm, and has.

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El Espejo Enterrado/The Buried Mirror (Paperback)

By Carlos Fuentes
$24.95
ISBN-13: 9789681903954
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Published: Aguilar, Altea, Taurus, Alfaguara, S.A. de C., 08/01/1998

La Flor de Oro: Un Mito Taino de Puerto Rico (Hardcover)

By Nina Jaffe, Enrique O. Sanchez (Illustrator), Gabriela Baeza Ventura (Translator)
$15.95
ISBN-13: 9781558854635
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Published: Pinata Books, 03/01/2006

The Dreamer (Hardcover)

By Pam Munoz Ryan, Peter Sis (Illustrator)
$17.99
ISBN-13: 9780439269704
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Published: Scholastic Press, 04/01/2010

Unequal Sisters: A Multicultural Reader in Us Women's History (Paperback)

By Vicki L. Ruiz (Editor), Ellen Carol DuBois (Editor)
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ISBN-13: 9780415925174
Availability: Out of Print
Published: Routledge, 12/01/1999

From What Struggle We Eat: An Eight-Month Experience: Laboring in the Cause of the United Farm Workers of America with Cesar Cha (Paperback)

By Joetta Connors
$10.95
ISBN-13: 9780595374601
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Published: iUniverse, 10/01/2005

Sisters, Strangers, and Starting Over (Paperback)

By Belinda Acosta
$13.99
ISBN-13: 9780446540520
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Published: Grand Central Publishing, 07/01/2010

Flipped (Paperback)

By Wendelin Van Draanen
$8.95
ISBN-13: 9780375825446
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Published: Knopf Books for Young Readers, 05/01/2003

Damas, Dramas, and Ana Ruiz: A Quinceañera Club Novel (Paperback)

By Belinda Acosta
$13.99
ISBN-13: 9780446540513
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Published: Grand Central Publishing, 08/01/2009

Lady Q: The Rise and Fall of a Latin Queen (Paperback)

By Reymundo Sanchez, Sonia Rodriguez
$16.95
ISBN-13: 9781569762851
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Published: Chicago Review Press, 07/01/2010