Chicano literature, the aesthetic principles that define it, and the body of criticism that supports it resist comparison to mainstream American literature; indeed, Chicano writing is an assertive declaration of cultural identity that frequently assumes validity by its independence from Anglo traditions and standards. Throughout the 150-year history of Chicano literature, its writers have been motivated in large degree by their response to social oppression and by their attempts to define and embrace their cultural heritage.

64 entries include: Gloria Anzaldua, Jimmy Santiago Baca, Ernesto Galarza, Juan Felipe Herrera, Arturo Islas, John Rechy, Louis Miguel Valdez, and Evangelina Vigil-Pinon.