Scholastic Library Publishing Debuts Encyclopedia Latina.

Scholastic Library Publishing, a division of Scholastic, the global children’s publishing, education and media company, annouced the release of Encyclopedia Latina: History, Culture and Society in the United States, the first interdisciplinary reference book to chronicle Latino contributions to art, culture and commerce in the United States. With more than 40 million Hispanics living in the United States, Latinos are the largest minority group, representing the largest and fastest growing minority youth population. And, although nearly one-in-five children in America is Hispanic, no one has documented the impact that Latinos have had on the United States until now.

In its four volumes, 650 entries, 2000 pages and 1.2 million words, Encyclopedia Latina explores every aspect of Latino life in America from a myriad of perspectives, spanning the arts, media, cuisine, government and
politics, science and technology, business, health, and sports, among others.

Ilan Stavans, the Lewis-Sebring Professor of Latin American and Latino Culture at Amherst College and host of PBS’ La Plaza: Conversations with Ilan Stavans, served as editor in chief. Called “the czar of Latino culture in the United States” by The New York Times, Stavans is the author of several best-selling books on Latino culture and Spanish language.

To develop Encyclopedia Latina, Stavans assembled a who’s-who editorial advisory board of such prominent Latino figures as Ray Suarez of PBS’ The NewsHour; Jorge Ramos of Univision; Richard Delgado, author of The Latino/a Condition: A Critical Reader, The Coming Race War, and Critical Race Theory; and Marcus Burke of the Hispanic Society of America. Contributors included academics as well as journalists, musicians, filmmakers, poets, novelists, chefs, curators, translators, and independent scholars. The resulting work frames the social and historical context on Latinos’ impact on the United States from colonial to modern times.

“Encyclopedia Latina will offer a unique view into the vast contributions of Latinos to American life, providing a useful and meaningful reference for students, teachers and librarians,” states editor in chief, Stavans. “While the collection represents an important cultural point of reference and source of pride for Latino youth, it will also serve the interests of an increasingly diverse American population who can all relate to the themes and stories included in this resource.”

The history of Latinos is inseparable from the story of America. From Che Guevara and Julia Alvarez, to Chita Rivera and Gloria Estefan, to the folklore of Indigenous Americans and the impact of the Hispanic vote in 2004 — the encyclopedia canvasses the widespread influence that Latinos have left in every facet of U.S. life. Encyclopedia Latina examines the roles of Latinos in U.S. society, from baseball to politics, and discusses Latino influences on U.S. culture, from burritos and pop music to literature and education. “For eight decades, Scholastic has inspired young people from all walks of life with a love of learning and books,” comments Greg Worrell, president of Scholastic Library Publishing. “The new Encyclopedia Latina reflects the diversity of the students we serve and will be in important addition to school and public library collections.”