Occupied America: A History of Chicanos

by Rodolfo Acuna

Occupied America, designed to accommodate the growing number of Mexican-American or Chicano History courses, is the most comprehensive text in this market. The Sixth Edition of Occupied America has been revised to make the text more user-friendly and student-oriented, while maintaining its passionate voice.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Race, Politics, Social Justice, American History, Latinx

418 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1981

Reviews

[Karen]

This book was banned in Arizona. I believe every American should read it.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Classic Chicano studies bible. I have an earlier edition, so I'm not sure what changes or additions have been made since then. I had the pleasure of having Rudy (Rodolfo Acuna)as an instructor for a semester or two in college. He was wacky- a true revolutionary thinker and a real inspiration to impressionable undergrads like myself. If I recall correctly, he won a court battle against the UC Regents, who claimed his version of certain historical events in this particular book were fictional and inaccurate. A must-have for history buffs and anyone else who might still have doubts that America is not "occupied."

[My work is never done · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well I am by far no Chicano because I believe the Idelogy is way too nationalist and Mexicocentric but this is an excellent book on how this Continent belongs to our Idegenous (Raza) people. Only 1 thing though, skip Chapter 1. Chapter 1 he talks about how Indegenous Socities were before European Imperialism and he makes many mistakes.


The Author could take some classes on Idegenous Pre-European Life. The rest is good work though.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

You have to prune away the extreme leftist bias, but this book provides an excellent and detailed examination of Hispanic American history.

[Shane Ver Meer · Rating 5 out of 5]

An essential read to understand the Chicano movement and identity, though certainly not the only relevant perspective. There are a remarkable number of historical facts and events that I learned the existence of solely from this work (forced deportations and sterilizations, among others), which is a testament to the profound impact demonstrated by a dominant culture's control of historical narrative. Truly gripping.

[Oscar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although this book was plagued by too many errors in punctuation and grammar (someone at the publishing company was clearly asleep at the wheel!), this latest edition of Acuña's classic work is extremely timely. Furthermore, the addition of various web sites (including videos) in the footnotes section will be useful resources for me for the upcoming semester.

[Theresa · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book documents historical problems but fails miserably to present any solutions or lessons learned. Ultimately it presents over 400 pages of resentment. Absolutely not appropriate for immature readers. Senior collegiate level and above readers should read with keen awareness of the books' serious shortcomings. (3rd edition, 1988)

[Carla Gregoire · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wouldn't read it on it's own but when paired with other books with emphasis on Xicano/Xicana history such as Vigil's "From Indians to Chicanos," it becomes a part of a well rounded study that dispels many myths in modern thinking.

[Jessica Lara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Largely referred to as the "Chicano Bible", any conscious activist should be well versed...

[Josefina Duran · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is Chicano History bible.

Its a good text book to teach from this book on Chicano History.

[Donna Garcia · Rating 1 out of 5]

should be listed under fiction. his sources are questionable at best.... political correct gone south. It is embarrassing that he teaches at my alma mater.

[Anne Perez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well worth reading. This isn't an unbiased history but it's a necessary and honest one.

[Rusty del Norte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Occupied America is a good book detailing the plight of Mexican-Americans in the United States. It covers a variety of topics in the first half of the book from pre-conquest to the late 19th century. In the second half of the book. it details the plight of Mexican-Americans and their seeking of equal rights as a slowly moving force.

The book gives a lot of detailed information with good references. As the focus is for Mexican-Americans, other groups are generally ignored. This is by design and limits some of the topics. However, this can be the strong point as topics that are discusses, like the Mexican-American War and the social movements of the 1960s, receive more attention than a book that focused on the Euro-American perspective

Overall, its a a solid read.

[Steven · Rating 3 out of 5]

What did you get taught about American history?
Oh Mr Columbus discovered a new world!

Well this is the other portion of history. Yes it seems to be written from a biased point of view (as I was told) but facts are pretty straight forward and like all history books it was written by the narrators point of view.

At least you'll get some understanding of the history you never heard.

[Christina · Rating 2 out of 5]

It has been an honor to know Rudy Acuña. He is a very knowledgeable professor. Even though I'm one of his favorite students, his little girl, as he says, I really do not like the format of the book. However, Rudy is very well versed and read.

[Jason · Rating 1 out of 5]

Marxist / crybaby garbage

[Victor · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a true eye opener for latinos who are
trying to learn about their culture

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent historical look at America's ugly xenophobic history.

[Linda]

Interesting but dry. Took a bit to get through it.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finished reading the sixth edition of this book, whose timeline of history ends in the late '80s. I would like to read the most recently published edition which was updated in 2019, and perhaps a version that includes the decade of the 2020's into the history, if it is ever written and published since the author, Dr. Acuña, is 93 years old as of January 2026.

This is a textbook-trove of the history of Mexicans and Mexican-Americans/Chicanos in the United States, packed to the brim with detailed accounts of the struggles which our people have endured and the battles fought to gain recognition, representation, and equal rights in America.

This book is quite dense and can be a slog to get through, but it is written in a straightforward, factual style. I think if you are Mexican-American you have much to gain from reading and studying this, if nothing else but to gain a perspective on what your position in American society may have looked like decades and centuries ago.

Many young American citizens of Mexican extraction are unaware of who they have to thank for the upward mobility and access to opportunity that they take for granted: the people who placed their lives on the line in bloody strikes and protests for a desegregated and more equitable society. A reading of this book is a solution to this problem, and hopefully an antidote for any misguided MAGA-supporting Mexican-Americans.

[Ben P · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was a good read. It has loads of untaught Latino/a history. Digs deep and hard.

[Ainsley · Rating 4 out of 5]

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[christopher · Rating 3 out of 5]

I now know wayyyy more about chicano history than i ever thought would be possible.

[Jose Yznaga]

Want to know who Chicanos are? this book has what your looking for