Beautifully written & engaging exploration of the nuances of latinidad, and how it intersects with America’s nebulous, made-up definitions of racial division. Very reminiscent of James Baldwin’s writings, which makes sense because the author later mentions Baldwin as his biggest inspiration.

Although this isn’t necessarily an in-depth overview of the history of immigration, Héctor Tobar includes a brief overview when it’s necessary, without dumping too much. I really enjoyed how he was able to mix his personal memoir with the anecdotes of his own students and people he’s met through his research and journey to reconnecting with his heritage, with just enough information to help uninformed people (like myself) understand the deep historical nuances to immigration and Latin America. In doing so, Tobar illuminates every corner of the subject of latinidad, and showcases a vast array of opinions and experienced informed by the inextricably connected joy and struggle of what it means to be Latinx. 

And, speaking of the term Latinx, there was a lot of pondering on the meaning of the term, alongside Latino/Latina, Hispanic, and Latin American, all of which have complicated histories and reasons that people do/do not support the terms. A great example of how much language is still used to continue the effects of colonization and racism that often gets lost in today's landscape of cultural scapegoating and debates between talking heads. 

There’s plenty to learn here, and as the subtitle suggests, it’s a meditation. Somewhat stream of consciousness, but Tabor does a beautiful job transitioning between each essay and painting a broader picture by focusing on individual stories and experiences. 

Despite the beautiful writing and many memorable quotes, I found myself wanting more from the reading experience. I'm not sure if the meditative style worked for me here, as there were times I wished the author would have dove deeper into the topics he was discussing. The overall themes were well done but it almost felt like the collection as a whole was missing something to really pull it all together.