Dictionary of Hispanic Biography

Provides brief profiles of Hispanic authors, entertainers, athletes, politicians, scientists, and educators

Librarians with a clientele seeking biographical information on noted Hispanics will cheer the appearance of Dictionary of Hispanic Biography. The editors chose a broad range of personalities from the fifteenth century to the present from the U.S., Latin America, and Spain. They represent a variety of endeavors, including activism, business, entertainment, education, religion, and sports. Apparently being Spanish-speaking was one of the criteria for inclusion; there are no entrants from Brazil or Portugal. Though Aztecs such as Montezuma are treated, approximately 70 percent of the 470 people lived in the twentieth century. A six-member advisory board assisted the editors in winnowing the current list from more than 700 names initially suggested.

Entries are arranged alphabetically, from Rodolfo Acuna to Emiliano Zapata. The sketches, ranging from one to three pages in length, provide biographic information and list selected works by the biographee (books, films, recordings, etc.) and works about him or her. Cross-references within biographies are indicated by boldface type. For example, in the article on Dolores Huerta, there is a reference to Cesar Chavez. Many articles are illustrated with black-and-white portraits. Each article is signed. Indexes by occupation and nationality, as well as by subject, further aid the user. There are inconsistencies in the way people are classified in the nationality index. For example, Emilio Estevez is listed under Hispanic American, while his father Martin Sheen and brother Charlie Sheen are listed under Spanish American. There are some minor editing errors; one line in the biography of Xavier Cugat makes no sense, for example.

Several books, such as Notable Hispanic American Women (Gale, 1993), cover Hispanics in the U.S., but Dictionary of Hispanic Biography covers important Spanish-speaking people from Europe and the Americas as well. It is highly recommended for all types of libraries, high school and up.