Borderlands and the Mexican American Story

By: David Dorado Romo

Narrated by: Victoria Villarreal

Until now, you've only heard one side of the story, about migrants crossing borders, drawn to the promise of a better life. In reality, Mexicans were on this land long before any borders existed. Here's the true story of America, from the Mexican American perspective.

A SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL AND KIRKUS REVIEWS BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR • A National Council of Teachers of English Honor Book

The Mexican American story is usually carefully presented as a story of immigrants: migrants crossing borders, drawn to the promise of a better life. In reality, Mexicans were on this land long before any borders existed. Their culture and practices shaped the Southwestern part of this country, in spite of relentless attempts by white colonizers and settlers to erase them.

From missions and the Alamo to muralists, revolutionaries, and teen activists, this is the true story of the Mexican American experience.


The Race to the Truth series tells the true history of America from the perspective of different communities. These books correct common falsehoods and celebrate underrepresented heroes and achievements. They encourage readers to ask questions and to approach new information thoughtfully. Check out the other books in the series: Colonization and the Wampanoag Story, Slavery and the African American Story, and Exclusion and the Chinese American Story.

Critic reviews

★ "A powerful must-read for students of North American history." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

★ "A comprehensive and revelatory volume. This fills in gaps and turns history on its head. An absolute must for nonfiction collections." —School Library Journal, starred review

"[An] insightful overview of Mexican American history." —Booklist

The truth of Mexican Americans is the truth of all people oppressed throughout the world.

The plight of Palestina resonates with many indigenous peoples throughout the world because our collective history contains the template for our cultural erasure.

In the case of Mexican Americans living on the border, i.e., El Paso, the colonial settlerism and genocide of Palestina is a poignant reminder of our own history, which was erased by white supremaciists to craft their own creation myths.

*Consider the confiscation of indigenous lands by the Catholic Church, so the Spanish could justify their genocide of our people.

*Consider how the United States fomented civil war between Apaches and borderland Mexicans, by inundating the territory with U.S. made weapons; with the intention of claiming the abandoned lands.

*Consider the mass migration into Texas/Mexico by Anglo settlers and mercenaries, many of whom themselves fled from justice because they were convicted of crimes in the United States.

*Consider the decimation of the environment by Anglo settlers in order to make it difficult for subsistence farming to exist.

*Consider the implementation of passports and family separation by Spaniards on the Apache. Their migratory patterns had been established way long before the arrival of Europeans.

These are but a few parallels documented by renowned scholar and author, David Romo of El Paso, in his most recent book entitled, BORDERLANDS AND THE MEXICAN AMERICAN STORY.

So when October 7th is referenced by the presidential candidates as an isolated incident in history, they too, are complicit in erasing an imperialist history of exploitation and genocide.

Felt like a volcano of suppressed history finally errupted

Being a fronterizo or mexican american you always had a gut feeling that, your hidtory has been suppressed and kept away from you..the system has kept you on the dark for a long time and this book is a path to knnowing your true history.