“The tension between people is palpable, and the ideal of what it means to be and look American becomes a preoccupation to folks around the country, including me.” AmericaRaceIdentityRacismStatus QuoRace RelationsLatinoAmerican SocietyIdentity CrisisIdentity PoliticsRacial TensionAmerican PeopleHispanicsLatina AmericansLatino Americans Book:Bird of Paradise: How I Became Latina Source: Bird of Paradise: How I Became Latina