Oh, Geraldo.
The Fox News reporter guy has been all over the media selling his book, which might not be crap, but most of the online chatter is knee-jerk anti-immigrant blather or hints that he's ready to come to blows with Lou Dobbs, O'Reilly, Limbaugh, and possibly some other fellow-travellers. Well, there's also the guy, a suspect in the disappearance of his wife, whose only regret is letting Geraldo in his house. And I kinda liked Geraldo's Black Geniuses Club concept. And then Google started finding music videos and stuff about panic attacks. Ah well.
But the book. Titled His Panic: Why Americans Fear Hispanics in the U.S., it's on Celebra, the same "personality-driven Hispanic" imprint as Markos. Here's the publisher's description:
A rare, unflinching look at one of today’s most important issues—from one of today’s most well-known journalists.
In this insightful, well-researched book, Peabody and Emmy® Award-winning journalist Geraldo Rivera examines the growth of the Hispanic population in the U.S., fueled partly by what may be the single most divisive issue in America today: illegal immigration. With objective clarity and personal conviction, Rivera sheds light on an issue that is muddled with confusion and prejudice —and too often blamed for everything from terrorism to welfare.
Examining the past—his own parents’ struggle to be "real" Americans, as well as the plight of other ethnic groups in their quest for that dream—Rivera places the issue of illegal immigration in a historic context, dispelling the myth that we are facing an unprecedented crisis.
A vital contribution to the ongoing debate about immigration, His Panic is destined to reshape the way Americans view the future of our country.
I found two reviews before I gave up. The more amusing title is
Geraldo Rivera Is Stupid: A Review of His Panic: Why Americans Fear Hispanics in the U.S.
That's not a terribly insightful review, though. The American Spectator -- yes, I know -- came up with two good points:
The book has two big problems. First, it's written by Geraldo Rivera...
The second problem is that it addresses the very racist Americans who are unlikely to be swayed by the likes of a man sporting two (fake) names ending in vowels. That's unfortunate not only from a debate standpoint, but also a sales standpoint. The racists he's trying to stick it to aren't going to buy his book, and the open-borders crowd aren't likely to think Geraldo's the best guy to speak for their cause.
I found two excerpts online, and while I'm not terribly enthused, they don't completely suck. It might just be the chosen segments, but what I read seems to suffer from the My-Life-is-a-Microcosm (representing the entirety of, well, everything) thing that these journalist-written books so often do. The man does have a point to make -- but, well, he's Geraldo.
I wonder if Stephen will bring out the mustache?
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