Ask a Mexican

Gustavo Arellano

May 2007 · Sold by Simon and Schuster

About this ebook

From award-winning columnist and favorite talking head Gustavo Arellano, comes this explosive, irreverent, smart, and hilarious Los Angeles Times bestseller.

¡Ask a Mexican! is a collection of questions and answers from Gustavo Arellano that explore the clichés of lowriders, busboys, and housekeepers; drunks and scoundrels; heroes and celebrities; and most important, millions upon millions of law-abiding, patriotic American citizens and their illegal-immigrant cousins who represent some $600 billion in economic power.

At a strong eighteen percent of the U.S. population, Latinos have become America's largest minority—and Mexicans make up a large part of that number. Gustavo confronts the bogeymen of racism, xenophobia, and ignorance prompted by such demographic changes through answering questions put to him by readers of his ¡Ask a Mexican! column in California's OC Weekly. He challenges readers to find a more entertaining way to understand Mexican culture that doesn't involve a taco-and-enchilada combo.

From lighter topics like Latin pop and great Mexican food to more serious issues like immigration and race relations, ¡Ask a Mexican! ​runs the gamut. Why do Mexicans call white people gringos? Are all Mexicans Catholic? What's the best tequila? Gustavo answers a wide range of legitimate and illegitimate questions, in the hopes of making a few readers angry, making most of us laugh, sparking a greater dialogue, and enhancing cross-cultural understanding.

Ratings and reviews

Thats right no stars! The "book" was terrible and not at all funny, not even really a book. It does what it was seemingly intended to do, which is to bring attention to the author by using stereotypes of Mexicans in order to shock and bring him celebrity but not for journalism. Shocking and silly enough to get him on the Colbert report so Steven could ask him dumb questions about Mexicans. Weve got enough racisim to deal with in Orange County without giving south county bigots ammunition. Orange County is getting worse and even more racist toward us if you havent noticed. Maybe you should report on that instead of trying to write comedy. You arent even funny. Really, If I wanted to read dumb little quips about my people perpetrated by another Mexican, I would pick up that ad driven rag, the OC Weekly where Gustavo got his start. The OC Weekly that is seemigly funded by revenue generated by the sex slave trade along with all the porn ads in the back....about 5 pages worth! But thanks Gus, all those numbers and pictures of prostitutes save us time when choosing our "chicas calientes" as we say.

Oh my god this book is racist f*ck the writer nd the developer >=~P

About the author

Gustavo Arellano’s ¡Ask a Mexican! column has a circulation of more than two million in thirty-eight markets (and counting). He has received the President’s Award from the Los Angeles Press Club, an Impact Award from the National Hispanic Media Coalition, and a 2008 Latino Spirit Award from the California State legislature. Arellano has appeared on the Today show, Nightline, NPR’s Talk of the Nation, and The Colbert Report.