
Defectors
The Rise of the Latino Far Right and What It Means for America
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Narrated by:
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Victoria Villarreal
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By:
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Paola Ramos
About this listen
AN NPR BEST BOOK OF 2024 • An award-winning journalist's exploration of how race, identity and political trauma have influenced the rise in far-right sentiment among Latinos, and how this group can shape American politics
“A deeply reported, surprisingly personal exploration of a phenomenon that is little understood in our politics: the affiliation of Latino voters with causes and candidates that would seem, at first glance, unwelcoming to them."—Rachel Maddow
Democrats have historically assumed they can rely on the Latino vote, but recent elections have called that loyalty into question. In fact, despite his vociferous anti-immigrant rhetoric and disastrous border policies, Trump won a higher percentage of the Latino vote in 2020 than he did in 2016. Now, journalist Paola Ramos pulls back the curtain on these voters, traveling around the country to uncover what motivates them to vote for and support issues that seem so at odds with their self-interest.
From coast to coast, cities to rural towns, Defectors introduces listeners to underdog GOP candidates, January 6th insurrectionists, Evangelical pastors and culture war crusaders, aiming to identify the influences at the heart of this rightward shift. Through their stories, Ramos shows how tribalism, traditionalism, and political trauma within the Latino community has been weaponized to radicalize and convert voters who, like many of their white counterparts, are fearful of losing their place in American society.
We meet Monica de la Cruz, a Republican congresswoman from the Rio Grande Valley who won on a platform centered on finishing “what Donald Trump started” and pushing the Great Replacement Theory; David Ortiz, a Mexican man who refers to himself as a Spaniard and opposed the removal of a statue of a Spanish conquistador in New Mexico; Luis Cabrera, an evangelical pastor pushing to “Make America Godly Again;” Anthony Aguero, an independent journalist turned border vigilante; and countless other individuals and communities that make up the rising conservative Latino population. Cross-cultural and assiduously reported, Defectors highlights how one of America's most powerful and misunderstood electorates may come to define the future of American politics.
©2024 Paola Ramos (P)2024 Random House AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
"Ramos’s empathy is formidable. As frightened as she is by the defectors’ politics, she is always curious to learn more."—Jennifer Szalai, The New York Times
"Defectors is a deeply reported, surprisingly personal exploration of a phenomenon that is little understood in our politics: The affiliation of Latino voters with causes and candidates that would seem, at first glance, unwelcoming to them. Paola takes us into the lives of Latinos who support presidential candidates with plans for mass deportations or lead efforts to ban books and stop diversity initiatives. She introduces us to Latinos who patrol the border as vigilantes and Latinos who marched on the Capitol on January 6th. From Miami and the Bronx to Arizona, New Mexico and the Rio Grande Valley, Paola shows us why the Latino vote is not just increasingly powerful, but increasingly in flux. It turns out the answers are there if you ask the right questions, and that is exactly what Paola does in this terrific book."—Rachel Maddow, Emmy award-winning host of The Rachel Maddow Show and New York Times bestselling author of Prequel
"Defectors...casts aside the misguided notion that Latinos are a monolith and looks at the small but expanding part of the population moving steadily right. Through reporting trips and conversations with experts and psychologists alike, Ramos interrogates the idea that the Latino electorate is aligned with progressive values, writing about an Afro-Latino former Proud Boy leader, a Latino border vigilante, and Latino insurrectionists who participated in the January 6 US Capitol attack. As she persuasively proves, not all white supremacists are white."—Vogue
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-
Story
In this dual polemic and manifesto, Julissa dives into and tears apart the lie that assimilation leads to belonging. She combs through history and her own story to break down this myth, arguing that assimilation is a moving finish line designed to keep Black and brown Americans and immigrants chasing racist American ideals. She talks about the Lie of Success, the Lie of Legality, the Lie of Whiteness, and the Lie of English - each promising that if you obtain these things, you will reach acceptance and won’t be an outsider anymore.
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Thank you!
- By mexime on 09-01-22
By: Julissa Arce
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Tías and Primas
- On Knowing and Loving the Women Who Raise Us
- By: Prisca Dorcas Mojica Rodríguez, Josie Del Castillo - illustrator
- Narrated by: Prisca Dorcas Mojica Rodríguez
- Length: 7 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Born into a large, close-knit family in Nicaragua, Prisca Dorcas Mojica Rodríguez grew up surrounded by strong, kind, funny, sensitive, resilient, judgmental, messy, beautiful women. Whether blood relatives or chosen family, these tías and primas fundamentally shaped her view of the world—and so did the labels that were used to talk about them. The tía loca who is shunned for defying gender roles. The pretty prima put on a pedestal for her European features. The matriarch who is the core of her community but hides all her pain.
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Every Latina Should Read This
- By Literary Scene on 03-31-25
By: Prisca Dorcas Mojica Rodríguez, and others
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An African American and Latinx History of the United States
- By: Paul Ortiz
- Narrated by: J. D. Jackson
- Length: 9 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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Spanning more than 200 years, An African American and Latinx History of the United States is a revolutionary, politically charged narrative history arguing that the "Global South" was crucial to the development of America as we know it. Ortiz challenges the notion of westward progress, and shows how placing African American, Latinx, and Indigenous voices unapologetically front and center transforms American history into the story of the working class organizing against imperialism.
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I had to return
- By Andrew Alvarez on 05-19-20
By: Paul Ortiz
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The Injustice Never Leaves You
- Anti-Mexican Violence in Texas
- By: Monica Muñoz Martinez
- Narrated by: Kyla García
- Length: 13 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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Between 1910 and 1920, vigilantes and law enforcement-including the renowned Texas Rangers - killed Mexican residents with impunity. The full extent of the violence was known only to the relatives of the victims. The Injustice Never Leaves You offers an invaluable account of why these incidents happened, what they meant at the time, and how a determined community ensured that the victims were not forgotten.
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Worth the read ! Lots of facts
- By LIZETTE LERMA,LIZETTE LERMA on 10-31-20
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The Pain We Carry
- Healing from Complex PTSD for People of Color
- By: Natalie Y. Gutiérrez LMFT, Jennifer Mullan PsyD - foreword
- Narrated by: L. Malaika Cooper
- Length: 7 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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In The Pain We Carry, you'll find powerful tools to help you understand and begin healing from repeated trauma. You'll discover ways to feel safer in your body, build self-compassion and resilience, and reclaim your health and wellness by reconnecting with your sense of self and your ancestral wisdom. You'll learn how trauma is connected to grief, how it can affect both the mind and the body, and how it can persist from one generation to the next.
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Affirming
- By Yaz on 06-15-23
By: Natalie Y. Gutiérrez LMFT, and others
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Uncolonized Latinas
- Transforming Our Mindsets and Rising Together
- By: Valeria Aloe
- Narrated by: Valeria Aloe
- Length: 7 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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Valeria Aloe’s Uncolonized Latinas: Transforming Our Mindsets and Rising Together lays out an unprecedented detailed map of the Latino mindset and what is holding the community back from achieving its highest potential. Along the way, we meet immigrant Latinas and daughters of immigrants who, through trials and tribulations, have uncolonized their limiting mindsets and have found success in their lives and career.
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the name of book is fantastic
- By AH on 09-24-24
By: Valeria Aloe
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Undue Burden
- Life and Death Decisions in Post-Roe America
- By: Shefali Luthra
- Narrated by: Suehyla El-Attar Young, Shefali Luthra
- Length: 12 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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On June 24, 2022, Roe v. Wade was overturned, and the impact was immediate: by 2024, abortion was virtually unavailable or significantly restricted in 21 states. In Undue Burden, reporter Shefali Luthra traces the unforgettable stories of patients faced with one of the most personal decisions of their lives.
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Women's reproductive rights stripped
- By Constance L. Brown on 06-11-24
By: Shefali Luthra
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Our Migrant Souls
- A Meditation on Race and the Meanings and Myths of “Latino”
- By: Héctor Tobar
- Narrated by: André Santana
- Length: 7 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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"Latino" is the most open-ended and loosely defined of the major race categories in the United States. Our Migrant Souls: A Meditation on Race and the Meanings and Myths of "Latino" assembles the Pulitzer Prize winner Héctor Tobar's personal experiences as the son of Guatemalan immigrants and the stories told to him by his Latinx students to offer a spirited rebuke to racist ideas about Latino people.
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Plays in the idea of “we are the victims.”
- By Luis F. Ruiz on 02-15-24
By: Héctor Tobar
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The Devil's Highway
- A True Story
- By: Luis Alberto Urrea
- Narrated by: Luis Alberto Urrea
- Length: 8 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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In May 2001, a group of men attempted to cross the Mexican border into the desert of southern Arizona, through the deadliest region of the continent, the "Devil's Highway." Three years later, Luis Alberto Urrea wrote about what happened to them. The result was a national bestseller, a Pulitzer Prize finalist, a "book of the year" in multiple newspapers, and a work proclaimed as a modern American classic.
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My Favorite Author to Listen to
- By C. F. Eastman on 03-08-18
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The Undocumented Americans
- By: Karla Cornejo Villavicencio
- Narrated by: Karla Cornejo Villavicencio
- Length: 4 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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Writer Karla Cornejo Villavicencio was on DACA when she decided to write about being undocumented for the first time using her own name. It was right after the election of 2016, the day she realized the story she'd tried to steer clear of was the only one she wanted to tell. So she wrote her immigration lawyer's phone number on her hand in Sharpie and embarked on a trip across the country to tell the stories of her fellow undocumented immigrants—and to find the hidden key to her own.
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Raw, heartbreaking - we can do better by others
- By RapaciousReader on 04-11-20
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Rivermouth
- A Chronicle of Language, Faith, and Migration
- By: Alejandra Oliva
- Narrated by: Angela Juarez
- Length: 9 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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In this powerful and deeply felt polemic memoir, Alejandra Oliva, a Mexican-American translator and immigrant justice activist, offers a chronological document of her experience interpreting at the US-Mexico border, and of the people she has encountered along the way. Tracing her family's long and fluid relationship to the border, each generation born on opposite sides of the Rio Grande, and having worked on asylum cases since 2016, she knows all too well the gravity of taking someone's trauma and delivering it to the warped demands of the American immigration system.
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Loved the book not the reader
- By JSW on 11-22-23
By: Alejandra Oliva
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¡Ándale, Prieta!
- A Love Letter to My Family
- By: Yasmín Ramírez
- Narrated by: Kim Ramirez
- Length: 7 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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Prieta is a term of endearment. When I tell people who don’t speak Spanish what prieta means—dark or the dark one—their eyes pop open and a small gasp escapes. I see the offense they feel for me sprinkled on their faces like the freckles I will never have. How do I tell them that when I heard Ita say Prieta, I felt the caress of her strong hands on the top of my head as she braided my hair?
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Being Mexican American and not fitting in.
- By bookdeals on 12-31-24
By: Yasmín Ramírez
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Self-Care for Latinas
- 100+ Ways to Prioritize & Rejuvenate Your Mind, Body, & Spirit
- By: Raquel Reichard
- Narrated by: Asatta Jones
- Length: 4 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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Between micro- and macro-aggressions at school, the workplace, and even the grocery store, a constant news cycle highlighting Latine trauma, and a general lack of resources for women of color, it’s tough to be a Latina woman and prioritize your wellness, both physically and mentally. With Self-Care for Latinas, you’ll find more than 100 exercises to radically choose to put yourself first. Whether you need a quick pick-me-up in the middle of the day, you’re working through feelings of burnout, or you need to process a microaggression, this book is for you.
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A great reminder of what is needed!!!
- By Cookie on 03-30-25
By: Raquel Reichard
What listeners say about Defectors
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- Amazon Customer
- 11-12-24
The best book I have listened to this year 2024
Does a great job going over history and present and how everything has shaped the Latino community.
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- Amazon Customer
- 12-31-24
The deep insight it provided on the subject
it was insightful this is all I have to say about the book. I wish there was more.
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- Cristina
- 03-25-25
Informative
Great book. I learned a lot from it. As a Latina I thought I knew what this book would address as reasons for “ defection”. Little did I know..
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- WLC
- 10-04-24
Latinos in Current American Right Wing Politics
An interesting, well-written and well-researched story of events, histories, and self-perceptions that drive many Latinos in the USA to the far right, and sometimes, to white supremacist and anti-LGBTQ views and political action. There are many compelling individual stories of Latinos with diverse backgrounds and histories. American Latinos in politics have often been painted with a monochromatic brush. This book presents a wider spectrum perspective.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Laura A Rodriguez
- 09-26-24
Deeply Researched and Nuanced
One of the most revelatory and insightful books about Latinidad in the US. I think Paola Ramos has given us a valuable text which should required reading for Latines in this country.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 11-13-24
Must read for any politico
So many people have theories for why Trump gained so many Latine voters. Many are based in racist tropes. This book does an amazing job going into nuance and detail to help understand the shift
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- Mia
- 03-01-25
Eye opening
Paola Ramos books articulate in her words and stories of these conservative Latinos to demonstrate to her audience the three major issues of the rise in conservatism in these communities. They mix together for the audiences to understand, to gain a full understanding and opens your eyes if you are confused on why this has been happening
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- JB
- 03-09-25
I loved this book!
This book answered a lot of questions I had about the shifting political landscape among Latinos in the United States. I really enjoyed the storytelling and historical data which helped provide much needed context. I highly recommend this book.
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- Amazon Customer
- 10-24-24
I recognize people, friends and family, in her book.
As I read this book, I recognized friends, family, and acquaintances within the stories she tells. I already had a sense of why and how so many Latinos have shifted toward the extreme right, but the way Ramos lays it out—so clearly and compellingly—helped me see the patterns more vividly. She captures not just the shift to the extreme right, but the emotional and cultural forces driving it.
I only wish this book had been written 10 years ago. Maybe then, some of those friends, family, and acquaintances could have been saved from falling down this path.
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- Elizabeth
- 10-16-24
Respect
One of the best reads for me this year. Pao just wow, the interviews conducted were done with such grace and respect. You have a forever follower.
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