"Seminal work deals with the import and political consequences of the most influential approaches to the study of Latin American literature in the US. Chief virtue resides in scholarly method: a deep investigation of the theoretical foundations of major contributions. Essays demonstrate how many important approaches lack theoretical rigor due to a failure to investigate the philosophical grounding of the ideas deployed in the literary studies. A crucial book for serious critics. Absolutely required for all work on the boom and critical approaches that brought it about and maintain it; as well as for colonial discourse, testimonio, hegemony and ideology, and 'invention' approaches"--Handbook of Latin American Studies, v. 58.