Manuel Padilla Jr. spoke to me today in his very accessible yet historically conscious novel Coconut: Brown on the Outside, White on the Inside (Xlibris Publications, 2020) in which he depicts Latino culture while also considering politics, history, class and generational differences in the life of a Latino family in the Los Angeles of the 1960’s and 70’s. Through the unflustered logic of a five year old child we see the impact of racism and differentiation and we are made aware of the evolution of multiculturalism in the United States a country that was supposed to be the melting pot of races but where people are still thought of by their race.

Manuel Padilla Jr. has over 36 years of professional writing experience in the media and publishing worlds, working as a newspaper reporter and editor; marketing, public relations and advertising professional; and public speaker. He has written pieces which have appeared in the Los Angeles Times and other publications. He was also a regular columnist for the Los Angeles Daily News.

Minni Sawhney is a professor of Hispanic Studies at the University of Delhi.

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