THE LAT PACK

The reception accorded my recent book “Hispanic Hollywood: The Latins in Motion Pictures” (“Hollywood Hispano” in the Spanish edition) has been uniformly enthusiastic both from film buffs of all backgrounds and by Hispanic-Americans, whose rich contributions to the screen have been so long ignored.

Critic Gregg Barrios’ attack (Letters, May 19) therefore comes as a surprise, unless it is motivated by jealousy.

This being the first book on the subject, it has a lot of ground to cover and omits minor players and those who didn’t work in Hollywood. As the title indicates, the focus is on Hispanic performers in Hollywood films, though it also includes television and musical performers, as well as Hispanic-themed movies which cast such as Paul Newman or Janet Leigh in the Latino roles.

Because it contains more than 400 photos, “Hispanic Hollywood’s” text is limited by space. The text spans the silent era through today’s “Lat Pack,” and the index includes more than 1,000 names and film titles. The book also includes a bibliography, a foreword by the late Dolores Del Rio and an “appreciation” by no less than actor-activist Edward James Olmos.

I spent three years researching, writing, collecting photos and translating the book, and am very proud of it, for it’s a labor of love. Naturally, one hopes there will be books about Hispanic performers who worked outside Hollywood and books about Hispanic character actors. Critics such as Barrios could better employ their time writing their own books than nit-picking about a long-delayed, first-of-its-kind book.

It is touching to find young Hispanics rediscovering their cultural heritage and taking pride in their stellar forebears.

“Hispanic Hollywood’s” success pleases me doubly, for it implies that there will be more books to come on this huge and fascinating subject. Personally, I look forward to them all and wish them all well.

GEORGE HADLEY-GARCIA, BEVERLY HILLS