The author’s purpose is to present a case from Los Angeles’ history that many are unaware of: the struggle from fighting a war over seas to fighting one at home. It is this desire to not only portray the history of the time but also go inside the minds of these young men and understand the reasoning. The author puts forth the argument that the Zoot-Suit riots are not only historically relevant but the relevant to the racial tensions and more towards a psychological path. According the author, we have only looked at this event in the eyes of its historical significance and what the riots meant in that time period. However, there has never truly been a psychological analysis to the thoughts of these young men at the time and their thoughts …show more content…
It is the usage of these mens quotes from newspaper articles and interviews, and the analysis of their words that makes the book much more impactful. For the first time, it is the analysis of these young men and what they felt during this time of tension, and not just what society thought of them. Mazón mainly uses newspaper articles, specifically the Los Angeles Times, as his sources to be able to show how the public felt about these young men at the time. He uses direct quotations from the newspaper articles and comics to show the anti Mexican-American sentiment and even what Latinos felt during this time. The interviews conducted at the time help further along his analysis of the events and provide his own interpretation of the significance of the Zoot Suit riots. Even though the author doesn’t use many sources, the use of the sources he does use allow for a stronger historical interpretation and analysis of the events. The usage of quotes and thoughts of men allows us to see the sentiments felt by the men and others of the time. The sources Mazón uses help him strengthen his thesis and convince the reader to view his interpretation of the