"Marchi provides a unique and valuable account of the rise of Day of the Dead celebrations in the U.S., demonstrating the complex dynamics of ethnic and cultural identity in the contemporary cultural economy, urban community, and media environment."
— Eric W. Rothenbuhler, author of Ritual Communication and co-editor of Media Anthropology
"What a difference a day (the Day of the Dead) makes! In the U.S. in the past generation, a Latin American family/religious ritual has been reinvented as a holiday of ethnic pride that builds bridges between new and settled immigrants, between Latinos and Anglos, and across cultural identity, consumerism, and political protest. Regina Marchi reveals all this in a marvelous work, a rare blend of charm, grace, attentive field work, and theoretical savvy."
— Michael Schudson, author of The Good Citizen: A History of American Public Life
"Regina Marchi speaks directly to all of those wondering how Mexico's tradition of re-membering the dead within living communities became US America's newest holiday. The book thoughtfully records the voices of significant Chicanas/os whose traditional and non-traditional approaches initiated this transformation."
— David Avalos, Visual and Performing Arts Department, California State University San Marcos
"While pre-Hispanic New World populations have long venerated cherished ancestors via elaborate household altars, mountain shrines, carved monuments, and other ritual devices, Marchi challenges popular misconceptions through a nuanced blending of ethnography, historiography, oral history, and critical cultural analysis. She cogently argues that media portrayals that typically seek to ascribe the 'Mexican' Dfa de los Muertos to a legendary pre-Columbian—read Aztec—origin necessarily fail to account for the otherwise authentic sources of this now pan-American celebration with Hispanic Catholic roots and a newfound international audience. Highly recommended."
— Choice
"While pre-Hispanic New World populations have long venerated cherished ancestors via elaborate household altars, mountain shrines, carved monuments, and other ritual devices, Marchi challenges popular misconceptions through a nuanced blending of ethnography, historiography, oral history, and critical cultural analysis. She cogently argues that media portrayals that typically seek to ascribe the 'Mexican' Dfa de los Muertos to a legendary pre-Columbian—read Aztec—origin necessarily fail to account for the otherwise authentic sources of this now pan-American celebration with Hispanic Catholic roots and a newfound international audience. Highly recommended."
— Choice
"Regina Marchi speaks directly to all of those wondering how Mexico's tradition of re-membering the dead within living communities became US America's newest holiday. The book thoughtfully records the voices of significant Chicanas/os whose traditional and non-traditional approaches initiated this transformation."
— David Avalos, Visual and Performing Arts Department, California State University San Marcos
"Marchi provides a unique and valuable account of the rise of Day of the Dead celebrations in the U.S., demonstrating the complex dynamics of ethnic and cultural identity in the contemporary cultural economy, urban community, and media environment."
— Eric W. Rothenbuhler, author of Ritual Communication and co-editor of Media Anthropology
"What a difference a day (the Day of the Dead) makes! In the U.S. in the past generation, a Latin American family/religious ritual has been reinvented as a holiday of ethnic pride that builds bridges between new and settled immigrants, between Latinos and Anglos, and across cultural identity, consumerism, and political protest. Regina Marchi reveals all this in a marvelous work, a rare blend of charm, grace, attentive field work, and theoretical savvy."
— Michael Schudson, author of The Good Citizen: A History of American Public Life