Southland By Nina Revoyr: Book Review

Crenshaw, Angeles Mesa, and Gardena, all district areas in southwestern Los Angeles, have become an essential aspect of Los Angeles’ social and racial boundaries. Many Japanese Americans settled in Crenshaw and were soon followed by African Americans in the 1960s. Los Angeles has become a central city of multiculturalism and globalization. Not only does the setting depict where the people live, but it represents who they are too. The novel Southland by Nina Revoyr focuses on the past and present of racial injustice in Los Angeles. The novel gives a glimpse of scandal, injustice, and struggle in Los Angeles based on its racial composition. An individual’s history influences their opportunities and identity due to hegemonic beliefs and topographic

Los Angeles has become a major port of various racial ethnicities and cultures. With Los Angeles’ space, ethnic groups have contained themselves into distinct areas. The areas gain a certain reputation depending on who lives there and what happens in the area. In Greg Hise’s article “Border City: Race and Social Distance in Los Angeles,” he explores race and social relations based on geographic space and maps. He describes Los Angeles as a “border city” and “the future of urban culture,” (Hise 545). As a border zone, Los Angeles became a site where people, resources, and ideas from all over the world came together in creating a hybrid city. However, groups began to disperse and segregate due to the spacious areas in the city. Not only did groups begin to socially segregate, but also they functionally segregated. Social segregation separates groups by race, ethnicity, income, and gender. Functional segregation creates zones throughout the city to separate groups based on activities and areas (Hise 549). In order to make an American society, the hegemon must place and impose the rationality of zoning based on race. In this instance, the white supremacists dictated and asserted the political, economic, and social capital within the urban space just as the United States government had been doing for years. Hegemonic beliefs and topographic assumptions create a basis of social distinction and In Southland, Jackie Ishida struggled to connect with her own identity due to her disconnect with her family’s history and place of residence. On the other hand, her grandfather, Frank Sakai, strongly invested himself—almost too much—into where he lived. This novel uncovers how Los Angeles operates as a city of racial and social boundaries. Los Angeles inhabitants have been separated and governed according to their differences. Whether one was white, black, or Asian during this time period after World War