The characters may be essential, but few have a distinct identity beyond being merely identified as Portuguese. Even canonical writers such as Hawthorne, London, Melville, Twain and Wharton may tend to use them as archetypes, or as plot devices, not fully understanding the reality behind this truly silent minority. Silva (English, U. of Aveiro) examines the variety and complexity of the Portuguese-American experience in literature, including analyses of the work of Portuguese-American writers such as Frank X. Gaspar, Charles Reis Felix, Julian Silva and Katheirne Vaz. He applies current theories about ethnicity and race to set cultural and historical contexts and closely examines the conscious and unconscious intentions of authors writing about and as Portuguese-Americans. The result is a model for studies of the place of under-recognized minorities in literature. Published by the Center for Portuguese Studies and Culture, U. of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)