Bootstraps: From an American Academic of Color
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Bootstraps: From an American Academic of Color (ISBN 0814103774) is a book by Washington State University Regents Professor Victor Villanueva, published in 1993 by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). Bootstraps uses Villanueva's personal history as a struggling Puerto Rican academic to initiate a broader discussion of race and language in academia.[1][2]
The book is notable for introducing the concept of Puerto Rican rhetoric in English.[3] Villanueva initially believed the book's personal critique of the obstacles he faced as a Puerto Rican academic would "end his academic career," and later expressed surprise at its success.[4] Later academics of color have referenced the book as "significant" in conceptualizing the relationship between people of color and fluency in English.[5]
