Many Americans don’t know that the histories of the United States and Mexico are inseparably intertwined. But historian Kelly Lytle Hernández says you cannot fully understand one without the other.

We fought wars over the same territories, influenced each other’s politics, and remain deeply connected economically. Our stories circle around each other, shaping immigration policies and policing. And if we don’t know how we got here, says Hernández, we won’t know how to move forward.

Her new book, “Bad Mexicans: Race, Empire, And Revolution In The Borderlands” tells the true story of a Mexican band of rebels, the magonistas, who helped launch the Mexican Revolution in 1910 and whose actions still affect the borderlands today. She talked about what she learned while researching her book and why she believes the U.S. ignores its history with Mexico at its own peril with host Kerri Miller on this week’s Big Books and Bold Ideas.

Guest:

• Kelly Lytle Hernández is a professor of history, African-American studies and urban planning at UCLA. Her latest book is “Bad Mexicans.”

To listen to the full conversation you can use the audio player above.

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