Live from America: How Latino TV Conquered the United States. Publishers Weekly Booklife Prize 2026 - Paperback

by Javier Marín (Author), Ezra Fitz (Translator)

Winner of the 2026 Publishers Weekly BookLife Prize for Nonfiction

The story of Spanish-language television in the United States has all the elements
of a Mexican telenovela with plenty of ruthless businessmen, dashing playboys, sexy women, behind-the-scenes intrigue and political dealmaking. Anita Snow, Former Associated Press and Harvard Nieman Fellow

A thorough, thoughtful, and meticulous account of Latine resilience and Spanish-language television. Kirkus Review.

The research is remarkably in-depth, and I don't recall ever reading anything like it. It arrives at a crucial moment. Jorge Ramos, Univision anchor and multi-Emmy Award winner

A solid investigation of the facts. I learned a lot about an interesting subject. The book is a reference for anyone who wants to understand the rise of Spanish-language media. --Marty Baron, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist

This compelling work carries both wisdom and drama; at times it reads like a telenovela, at others like a detective chronicle. --June Carolyn Erlick, Harvard University

In the 1970s and 80s, while ABC, NBC, and CBS battled for every screen, a Mexican family, alongside a savvy American operator, quietly laid the foundation for an empire. Against media titans like Ted Turner and Rupert Murdoch, they achieved the unthinkable: breaking into the tightly guarded world of U.S. television. Later, after being pushed out by political and corporate interests, they returned through an alliance as improbable as it was strategic--with the former agent of Ronald Reagan, Elizabeth Taylor, and Marlon Brando.

This book unravels the personal intrigues, hidden tensions, power plays, and cultural shifts behind the media empire now known as Univision, revealing how its programming--from telenovelas and soccer to news and music--shaped an identity and captivated an audience growing alongside the network.

A fascinating account of the dream to give voice to millions of Hispanics in the United States, and how Latino television forever changed the country's media landscape.