I use “Xicanx” (chi-kahn-ex) to describe Mexicans born or raised in the United States. I also use “Chicanos” (chi-kah-nohs). Both mean the same thing. Xicanx is the most recent incarnation of a word that describes people who are neither totally Mexican nor totally what is conceived as American. It also removes the gender-specific “o” and “a” used in Spanish; Xicanx are all genders and gender non-conforming. This may not work for everyone, but it’s about inclusivity. And even though most US Mexicans may not use this term, there is, nonetheless, in the Xicanx areas of the country, a third culture with its own dialect, food, music, and ethnic stamp. This circumstance is similar to that of Cajuns, who originate from the French-speaking Acadians from Canada who first migrated south in the mid- to late 1700s and interacted with other whites, blacks, and Native peoples to create their own cultural expressions; they number 1.2 million people in Louisiana and Texas. People of Mexican descent in this country number more than 35 million. I hope this clarifies what I explore more deeply in these essays, which address different topics but are also interwoven with repetitions of ideas and stories—both between the essays and from previous books such as Always Running, It Calls You Back, and Hearts and Hands— and laced with new anecdotes, concepts, and formulations.