Legacies: The Story of the Immigrant Second Generation

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"One out of five Americans, more than 55 million people, are first- or second-generation immigrants. This study, the most comprehensive to date, probes the lives of the new immigrant second generation, exploring its immense potential to transform American society for better or worse. Whether this new generation reinvigorates the nation or deepens its social problems depends on the social and economic trajectories of this still young population. In Legacies, Alejandro Portes and Ruben G. Rumbaut - two of the leading figures in the field - provide a close look at this rising second generation, including patterns of acculturation, family and school life, language, identity, experiences of discrimination, self-esteem, ambition, and achievement."--BOOK JACKET.

SYNOPSIS

One out of five Americans, more than 55 million people, are first-or second-generation immigrants. This landmark study, the most comprehensive to date, probes all aspects of the new immigrant second generation's lives, exploring their immense potential to transform American society for better or worse. Whether this new generation reinvigorates the nation or deepens its social problems depends on the social and economic trajectories of this still young population. In Legacies, Alejandro Portes and Rubén G. Rumbaut-two of the leading figures in the field-provide a close look at this rising second generation, including their patterns of acculturation, family and school life, language, identity, experiences of discrimination, self-esteem, ambition, and achievement.

Based on the largest research study of its kind, Legacies combines vivid vignettes with a wealth of survey and school data. Accessible, engaging, and indispensable for any consideration of the changing face of American society, this book presents a wide range of real-life stories of immigrant families-from Mexico, Cuba, Nicaragua, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Trinidad, the Philippines, China, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam-now living in Miami and San Diego, two of the areas most heavily affected by the new immigration. The authors explore the world of second-generation youth, looking at patterns of parent-child conflict and cohesion within immigrant families, the role of peer groups and school subcultures, the factors that affect the children's academic achievement, and much more.

A companion volume to Legacies, entitled Ethnicities: Children of Immigrants in America, will be published byCalifornia in Fall 2001. Edited by the authors of Legacies, this book will bring together some of the country's leading scholars of immigration and ethnicity to provide a close look at this rising second generation.

FROM THE CRITICS

New York Review of Books

The book's most valuable contribution is to show why so many immigrants are ambivalent about Americanization and why we should share this ambivalence.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer

A comprehensive study of a big chunk of America: the one in five Americans who are first- or second-generation immigrants.

New York Review of Books