- Paperback: 368 pages
- Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (Jan 4 2001)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0140255397
- ISBN-13: 978-0140255393
- Product Dimensions: 21.1 x 13.7 x 2.3 cm
- Shipping Weight: 318 g
- Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
#633,089 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #82 in Books > Nonfiction > Social Sciences > Special Groups > Hispanic American Studies
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Description
From Amazon
Readers familiar with immigration history as told in books like Roger Daniels's Coming to America will experience a sense of déjà vu with Harvest of Empire by Juan Gonzalez. The immigrant experience is a constant in American life; although the tides ebb and flow, it seems that there always has been an immigrant presence in the United States. What's different today, of course, is where the immigrants are coming from: half are Latin American.
Gonzalez, a columnist for the New York Daily News, studies these latest arrivals in a book that combines history and journalism. He has a keen understanding of Hispanic diversity, focusing not just on "Hispanics" as a monolithic category but as a variety of people from many nations. The politics in Harvest of Empire are often tendentious: Gonzalez unfavorably compares U.S. border control efforts to building the Great Wall in China, demands an end to Puerto Rico's "colonial status," insists that Spanish become an official language actively encouraged in the public schools, and so on. His agenda will no doubt appeal to a certain kind of reader, but at the cost of alienating many others, including, probably, a majority of Hispanics living in the United States. For those looking for a left-leaning account of Hispanic immigration, however, this book succeeds as an ambitious survey. --John J. Miller --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Booklist
Gonzalez, a Puerto Rican journalist, brings passion and research to this recounting of the fascinating history of Latins in America. He notes the Latinization of the U.S. with rising immigration from Mexico, the Caribbean, and South America to projections that Latinos will constitute the largest minority in the nation by 2010. Gonzalez explores why Spanish and British colonization experiences were so different, particularly the divergence in attitudes on slavery and race. The book is organized to explore what Gonzalez calls "Roots," the historical relationship between Latin America and the U.S., "Branches," the six major Latino groups in the nation, and "Harvest," issues facing Latinos in the U.S. today. He dissects the U.S. exploitation and occupation of Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Panama, Nicaragua, and Cuba and examines the U.S. policy of supporting dictators friendly to U.S. interest that has destabilized Latin America and provoked massive immigration to the U.S. This is an important book for understanding a major American ethnic group. Vanessa Bush
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
Back in the third century B.c. the first Ch'in Dynasty emperor began China's Great Wall to stem the influx of Huns from the north. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Back in the third century B.c. the first Ch'in Dynasty emperor began China's Great Wall to stem the influx of Huns from the north. Read the first page
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Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars
ONE-SIDED BOOK,
By Marion A. Mangi (Milwaukee, Wisconsin United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Harvest of Empire: A History of Latinos in America (Paperback)
Although I'll admit I didn't read the entire book, I did read much (or, better put, enough) of it to get the jist. I think Juan Gonzalez's views are very prejudiced and inconsiderate towards non-Hispanic whites. Like all too many Hispanic leaders in this country, he urges Hispanics to adopt a chip-on-the- shoulder attitude and wants to make them think that being Hispanic in the United States is a crutch. Mr. Gonzalez fails to realize, though, that one-hundred years ago there was an influx of millions of immigrants from southern Italy. Just like todays Mexican-Americans, they tended to be short, dark-skinned, with dark hair and dark eyes. In other words, they looked different from the previous immigrants from central, eastern, and norhtern Europe. People complained that the Italians didn't want to speak English. Sound familiar, Mr. Gonzalez? People called them ethnic slurs such as "guinea", "dago", "wop", and "greaseball" just to name a few. Sound familiar, Mr. Gonzalez? People said that they all carried knives and were in gangs. Sound familiar, Mr. Gonzalez? In the South, between 1891 and 1911, over 30 people of southern Italian descent were lynched for crimes they did not committ. They weren't even allowed in white schools for quite some time in many areas of the South. In the North, they took dangerous factory and construction jobs, while being grossly underpaid and working in horrible death and injury prone conditions. In California, they worked in the fields, again while being underpaid and working in bad conditions. Sound familiar, Juan? And yet today, the Little Italys (or Italian-American ghettoes, if you will) that once abounded this country are all gone but a few, such as New York's and Boston's, which are disappearing as well. What happened to them? They've become successful. Their community leaders know that just because you don't speak Italian or Sicilian doesn't mean that you've lost your cultural backgound. Their community leaders know that it is absolutely stupid and ignorant to hold a grudge against Anglo-Americans living today that had absolutely nothing to do with whatever went on 100 years or even 50 years ago between Italian-Americans and Anglo-Americans. If Mr. Gonzalez is going to say that it is all the Anglos' fault for whatever problems Hispanic communities have today, then how does he explain the success of Italian,Japanese,Chinese,Asian Indian,Pakisitani,and Arab-Americans? Mr. Gonzalez could definitely take a few lessons from Linda Chavez, whom I admire very much. She wrote a book called "Out of the Barrio" which I recommend if anyone wants to get both sides of the view of the Mexican-American, Puerto Rican American and Cuban American experiences. Its too bad that these great communities don't have more leaders like Linda Chavez instead of corrupt ones like Mr. Gonzalez who hold them down.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Book,
By A Customer
This review is from: Harvest of Empire: A History of Latinos in America (Paperback)
What I loved about this book is that the author gives a narrative of history that wasn't apparent to me before. We're taught hitory from east to West, but for millions of Latinos the story is from South to North. Gonzalez spends time on each Latino group and he demonstrates how each sending country's relationship with the United States impacts how each group is treated. I didn't know that Puerto Ricans were US citizens by birth. Moreover, I had no idea how much immigrant labor from Mexico contributes to America's prosperity--particulary that of California and Texas. (CA is the fifth largest economy in the world.) What I also didn't know is that the Cuban Adjustment Act of 1966 made Cuban exiles immediately eligible for public assistance, Medicaid, food stamps, free English courses, scholarships and low interest college loans. They could also secure immediate business and start up loans. Dade county even opened up its civil service list to non-citizens. Some banks even pioneered what is called a "character loan"--an exile who didn't have collateral or credit could get a business loan based on his background or standing in Cuba. Obviously, these programs have had an effect on that group's prosperity. This book is full of information that has given me new insight about our country's fastest growing group.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Should be required reading going into the 21st century,
By Carlos A. Malaga (Trujillo Alto, PR USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Harvest Of Empire (Hardcover)
I read the book, I loaned it to my 19 year old daughter. We are both latinos born in different countries. The book examines Latino experience accoding to different backgrounds. I am a succesful professional and my daughter a high honors student. We are both fascinated by the book. However, the author is a little harsh in his critisism of the USA. Instead of blaming the US for all our problems we must acknoledge that there has always been Latinos willing to benefit from US policies in Latin America, in detriment of our own countries. This is a must read book for all. There are many misunderstandings between Anglos and Latins, and among Latins. If we wish for a great future for this american nation we must acknoledge everyone's strenghts and weakneses, and stop fingerpointing for someone to blame. Read the book, you will not regret it!
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