Five Generations of a Mexican American Family in Los AngelesRowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2007 - 183 pages Despite their citizenship and English monolingualism, Mexican Americans have long been known to remain largely working class, which, academically, has meant that they tend to be mostly high school graduates, with low rates of college attendance and completion. Attempting to understand this phenomenon, Five Generations of a Mexican American Family in Los Angeles chronicles the home, work and school lives of the author's multigenerational family throughout the twentieth century. Using oral histories of 33 members across five generations, the Fuentes story illuminates the interaction between race, ethnicity and class at home, in the labor market and in schools, which circumscribe the opportunity and resources (or lack thereof) for academic success. Generally, findings show that these factors work together to reproduce the family's social standing over generations. Equally important, the analysis reveals how the persistence and strength of the Fuentes' heritage cultural values (buena educaci n and familism) have insulated them from the continued threat of racial discrimination and economic hardship in American life. The Fuentes story provides the reader with a keen view of the process by which Fuentes' moved from immigrants to ethnic Americans, and shows how they have gracefully survived the harsh and unpredictable nature of being of a racial minority and the working class. |
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Page 16
... father and stepmother and came in contact with many people through her father's work , one of who was Mario . On meeting each other , Mario and Manuela realized they both were from the same town in Mexico and shared 16 Chapter 1.
... father and stepmother and came in contact with many people through her father's work , one of who was Mario . On meeting each other , Mario and Manuela realized they both were from the same town in Mexico and shared 16 Chapter 1.
Page 33
... father . Laura Fuentes - Laura , a tall , heavyset , dark forty - one - year - old mother of four , is Samuel's middle daughter . She has been married twice and trained as a medical assistant but has been considering a career as a legal ...
... father . Laura Fuentes - Laura , a tall , heavyset , dark forty - one - year - old mother of four , is Samuel's middle daughter . She has been married twice and trained as a medical assistant but has been considering a career as a legal ...
Page 40
... father was always working or looking for work . For ex- ample , Yvette recalled how her father would ride his bicycle many miles in the winter to work at a dairy , requiring him to be gone much of the day . Cristian , the second ...
... father was always working or looking for work . For ex- ample , Yvette recalled how her father would ride his bicycle many miles in the winter to work at a dairy , requiring him to be gone much of the day . Cristian , the second ...
Contents
An Overview across Generations | 15 |
The Original Fuentes Home | 39 |
LaterGeneration Fuentes Homes | 57 |
Copyright | |
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Common terms and phrases
academic African American Anglo attended barrio buena educación Carlos Fuentes Chávez Chicano English chil children's schooling claimed counselor Cristian daughter despite Dora eleventh grade Elisa encouraged English ethnic experienced family's father fifth-generation Florencia fourth-generation members Francis Fuentes children Fuentes family Fuentes home Fuentes members Fuentes parents Fuentes's Gerald grade graduate groups Gus Tyler high school Hispanic homework Isabel Ivan Katarina kids labor market language Latino families Latino students learned literacy lives Los Angeles County Lydia Mario and Manuela married Mexican American families Mexican and Mexican Mexican immigrant middle-class mother Natalie Noemi older third-generation parental involvement participants percent Press race racial recalled Research responsibility role Samuel San Fernando San Fernando Valley school experience second-generation Fuentes second-generation members siblings Simon social Spanish Spanish language story success teachers third-generation members Timothy tion tracks University Valley wanted workers working-class York younger Yvette