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 45
... important thing was to her parents , she replied : " My mother was , most important to her , was to get ahead . To have a better life than what they had . That was the most important thing to her because she used to say so . My father ...
... important thing was to her parents , she replied : " My mother was , most important to her , was to get ahead . To have a better life than what they had . That was the most important thing to her because she used to say so . My father ...
Page 67
... important . I think if they have a close relationship with the parents that will help them . To be the people that they are , you know . I know because it helped me to be a better person . For third - generation parents family closeness ...
... important . I think if they have a close relationship with the parents that will help them . To be the people that they are , you know . I know because it helped me to be a better person . For third - generation parents family closeness ...
Page 73
... important for me to be involved in what's going on with that [ school ] . ' Cause I want them to know , from the very beginning , that their par- ents , that it's important to us . Not only that they attend school , but they do well ...
... important for me to be involved in what's going on with that [ school ] . ' Cause I want them to know , from the very beginning , that their par- ents , that it's important to us . Not only that they attend school , but they do well ...
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