Five Generations of a Mexican American Family in Los Angeles: The Fuentes StoryRowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2007 M04 9 - 198 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. |
From inside the book
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Page 30
... Florencia Trueba ( 58 ) Erica Herrera ( 36 ) Monica Baca ( 33 ) Timothy Trueba ( 40 ) Fuentes family tree of participantsa Cohorts . Ages of Fuentes at the time of the study are presented in parentheses . First , the six - year separa ...
... Florencia Trueba ( 58 ) Erica Herrera ( 36 ) Monica Baca ( 33 ) Timothy Trueba ( 40 ) Fuentes family tree of participantsa Cohorts . Ages of Fuentes at the time of the study are presented in parentheses . First , the six - year separa ...
Page 31
... Florencia Trueba — As the youngest member of the family , Florencia cared for my great - grandparents in their old age , currently living in the house they last owned . She married at fifteen and became a mother of three . Now , a ...
... Florencia Trueba — As the youngest member of the family , Florencia cared for my great - grandparents in their old age , currently living in the house they last owned . She married at fifteen and became a mother of three . Now , a ...
Page 33
... Florencia's eldest child , Timothy is the father of five , two from his first marriage and three from his second . He infrequently attends large family gatherings in that his wife , a nurse , and he have a spilt schedule to care for ...
... Florencia's eldest child , Timothy is the father of five , two from his first marriage and three from his second . He infrequently attends large family gatherings in that his wife , a nurse , and he have a spilt schedule to care for ...
Page 40
... Florencia , the youngest , articulated that her mother was indeed the example they were meant to follow : " I don't think she really taught us ... she was an example of how we should treat each other . I would say that to me that would ...
... Florencia , the youngest , articulated that her mother was indeed the example they were meant to follow : " I don't think she really taught us ... she was an example of how we should treat each other . I would say that to me that would ...
Page 42
... Florencia , the youngest , into her womanly role . According to her , Mario complained about Florencia need- ing to learn how to do household chores , and her mother disagreed : " I was the spoiled one . I didn't have to make tortillas ...
... Florencia , the youngest , into her womanly role . According to her , Mario complained about Florencia need- ing to learn how to do household chores , and her mother disagreed : " I was the spoiled one . I didn't have to make tortillas ...
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Common terms and phrases
African Americans Anglo attended barrio brother buena educación Carlos Fuentes Chávez Chicano English Chicano movement chil child children's schooling claimed cohort counselor Cristian daughter despite Dora eleventh grade Elisa encouraged English Erica 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 high school Hispanic homework Isabel Ivan junior high Katarina kids labor market language Latino families Latino students Laura 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 race racial recalled responsibility role Samuel San Fernando Valley school experience second-generation Fuentes second-generation members siblings Simon sister social Spanish Spanish language story success teachers third-generation members Timothy tion tracks Valley wanted workers working-class younger Yvette