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 4
... Spanish and English . The Anglos them- selves often spoke both languages . Of course , there were different social classes , but people were generally of a like mind when it came to raising good families and doing well in school . What ...
... Spanish and English . The Anglos them- selves often spoke both languages . Of course , there were different social classes , but people were generally of a like mind when it came to raising good families and doing well in school . What ...
Page 18
... Spanish language programs , and their children to En- glish language programs like the Green Hornet and Amos and Andy . The family owned few possessions other than the radio and Manuela's sewing machine , which was used to make clothing ...
... Spanish language programs , and their children to En- glish language programs like the Green Hornet and Amos and Andy . The family owned few possessions other than the radio and Manuela's sewing machine , which was used to make clothing ...
Page 39
... Spanish language use , and other religious / social traditions ( e.g. , compadrazco [ godparentship ] ) . The socialization of Fuentes second - generation members resembled that of other Mexican American families . Griswold del Castillo ...
... Spanish language use , and other religious / social traditions ( e.g. , compadrazco [ godparentship ] ) . The socialization of Fuentes second - generation members resembled that of other Mexican American families . Griswold del Castillo ...
Page 43
... Spanish language . For ex- ample , after his first interview , Cristian , the second youngest , showed me some of the family artifacts he had collected over the years . One was a high school yearbook from the year his oldest brother ...
... Spanish language . For ex- ample , after his first interview , Cristian , the second youngest , showed me some of the family artifacts he had collected over the years . One was a high school yearbook from the year his oldest brother ...
Page 44
... Spanish language , food , lifestyle , and the religious and social traditions aligned with Mexican culture . Even still , as scholars have noted in other Mexican immigrant families , the Fuentes family remained an adaptive social unit ...
... Spanish language , food , lifestyle , and the religious and social traditions aligned with Mexican culture . Even still , as scholars have noted in other Mexican immigrant families , the Fuentes family remained an adaptive social unit ...
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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