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 10
... kid " identity ( Flores - Gonzalez 2002 ) . More importantly , despite the conflicts I sometimes felt between my family and school , the presence of family ties and relationships provided a safe and secure haven to retreat during dif ...
... kid " identity ( Flores - Gonzalez 2002 ) . More importantly , despite the conflicts I sometimes felt between my family and school , the presence of family ties and relationships provided a safe and secure haven to retreat during dif ...
Page 40
... kid that got in trouble . Everything that had to do with life itself . " More poignantly , Florencia , the youngest , articulated that her mother was indeed the example they were meant to follow : " I don't think she really taught us ...
... kid that got in trouble . Everything that had to do with life itself . " More poignantly , Florencia , the youngest , articulated that her mother was indeed the example they were meant to follow : " I don't think she really taught us ...
Page 47
... kids . Keep them off the streets and away from drinking . ” In addition to staying away from bad influences , Cristian's previous comment also suggests that he and his siblings learned not to treat people bad . According to Florencia ...
... kids . Keep them off the streets and away from drinking . ” In addition to staying away from bad influences , Cristian's previous comment also suggests that he and his siblings learned not to treat people bad . According to Florencia ...
Page 50
... kids , they were , made to do things . You didn't volun- teer ( laughter ) . They were assigned , probably the mother assigned them to [ do ] certain things . Whether it was chopping wood . . . . I used to chop wood for the stove ...
... kids , they were , made to do things . You didn't volun- teer ( laughter ) . They were assigned , probably the mother assigned them to [ do ] certain things . Whether it was chopping wood . . . . I used to chop wood for the stove ...
Page 51
... kids to go to work to help the family . My mother said , " No. They're going to school . And they're graduating . ” And we did . Katarina's comment implies that the family's need for income conflicted Home , Part I 51.
... kids to go to work to help the family . My mother said , " No. They're going to school . And they're graduating . ” And we did . Katarina's comment implies that the family's need for income conflicted Home , Part I 51.
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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