Review by Choice Review
These essays attempt to "respond directly to the current debates on the origins of the 'underclass' and depict the cultural, demographic, and historical forces that have shaped poor Latino communities." The 13 contributors consider the applicability of William Julius Wilson's concept of underclass and its framework beyond the black communities that were his particular focus. From this perspective, the authors examine Latino communities in eight cities: New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Houston, Chicago, Albuquerque, Laredo, and Tucson. Particularly intriguing to most contributors is Wilson's notion and discussion of economic restructuring, which is investigated at length in several essays, but primarily those describing the economies of Los Angeles, Albuquerque, Chicago, and New York. Although the introduction states that the volume reflects a "regenerated interest in ethnographic research," not all chapters have an ethnographic thrust, nor do all discuss ethnographic data to the same degree. Although the volume succeeds in challenging many sterotypes about life in the barrios and in providing some rich descriptive data about the social, political, and economic evolution of many of the communities treated, it does not provide enough evidence or analysis to demonstrate that Wilson's framework is applicable to Latino communities. Undergraduates and above. E. Bastida; University of TexasDSPan American
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
