Review by Choice Review
French (emer., psychology, Western New Mexico Univ.) explores the history of immigration across the US-Mexico boarder, providing historical context to the current political and cultural debates over US immigration policy. The author focuses primarily on the politics of government policy and the experiences of immigrants themselves. The first section covers the historical roots of nativism/racism in the US and traces the history of the border from the Adams-Onis Treaty (1819) to the end of WW I. Although presenting some interesting historical connections, particularly with the examination of Anglo immigration into Mexican Texas, this section is weakened by the author's reliance on several controversial historical interpretations that he states as accepted facts, as well as by his stretching of historical evidence to support some contemporary comparisons that do not fit. The second section, however, is much stronger, examining post-1917 immigration policy, Hispanic civil rights movements, NAFTA, and the wars on drugs and terrorism. Overall, this work is well researched but poorly constructed in some areas. Summing Up: Recommended. With caution. Undergraduates and general readers. C. L. Sinclair Brookhaven College and Collin College
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
