Greek Americans: Struggle and Success

by Michael Dukakis (Introduction), Peter Moskos, Charles C. Moskos

This is an engrossing account of Greek Americans―their history, strengths, conflicts, aspirations, and contributions. Blending sociological insight with historical detail, Peter C. and Charles C. Moskos trace the Greek-American experience from the wave of mass immigration in the early 1900s to today. This is the story of immigrants, most of whom worked hard to secure middle-class status. It is also the story of their children and grandchildren, many of whom maintain an attachment to Greek ethnic identity even as they have become one of America's most successful ethnic groups. As the authors rightly note, the true measure of Greek-Americans is the immigrants themselves who came to America without knowing the language and without education. They raised solid families in the new country and shouldered responsibilities for those in the old. They laid the basis for an enduring Greek-American community. Included in this completely revised edition is an introduction by Michael Dukakis and chapters relating to the early struggles of Greeks in America, the Greek Orthodox Church, success in America, and the survival and expansion of Greek identity despite intermarriage. This work will be of value to scholars of ethnic studies, those interested in Greek culture and communities, and sociologists and historians.

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Michael Stanley Dukakis is an American Democratic politician, former Governor of Massachusetts, and was the Democratic presidential nominee in 1988. He was born to Greek immigrants of partly Vlach origin in Brookline, Massachusetts and was the longest serving governor in Massachusetts' history. He was the second Greek-American governor in U.S. history after Spiro Agnew.

Reviews

[Jim]

This is a great little study of Greek Americans. It's not a "yay! we're better than you!" or a celebration of recipes and religious practice book, but rather a thoughtful, considered and well researched book that analyzes Greek Americans from the beginning to the present day. It bears the hallmark of an academic work, but told with enough flair that "lay" readers will also find it enlightening. A "must read" for anyone wanting to understand the Greek American experience.