Immigrant America: A Portrait

by Alejandro Portes, Rubén G. Rumbaut

Widely acclaimed for its superb portrayal of immigration and immigrant lives in the United States, this work, first published in 1990, has become a classic. This second edition has been thoroughly expanded and updated to reflect current demographic, economic, and political realities, and the vertiginous pace of historical change in the post-Cold-War era. The authors have written two new chapters, infused the entire text with new data, and added a vivid array of new illustrations. As immigration moves to the center of national debate, this new edition is indispensable for framing and informing issues that promise to be even more hotly and urgently contested.

The United States of the late twentieth century is a new nation of immigrants. Not since the peak years of immigration before World War I have so many newcomers made their way to During the 1980s about six million immigrants and refugees were legally admitted, and a sizable but uncertain number of others entered without legal status. This definitive new book offers a broad portrait of the multicultural people who comprise the latest wave of immigrants to the United States. Overwhelmingly Asian and Latin American yet defying widespread stereotypes of immigrants, they come in luxurious jetliners and the trunks of cars, by boat and on foot. Manual laborers and polished professionals, entrepreneurs and exiles, these immigrants reflect in their motives and origins the forces that have reshaped American society in the second half of the century.

Drawing on recent census data and other primary sources, Portes and Rumbaut revise our understanding of immigrant America in a sweeping and multifaceted analysis. They probe the dynamics of immigrant politics, examining questions of identity and loyalty among newcomers who are "in a society but not of it," and explore the psychological consequences of varying modes of migration and acculturation. They look at patterns of settlement in urban America, discuss the problems of English-language acquisition and bilingual education, and explain how immigrants incorporate themselves into the American economy. Portes and Rumbaut also dispel myths about that most oppressed and controversial immigrant group, the undocumented. Though much maligned in the popular imagination, these immigrants—often positively selected men and women seeking opportunities for advancement—contribute importantly to many sectors of the American economy.

In this rich new study, which will appeal as much to the general reader as to the policy maker and social scientist, Portes and Rumbaut provide a fascinating and complex portrait of America circa 1990. It is a powerful and distinguished contribution to the literature in American and immigrant studies.

Genres: Sociology, History, School, Nonfiction, Social Science

421 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

Reviews

[Gemma Alexander · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am often disappointed by the quality of the science in social science books, especially when written for a lay audience. But this book does an excellent, comprehensive survey of all of the research on immigration over the past hundred years. It points out the flaws in much of the early research, and acknowledges the limitations of newer research that supports their own thesis. The book is dense as a result, but worth the effort. The only weakness I found was that the authors did not always make clear distinctions between the impacts and conditions of legal vs. illegal immigration, either lumping the two together or remaining unclear about what was actually included in the study. They did finally directly address the issue of illegal Mexican migration in the concluding chapter, but I would have enjoyed the book more if they had acknowledged the significance of this special case throughout the book.

[Michael McCormick · Rating 5 out of 5]

First, I thank Professor Exequiel Hernandez of the Wharton School of Business of the University of Pennsylvania for recommending this book to me, and I congratulate Professor Hernandez for his recent ascent to the ranks of tenured faculty at Wharton.

Reading "Immigrant America: A Portrait" was more than educational for me: it was a moving educational and emotional experience. In my opinion, the authors deserve Nobel Prizes. If there is no Nobel Prize in social science, then they deserve to share a Nobel Peace Prize for devoting their lives to the balanced study of "Immigrant America."

Sometimes I ask myself why I buy so many books. When I read a book like this one, after buying my copy and feeling that liberated feeling of being able to pencil up the margins with notes, it makes all of my book buying worthwhile. Some things, like a copy of "Immigrant America: A Portrait" need to be in my library forever.

I felt a sort of kindred spirit with the authors: they reminded me of really good intelligence officers in the military, laying out the facts, making recommendations and then concluding with predictions for the future.

I just hope that it isn't too late for me. This edition came out six years ago. But the tenets of the book hold true: we see reaction formation over and over again. Pete Wilson was voted out of office in California after supporting anti-immigrant immigrent legislation, replaced by the very people he sought to discriminate against.

And now we have a Chief Executive who seeks to do the same, by building a useless border wall and now ceasing all immigration for 60 days.

So, seeing as how I used to be an intelligence officer, let me make my own prediction based on reading Portes and Rumbaut. They write, "It is worth emphasizing that the growing political influence of the foreign-origin population is a fait accompli since it is based on a population that is already here."

So, the President can wear his stupid hat and send all kinds of workers to ramp up building the wall and have his little hissy fits about "ceasing all immigration for 60 days." Because right now I am calling on all of those people of the foreign-origin population that are already here to vote against the rat bastard and throw his skank ass the hell out of office at the first opportunity.

The message in 2020 to members of this Nation is anyone but Trump.

Thank you for reading my review.

[Meghan Niemi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It felt like it had a good readability as well. I’m a second generation immigrant and reading this book was very helpful to understand my family and their immigration processes. I really hope the ending gets proposed as a real bill

[ASC Library]

304.8 Por

[Sonay Aykan · Rating 3 out of 5]

a good example of american way of sociological studies. starting with an individual story, going broader with some quantitative data and ending without any theoretical structure, no class relationship or metanarrative.

[Harsimran Singh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the definition of a living book. Its updates were much needed, considering the topic is ever-changing.

[Cody · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tad bit biased, but interesting read.

[Mills College Library]

304.873 P849i 2014