Stagnant Dreamers: How the Inner City Shapes the Integration of Second-Generation Latinos

Abstract

In this new text, María G. Rendón provides a fresh perspective on an important topic in ethnic history. Specifically, she offers a very well-written monograph discussing how violence directly affects the life trajectories of the adolescent Latinos living in two specific neighborhoods in Los Angeles, namely Pueblo Viejo and Century City. She also discusses the importance of social and familial networks upon those who live in it.Rendón examines each of the communities individually. She looks at Pueblo Viejo, primarily a Mexican American origin community, and Century City, primarily a Mexican American and Central American neighborhood. She examines how forty-two Latino adolescent and young adult males seek to build their own lives and become independent men, with varying degrees of success. Within each community, she analyzes how sectors such as psychology, education, law, health care, and business affect these young men and their life choices. She argues that the amount of violence boys are subjected to in these neighborhoods has a direct impact on whether they complete high school or become incarcerated.According to Rendón, earning a formal education via high school or community college completion (and in one case, earning a bachelor's degree from an Ivy League institution) did not necessarily help her subjects escape neighborhood violence and negative influences. She cites the importance of sports, churches, and other community activities in keeping boys active, occupied, and supervised. She continues that first-generation relatives, who are often bound by low-paying employment that requires long hours and offers little hope of advancement or higher wages, also benefit from strong community and kin ties. These frequent references to biological and fictive kin networks might remind readers of Carol Stack's All Our Kin.One aspect that makes this book so valuable is that in the early chapters, she provides an historical overview of the events that have shaped these communities and other urban centers in the United States. She includes a synopsis of events in immigration history that directly affect those of Mexican heritage, such as the bracero workers program during the mid-twentieth century and the Immigration and Reform Control Act of 1986.Features that are especially useful in her work are the appendix and methodology discussion. She provides a comprehensive and fully transparent blueprint for her work. This is particularly valuable for scholars who wish to replicate her work. Rendón offers follow-up details on the subjects she profiled throughout the text while maintaining subject confidentiality.This book is an example of interdisciplinary scholarship and is built upon flagship research from earlier decades, including that of William Julius Wilson. Alongside her own research, Rendón provides an excellent combination of various theories and concepts that are centered in population studies and immigration trends.There are myriad ways that this book could be of import to professionals and students outside the discipline of history. Those within and without academia will find it useful as a reference tool. This text would be a solid introduction to the notion of ethnic history and ethnic studies for professionals in fields such as psychology, social work, law, medicine, finance, political science, urban planning, and her own field of public policy. It would be especially useful to higher education administrators seeking to learn how to meet the needs of Latino/a students.Finally, it provides an insightful snapshot to those living in these communities. Because of her work, residents have a helpful analysis for reflection upon their communities’ current condition and, in turn, make decisions about their futures.