Immigration is a topic on the minds of a large portion of Americans. In 2006, a series of large marches and political debates shook the nation to the core. With the 2008 presidential campaign under way, the controversy is alive and well. However, it is essential to approach it in an informed, balanced fashion, and the material presented in this volume is designed to accomplish the task. To what extent are immigrants from Mexico and Central America different from their predecessors from say Italy, Poland, and Finland? Is the process of assimilation expected to be as successful today as it was a century ago? Has globalization changed the perspective of newcomers, making them remain loyal for a longer period of time to the place once called home? In what way is the Spanish language helping or impeding that assimilation?
This volume features the most significant articles including peer-review essays, interviews, and reviews to bring together the best scholarship on the topic. Ten signed articles, essays, and interviews are included in the volume. Also featured is an introduction by Ilan Stavans, one of the foremost authorities on Latino culture, to provide historical background and cultural context; and suggestions for further reading to aid students in their research.

Ilan Stavans has been called the czar of Latino culture in the United States by the New York Times and Latin America's liveliest and boldest critic and most innovative cultural enthusiast by the Washington Post. Savans is the Lewis-Sebring Professor of Latin American and Latino Culture at Amherst College and the recipient of numerous honors, including a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Latino Literature Prize, the Antonia Pantoja Award, Chile's Presidential Medal, and the Ruben Dario Distinction. He earned an Emmy nomination as host of the PBS show La Plaza: Conversations with Ilan Stavans. He has taught at Columbia University, Oberlin College, and Smith College, among other institutions. He is the author of numerous titles, including Encyclopedia Latina (2005) and the forthcoming Greenwood Encyclopedia of Latin Music.

Series Foreword
Introduction by Ilan Stavans
I. Considerations
The Baby Bust: Who Will Do the Work? Who Will Pay the Takes? Rodolfo O. de la Garza
Proposition 187: Misrepresenting Immigrants and Immigration Otto Santa Ana
Face the Nation: Race, Immigration, and the Rise of Nativism in Late-Twentieth-Century America George J. Snchez
Do Home-Country Political Ties Limit Latino Immigrant Pursuit of U.S. Civic Engagement and Citizenship? Louis DeSipio
The Coyote and the Chicken Luis Alberto Urrea
A Soccer Season in Southwest Kansas Sam Quinones
Theses on the Latino Bloc Rosaura Snchez and Beatrice Pita
II. Voices
Gladys: An Immigrant Story Ilan Stavans
Headed North and The Runner Ramn 'Tianguis' Prez
Conversations with Ilan Stavans Rubn Martinez
Contributors
Selected Bibliography
About the Editor and Contributors