The Dominican Americans (The New Americans) [Hardcover]

Silvio Torres-Saillant (Author), Ramona Hernandez (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0313298394 | ISBN-13: 978-0313298394 | Publication Date: May 30, 1998

This profile of Dominican Americans closes a critical gap in information about the accomplishments of one of the largest immigrant groups in the United States. Beginning with a look at the historical background and the roots of native Dominicans, this book then carries the reader through the age-old romance of U.S. and Dominican relations. With great detail and clarity, the authors explain why the Dominicans left their land and came to the United States. The book includes discussions of education, health issues, drugs and violence, the visual and performing arts, popular music, faith, food, gender, and race. Most important, this book assesses how Dominicans have adapted to America, and highlights their losses and gains. The work concludes with an evaluation of Dominicans' achievements since their arrival as a group three decades ago and shows how they envision their continued participation in American life. Biographical profiles of many notable Dominican Americans such as artists, sports greats, musicians, lawyers, novelists, actors, and activists, highlight the text. The authors have created a novel book as they are the first to examine Dominicans as an ethnic minority in the United States and highlight the community's trials and tribulations as it faces the challenge of survival in a economically competitive, politically complex, and culturally diverse society. Students and interested readers will be engaged by the economic and political ties that have attached Americans to Dominicans and Dominicans to Americans for approximately 150 years. While massive immigration of Dominicans to the United States began in the 1960s, a history of previous contact between the two nations has enabled the development of Dominicans as a significant component of the U.S. population. Readers will also understand the political and economic causes of Dominican emigration and the active role the United States government had in stimulating Dominican immigration to the United States. This book traces the advances of Dominicans toward political empowerment and summarizes the cultural expressions, the survival strategies, and the overall adaptation of Dominicans to American life.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“...The Dominican Americans will fill an important gap in the scholarship on the subject, and will serve as a useful tool in educating students about this important group of New Americans.”–Journal of American Ethnic History

“...presents a comprehensive introduction to one of the largest Latino groups in the United States, filling a glaring vacuum in the burgeoning discipline of Latino Studies....The authors must be commended for striking an effective balance between breadth and depth, for while the book is an ambitious introduction, it offers keen insights about the effect of immigration on notions of Dominican cultural identity....a valuable resource, for it provides a history of Dominican business, civic, social service, and cultural organizations, and lists important political and cultural leaders....the book's clear prose and solid research will appeal to both general readers interested in a new American subgroup and seasoned scholars interested in issues of transnationalism and globalization.”–New West Indian Guide

“Silvio Torres-Saillant and Ramona Hernandez draw an insightful contemporary portrait of Dominican Americans....With their work, we have a stepping stone toward projects that explore the intersections and transformations of race, class, gender, and nationality in the Americas.”–Transforming Anthropology

About the Author

SILVIO TORRES-SAILLANT is Assistant Professor of English at Hostos Community College, CUNY, and the Director of the CUNY Dominican Studies Institute at The City College of New York.

RAMONA HERNANDEZ is Assistant Professor in the Latino Studies Program at the University of Massachusetts at Boston and a Research Associate in the CUNY Dominican Studies Institute.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Greenwood Press (May 30, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0313298394
• ISBN-13: 978-0313298394
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #360,114 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Accurate, November 30, 2009

By 

Raul Burgos - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Dominican Americans (The New Americans) (Hardcover)

This was an excellent work by the authors. Very insightful, both in the history of the country and the current assesment of the Dominican community in the US.