Greenport; New York; a village on the North Fork of Long Island; has become an exemplar of a little-noted national trend—immigrants spreading beyond the big coastal cities; driving much of rural population growth nationally. In Village of Immigrants; Diana R. Gordon illustrates how small-town America has been revitalized by the arrival of these immigrants in Greenport; where she lives. Greenport today boasts a population that is one-third Hispanic. Gordon contends that these immigrants have effectively saved the town’s economy by taking low-skill jobs; increasing the tax base; filling local schools; and patronizing local businesses. Greenport’s seaside beauty still attracts summer tourists; but it is only with the support of the local Latino workforce that elegant restaurants and bed-and-breakfasts are able to serve these visitors. For Gordon the picture is complex; because the wave of immigrants also presents the town with challenges to its services and institutions. Gordon’s portraits of local immigrants capture the positive and the negative; with a cast of characters ranging from a Guatemalan mother of three; including one child who is profoundly disabled; to a Colombian house painter with a successful business who cannot become licensed because he remains undocumented. Village of Immigrants weaves together these people’s stories; fears; and dreams to reveal an environment plagued by threats of deportation; debts owed to coyotes; low wages; and the other bleak realities that shape the immigrant experience—even in the charming seaport town of Greenport. A timely contribution to the national dialogue on immigration; Gordon’s book shows the pivotal role the American small town plays in the ongoing American immigrant story—as well as how this booming population is shaping and reviving rural communities.
#6921451 in Books Westview Pr (Short Disc) 1985-05-16Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 #File Name: 0813370787166 pages
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