Mexifornia: A State of Becoming by Victor Davis Hanson (English) Paperback Book

Description: Mexifornia by Victor Davis Hanson In this revised and updated edition, Mexifornia examines the predicament of those vigorous, ambitious Mexicans that make California strong but who are hurt by inadequate policies that damage them and this country. Ultimately, Hanson hopes that our traditions of assimilation, integration and intermarriage can yet remedy the immigration crisis that continues to grow and shape America's future. FORMAT Paperback LANGUAGE English CONDITION Brand New Publisher Description Massive illegal immigration from Mexico into California, Victor Davis Hanson writes, "coupled with a loss of confidence in the old melting pot model of transforming newcomers into Americans, is changing the very nature of state. Yet we Californians have been inadequate in meeting this challenge, both failing to control our borders with Mexico and to integrate the new alien population into our mainstream." Part history, part political analysis, and part memoir, "Mexifornia" is an intensely personal work by one of our most important writers. Hanson is perhaps known best for his military histories and especially his social commentary about America and its response to terror after 9/11. But he is also a fifth-generation Californian who runs a family farm in the Central Valley and has written eloquent elegies for the decline of the small farm such as "Fields Without Dreams" and "The Land Was Everything." Like these books, "Mexifornia" is an intensely personal look at what has changed in California over the last quarter century. In this case, however, Hansons focus is on how not only California, the Southwest, and indeed the entire nation has been affected by Americas hemorrhaging borders and how those hurt worst are the Mexican immigrants themselves. A large part of the problem, Hanson believes, comes from the opportunistic coalition that stymies immigration reform and, even worse, stifles an honest discussion of a growing problem. Conservative corporations, contractors, and agribusiness demand cheap wage labor from Mexico, whatever the social consequences. Meanwhile, "progressive" academics, journalists, government bureaucrats, and La Raza advocates envision illegal aliens as a vast new political constituency for those committed to the notion that victimhood, not citizenship, is the key to advancement. The problems Hanson identifies may have reached critical mass in California, but they affect Americans who inhabit "Mexizona," "Mexichusetts" and other states of becoming. Hanson writes wistfully about his own growing up in the Central Valley when he was one of a handful of non-Hispanics in his elementary school and when his teachers saw it as their mission to give all students, Hispanic and "white" alike, a passport to the American Dream. He follows the fortunes of Hispanic friends he has known all his life--how they have succeeded in America and how they regard the immigration crisis. But if "Mexifornia" is emotionally generous at the strength and durability of the groups that have made California strong, it is also an indictment of the policies that got California into its present mess. But in the end, Hanson strongly believes that our traditions of assimilation, integration, and intermarriage may yet remedy a problem that the politicians and ideologues have allowed to get out of hand. Author Biography Victor Davis Hanson is Professor of Classics at California State University, Fresno, and author of "The Western Way of War: Infantry Battle in Classical Greece" (1986), "The Other Greeks: The Family Farm and the Agrarian Roots of Western Civilization" (1995), and "Fields Without Dreams: Defending the Agrarian Idea" (1996). Review "In an atmosphere rife with so much hypocrisy, Mr. Hansons outspoken book is quite a breath of fresh air." Long Description Massive illegal immigration from Mexico into California, Victor Davis Hanson writes, "coupled with a loss of confidence in the old melting pot model of transforming newcomers into Americans, is changing the very nature of state. Yet we Californians have been inadequate in meeting this challenge, both failing to control our borders with Mexico and to integrate the new alien population into our mainstream." Part history, part political analysis, and part memoir, "Mexifornia" is an intensely personal work by one of our most important writers. Hanson is perhaps known best for his military histories and especially his social commentary about America and its response to terror after 9/11. But he is also a fifth-generation Californian who runs a family farm in the Central Valley and has written eloquent elegies for the decline of the small farm such as "Fields Without Dreams" and "The Land Was Everything." Like these books, "Mexifornia" is an intensely personal look at what has changed in California over the last quarter century. In this case, however, Hansons focus is on how not only California, the Southwest, and indeed the entire nation has been affected by Americas hemorrhaging borders and how those hurt worst are the Mexican immigrants themselves. A large part of the problem, Hanson believes, comes from the opportunistic coalition that stymies immigration reform and, even worse, stifles an honest discussion of a growing problem. Conservative corporations, contractors, and agribusiness demand cheap wage labor from Mexico, whatever the social consequences. Meanwhile, "progressive" academics, journalists, government bureaucrats, and La Raza advocates envision illegal aliens as a vast new political constituency for those committed to the notion that victimhood, not citizenship, is the key to advancement. The problems Hanson identifies may have reached critical mass in California, but they affect Americans who inhabit "Mexizona," "Mexichusetts" and other states of becoming. Hanson writes wistfully about his own growing up in the Central Valley when he was one of a handful of non-Hispanics in his elementary school and when his teachers saw it as their mission to give all students, Hispanic and "white" alike, a passport to the American Dream. He follows the fortunes of Hispanic friends he has known all his life--how they have succeeded in America and how they regard the immigration crisis. But if "Mexifornia" is emotionally generous at the strength and durability of the groups that have made California strong, it is also an indictment of the policies that got California into its present mess. But in the end, Hanson strongly believes that our traditions of assimilation, integration, and intermarriage may yet remedy a problem that the politicians and ideologues have allowed to get out of hand. Review Quote "In an atmosphere rife with so much hypocrisy, Mr. Hansons outspoken book is quite a breath of fresh air." Details ISBN1594032173 Author Victor Davis Hanson Short Title MEXIFORNIA 2/E Pages 150 Language English Edition 2nd ISBN-10 1594032173 ISBN-13 9781594032172 Media Book Format Paperback Year 2007 Imprint Encounter Books,USA Subtitle A State of Becoming Place of Publication New York Country of Publication United States Affiliation Professor of ClassicsCalifornia State University, Fresno DOI 10.1604/9781594032172 NZ Release Date 2007-08-16 US Release Date 2007-08-16 UK Release Date 2007-08-16 Publisher Encounter Books,USA Edition Description Second Edition Publication Date 2007-08-16 DEWEY 305.86872 Audience General AU Release Date 2007-08-31 Illustrations Illustrations We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. With fast shipping, low prices, friendly service and well over a million items - you're bound to find what you want, at a price you'll love! TheNile_Item_ID:137737369;

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