Five Generations of a Mexican American Family in Los Angeles

Five Generations of a Mexican American Family in Los Angeles is an insider account of a multigenerational working-class Mexican American family in Los Angeles to explain Chicanos' persistent social status despite their citizenship and largely English monolingualism. Findings demonstrate that the interaction between race, ethnicity, and class factors at home, in the labor market and in schools reproduces the Fuentes family's social status. Nevertheless, the persistence of Mexican cultural values over generations insulates Fuentes members against discrimination and economic hardship.

Part 1 Introduction
Chapter 2 The Researcher: My Story as Fuentes
Chapter 3 My Story's Reflection on the Fuentes Story
Chapter 4 The Fuentes Family and Me: A Prelude to an American Story
Chapter 5 Organization of the Book
Part 6 Chapter 1: The Fuentes Family: An Overview across Generations
Chapter 7 Generations of the Fuentes Family
Chapter 8 Family Time: Fuentes Family Inter- and Intra-Generation Activity
Chapter 9 The Fuentes Family as Working-Class Americans
Chapter 10 Getting to Know the Fuentes: Sketches of Participants
Part 11 Chapter 2: Home, Part I: The Original Fuentes Home
Chapter 12 The Original Fuentes Home: First-Generation Parents Raising Children
Chapter 13 General Mexican Traditions in the Fuentes Family
Chapter 14 First Generation's System of Values
Part 15 Chapter 3: Home, Part II: Later-Generation Fuentes Homes
Chapter 16 Fuentes Parents' Aspirations Over the Generations
Chapter 17 Change and Continuity in the Values of Later Generation Fuentes Families
Chapter 18 Summary
Part 19 Chapter 4: Fuentes' at Work
Chapter 20 The Labor Market and Economy
Chapter 21 The Connection Between Home Values and the World of Work
Chapter 22 Entering the Workforce
Chapter 23 Fuentes' Resources for Finding Work
Chapter 24 Getting Certified to Get Qualified
Chapter 25 Summary
Part 26 Chapter 5: School, Part I: Fuentes' in Schools
Chapter 27 Los Angeles County and Valley Schools
Chapter 28 School Experiences From Kindergarten to High School
Chapter 29 Teachers, Mentors and Classes
Chapter 30 Fuentes' in Trouble: Drifting Away and Dropping Out
Chapter 31 The Fuentes' Future: The Fifth Generation in Schools Today
Chapter 32 Summary
Part 33 Chapter 6: School, Part II: Fuentes' Homes, Language and Literacy
Chapter 34 Language Patterns
Chapter 35 The Significance of Language and Literacy in the Fuentes Homes
Part 36 Chapter 7: Fuentes Homes and School: Parent Involvement
Chapter 37 Fuentes Parents' Perceptions of Children's Performance and Schooling
Chapter 38 Fuentes Parent Role in Their Children's Schooling
Chapter 39 How Fuentes Parents Help with School
Chapter 40 What It Means to be Fuentes Parents in American Schools
Part 41 Chapter 8: Conclusion: What the Fuentes Family Teaches Us
Chapter 42 Intersections: Race, Ethnicity and Class in the Family and School
Chapter 43 Intersections: Race, Ethnicity and Class Between Family and Work
Chapter 44 What We Can Learn From the Fuentes Family: Strategies to Improve Mexican American/Latino Student Performance