Opinions And Reactions Of A New York Puerto Rican

The book's primary focus is on the author's past memories, his opinions and reactions concerning various matters from the past, and from current happenings, and also, his philosophical thoughts about life in general.

The "Puerto-Rican Problem" in Postwar New York City presents the first comprehensive examination of the emergence, evolution, and consequences of the “Puerto Rican problem” campaign and narrative in New York City from 1945 to 1960. This notion originated in an intense public campaign that arose in reaction to the entry of Puerto Rican migrants to the city after 1945. The “problem” narrative influenced their incorporation in New York City and other regions of the United States where they settled. The anti-Puerto Rican campaign led to the formulation of public policies by the governments of Puerto Rico and New York City seeking to ease their incorporation in the city. Notions intrinsic to this narrative later entered American academia (like the “culture of poverty”) and American popular culture (e.g., West Side Story), which reproduced many of the stereotypes associated with Puerto Ricans at that time and shaped the way in which Puerto Ricans were studied and perceived by Americans.

The book spans a period beginning in 1929 and ending in 2001. Part I, The Early Years, is a young boy's experiences in Puerto Rico. Part II, The City, focuses on New York City during the great depression. Part III are the events during the World War II years. Part IV deals with happenings in the post-war years. Par V, The turbulent 1960's, relate to occurrences in that decade. Part VI, A New Beginning, describes the man's life with a new wife and son. Part VII, are the writer's reactions to what occurred on September 11, 2001.

This new and very important collection of essays reinterprets and updates the history of New York's Puerto Rican community and its leaders from the beginnings of the great migration in the 1940s to the present time. The collection also honors the memory of the late Dr. Antonia Pantoja, who was perhaps the community's most important and influential activist and institution builder during this period. The book is organized in chronological order and includes chapters by noted historians, sociologists, and political scientists, such as Virginia Sanchez Korrol, Ana Celia Zentella, Jose Cruz, Francisco Rivera Batiz, and Gabriel Haslip-Viera. These chapters focus on issues of culture, demography, language, economic status, politics, and community organization. Eminently useful in college-level courses that deal with Latinos and other ethnic groups in U.S. society, the book ends with essays by Angelo Falcon and Clara E. Rodriguez that assess the legacy, current status, and future prospects of the Puerto Rican community in New York.