Immigrants and the American Dream ― Remaking the Middle Class

Drawing heavily on US Census data, Clark (geography, U. of California, Los Angeles) presents a pretty positive picture of immigrant attainment of upward mobility after identifying factors that help/hinder access to middle-class status. Noting implications for policy, he does raise concerns over increasing barriers to the American dream, income and social inequities between immigrants of differing generations and countries, increased job competition, and regional differences. This study should be of interest to students of population geography, migration, and ethnic studies. Annotation c2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)