Author Description

The children of the recent influx of immigrants compose a second generation far different from any this country has known before. Largely nonwhite and from the world's developing nations, these children struggle with complex problems of racial and ethnic relations in multicultural urban neighborhoods where good jobs are increasingly scarce. The New Second Generation chronicles the lives of second-generation youth in Miami, New York City, New Orleans, and Southern California. The contributors balance careful analysis with the voices of the youngsters themselves, focusing primarily on education, career expectations, language preference, ethnic pride, and the influence of their American-born peers. Demographic portraits reveal that although many immigrant youths are poor, this disadvantage is partially offset by the fact that their parents are typically married, self-employed, and off welfare. Historical analysis of language preferences among Miami's Hispanic youth also reveals their unequivocal preference for English. Still other essays explore the process of adaptation and self-definition among immigrant youth, especially the influences of neighborhood, ethnicity, and family.. As immigration continues to change the face of the nation's cities, we cannot ignore the crucial issue of how well the children of immigrants will adapt. The New Second Generation provides valuable insight into issues that may spell the difference between regeneration and decay across urban America.