Rating: 
Summary: The best book about California of the past 20 years
Review: Hanson addresses the issue of Mexican immigration with compassion, concern and genuine outrage. He has the misfortune to live and have deep roots in what I've always understood to be ground zero for the worst pathologies and grossest contradictions of the Mexican immigration issue, which is greater Fresno. This is quite simply the finest and most important book about California written in the past 20 years. To reiterate what he takes pains to point out throughout the book: it is not racist to make an honest examination of the state of affairs in California society today. We all have a stake in the successful development of our society as a unified people regardless of race, religion, socio-economic status or ethnic background. The traditional American model of assimilation has proven successful at building a roughly equitable society In opposition to this the modern multicultural model is based on a much more pessimistic and basically racialist view of society. It believes that people are inherently incapable of joining together across our differences. It rejoices in a grotesque caricature version of those differences. I hope that policymakers and opinion leaders will read this book and respect Hanson's experience if not his conclusions.
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Summary: A Scholar¿s Personal Account of the Problems of Immigration
Review: Victor Davis Hanson made a name for himself as a classicist and an author of popular military histories. In this book, he turns to a subject that concerns him more personally than scholastically: the continual large-scale immigration of Mexicans into California and what it means for the state. Hanson is the fifth generation of his family to live in central California farming the land. As a farmer, he understands the importance of Mexican labor to California agriculture. But as an American citizen who believes in the now-abandoned notion of the melting pot, he is discouraged by how the massive influx of immigrants is changing the state for the worse. His concern is that the size and rapidity of Mexican immigration, and the discarding of the melting pot for an unworkable idea of multiculturalism, has left Californians unprepared for the Balkanization of their state. Mexican immigrants no longer feel the need to adjust to their new surroundings when so many of their neighbors speak Spanish. Non-Hispanic Californians no longer have the cultural confidence to demand that Mexican immigrants make that adjustment. The best parts of the book are Hanson's personal experiences. He has numerous small but telling anecdotes of how immigration from the south has changed his small farming community, mostly for the worse. But Hanson is not such a partisan that he has lost all objectivity and balance on the issue. He admires the hard-working Mexicans and understands that most of them do eventually become assimilated. The author also criticizes white Californians for their work ethic and the lack of confidence in their own Western culture that Hanson feels is clearly superior to Mexico's. The book ends on a somewhat upbeat note, extolling the power of America's youth culture to assimilate so many of these immigrants. But Hanson emphasizes this is not enough. Not just Californians, but Americans as well, need to regain an educational system that assimilates rather than divides people.
Rating: 
Summary: Important but timid
Review: Mexifornia. The title says it all. Victor Davis Hanson's Mexifornia is another contribution to exposing what White America fears, but doesn't talk about: La Reconquista. While Hanson demolishes the economic case for illegal immigration, he is at his best when writing from the personal experience. After all, the man grew up in California. Although this may seem like a literary memoir rather than an angry political tract, it is through Hanson's personal insight that one can smell the social ruin brought about by disease, crime, poverty, gangs, drugs, pollution, and other signs of Third World society. And yet, when a book that exposes the danger of the invasion is either respected or ignored by the Soviet Left, it didn't do its job. And that's because for all the anger that drips off the pages, there is a sad fatalism underneath it all: Hanson offers only a vague solution to the problem. And worse, he goes out of his way to avoid the racist bullet: Hanson makes it clear just how much he loves Mexicans. And if that wasn't bad enough, Hanson casually dismisses Pat Buchanan, who's own book, Death of the West, is the kind of brutal voice White America needs to hear. Either way, this little book (150 pages) does have enough value to it, and takes its place among the voices of sanity and reason.
Rating:
Summary: Has some good ideas but should be more academic
Review: I respect where Hanson is coming from on Mexifornia. The politics of immigration have changed. There is more of a multicultural approach to immigration now and it's questionable whether or not we want to go down this road or not. There was a time when people were encouraged to abandon their pasts but now people are encouraged to keep their pasts. Either extreme is not the best scenario but Hanson does provide support against the mulicultural approach which is something we don't hear too much of. Also Hanson deals with evidence about how immigration may be harming our country. Often we hear about the praises of immigration. Immigration does have its benefits like brining in skilled labor but also can lead to crime and can place a strain on public resources. My problems with Mexifornia was that it was fairly short at 150 pages and that it seemed to be more of a personal narrative of Hanson's life in Selma instead. I wish he could have gone more in dept in his views and talk more of a national view then mearly talking about the generational differneces between Mexicans in one small town in California.
Rating:
Summary: A book on this subject was long overdue
Review: The fact that illegal immigration is even a controversy is an indication of the substantial dysfunction in our immigration policy and our national psyche. Any healthy nation would protect its boarders and insist that all immigration be processed legally and orderly. That should not even be an issue. This book sheds some light on the issues that are in need of solutions. California is deeply in dept, yet California has the highest state income taxes in the nation. It is a disgraceful situation. Many Mexican immigrants do work hard and are honorable people--that has been my experience--but they are often exploited by companies that want cheap labor, ethnic organtizations that want ethnic power and therefore discourage assimilation, and politicians who want votes. Illegal immigration does not discriminate between hard working immigrants seeking a better life and criminals escaping punishment. With no documentation and no legal history, it is left up to American citizens to figure out which is which. Since many immigrants do not make a livable wage, taxpayers are made to subsidize the immigrants wages with entitlements. It is a corrupt system that is not working and hurting many. Illegal immigration fosters resentment on both sides.
Rating: 
Summary: California Dreaming
Review: Victor Davis Hanson is not a happy man these days. He has grown weary of illegal immigrants. They leave mass quantities of garbage on his property. They steal his fruit. They enjoy countless subsidies at the cost of California taxpayers. Politicans and businesses pander to them. Ordinary citizens get the bill. They are taking over, and hence the title of his book. This has never happened before: it's always been easier to let immigrants "not-assimilate," but we are the first generation of Americans to conclude, according to Hanson, that as "host," it's better for us if they don't assimilate either. There are times when I think that "aliens" can do nothing right for Hanson. They drive without a proper license, but take forever at the DMV, because they don't speak English. They don't have bank accounts, but also consume too much time at the teller window. They drop-out of school in alarming numbers, but invariably take the wrong classes when in college. They don't like Mexico, but then complain about this country (Do they lose the right to want change when they cross the border?) It would be wrong, however, to conclude, as I think some reviewers have, that Hanson lacks empathy for the plight of incoming immigrants, or wishes simply to turn back the clock. (Though he does seem to suffer from a kind of "chronic nostalgia). His gravest charge is that Mexican-American intellectuals, with significant reinforcement from non-Hispanic Californians, have created a mythology of victimhood in the Hispanic community. That mythology that has led to an entitlement mentality -- so many Mexican waiting for manna from heaven to fall. Such expectations constitute a recipe for disappointment and bitterness. And that, in turn,fulfills the victim "myth." This is why Hanson deserves a very serious reading: whatever one may think about the rest of his indictment, fundamentally he has put his finger on a real problem, namely, that California -- its government and its private sector -- run the very real risk of over-promising, and undelivering on ever rising immigrant expectations. The problem is not that we can't "morph" Mexicans into patriotic Americans, but that the promise land will fail them. And then, where next? These problems are not unique to California. Nor,are they foreign to Europe (France and the UK have their own version). Yet, once again, for better or for worse, the scale of the experiment belongs singularly to our bellwether state.
Rating:
Summary: The fix is in:America to become another 3rd world slum
Review: Hanson does a good job explaining many of the symptoms of mass immigration but he doesn't get to the heart of WHY our government won't protect our borders.Hanson doesn't acknowledge that the oligarchs who run America have no loyalty to America,its people our culture.The internationalists(Communists-Corporatists)who rule America won't becontent until America becomes North Brazil.The same process(3rd worldization)is well underway in Europe via mass Muslim immigration.The oligarchs have been trying for the last 200 years to bring back feudalism.Communism was the first brutal attempt to bring about a totally enslaved world but it failed in the long run,though 80,000,000-100,000,000 perished because of it.The next great attempt at worldwide feudalism is well underway,and the means to such an end can be seen in the attempt to kill off the middle classes in the few nations in the world that have achieved some level of prosperity.In america in the 70's and 80's the blue collar middle class was systematically eliminated;now the white collar sector will see its standard of living fall through the floor as its jobs are shiiped out of country and its taxes continually raised to pay for the 3rd world invasion and all the social and economic costs it entails.Yes,america is Deliberately being turned into a 3rd world cesspool.In another 50 or so years the dismantling of America will be complete.1-2% of the population will own all the land,money and assets while the rest of the population lives off of government handouts,while dwelling in slums.The oligarchs want everyone dependent on them for sustenance and the way you do that is to make a society into a giant serfdom.This is the way 85-90% of the world's nations are run,but the rulers of America,canada and Europe are hard at work to make sure ALL the world is a global plantation;when all the world is a slave state you have nowhere to run to.America was the last true bastion of freedon and prosperity,but the old evils of Corporatism,Feudalism,Banksterism,Totalitarianism have finally triumphed over the Enlightenment ideals of the Founding Fathers.In the long span of time you can see that America's short flirt with liberty is the anomaly in history.The norm of human existence has been physical and economic slavery,and though we probably don't have to worry about the first the latter is always assured to reassert itself.And that is exactly the direction we are being inexorably pushed.As they say,there is nothing new under the sun.
Rating: 
Summary: The Old Simplicity That Doesn't Work
Review: If you want to learn everything that wrong with conservative thinking on the topic of Mexican immigration, read this book. If you are looking for answers to the complex challenges we are facing with our changing demographics and interdependence with Mexico and Latin America, don't bother. Professor Hanson takes us on a trip down memory lane, back to the days when Mexicans "knew their place" in the greater scheme of Anglo-American social dominance in Selma, California. Hansen plays on every stereotype of Mexico and Mexicans in the right-wing manifestos to call for a return to the Melting Pot and foster resentment toward university scholars, the Mexican government, and political leaders who are attempting to bring reason and humanity to the relentless attacks on Mexican laborers. He proclaims that Mexicans "vote with their feet" when they cross the border, thereby accepting the "superiority" of American culture. Yet he offers no analysis of the economic, not cultural, incentives and benefits that drive illegal immigration for both Mexican workers and American industry and the population in general. Nor does he question the hypocrisy of the double message and conflicting governmental policies regarding immigrants: "We don't want you to stay, but we expect you to assimilate." This is truly a despairing book. Hansen calls for an "assimilation mandate," as if assimilation is something that government can force, but is clueless as to what really needs to be done to promote assimilation. Polarizating and inflammatory rhetoric of the sort that Professor Hansen indulges in so liberally in this book will not help the situation or enlighten us as to the course we should follow. It is immigrant bashing of the worst sort, with no basis in academic research, or even in fact. Hanson's book makes Anglos like me who are happily and productively bilingual and bicultural long for the good old American dream of unity based on freedom and justice for all.
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Summary: Hanson must think all Mexicans are illiterate...
Review: ...and thus, we would never read this book. I found "Mexifornia" to be full of grave generalizations and racial stereotypes. Frankly, I took personal offense to much of what I read. Perhaps this makes me guilty of responding emotionally, rather than analytically, to the text, but I figure that if the author deemed critical thought and analysis to be unnecessary when writing this book, then why should I bother? Well, actually... Hanson shows himself to be an elitist when it comes to his field of scholarship, Classics. He goes on and on about the importance of studying Ancient European History and speaking Latin, French and German, and how much more intelligent, educated and cultured his students are compared to those of the Sociology or Chicano Studies departments. Yet, later, he decries the "fact" that 90% of Mexicans in the U.S. do not hold a B.A. So education is very important, unless your field of interest is in the social sciences? One thing that jumped out at me almost immediately was the lack of references, citations, or any indication that what I was reading was more than just an angry man's rantings. As for Hanson's numerous unpleasant encounters with Mexicans: the way that he refers to these "Hispanics of questionable legal status", proves that he is, indeed, a little racist. His retelling of the incidents are not even believable most of the time because they are so exaggerated. Every car accident was the fault of a drunk illegal Mexican running a red light. Okay. Well, I was recently rear-ended by a lower-class barefoot white woman in an old datsun, but you don't see me writing a book about that and every other unpleasant encounter I've ever had with a white person. Even the description of the emergency room visit is ridiculous. Any Spanish-speaking Mexican or Mexican-American can tell you that no "cholo" is going to yell "Mom, mommy! Madre! Madre! They stabbed me!", for the overly-simple reason that "Madre" is not the common way to refer to your mother in Mexican culture, regardless of economic or social standing. It's that simple. Another simple fact is that Mexicans, contrary to Hanson's belief, are not afraid of checkbooks, or banks for that matter. We do have some money in the bank, and not in dirty, sweaty wads of bills in our front pockets, as the author would have you believe. Nor are we all waiting for the sun to go down so that we may dump our old refrigerators on your front lawn. Many of us are, in fact, educated and bilingual, and not at the expense of "impeccable English". As difficult as some of the stories are to believe, I can accept this book as one thing: A man's personal account and oversimplified analysis of his daily interactions with the Mexicans and Mexican-Americans in his community. I cringe, however, when individuals with right-wing agendas use this book as a platform for their political views, as if it were anything more than the badly- if at all- researched, "undocumented" personal opinion of a prejudiced man in California's Central Valley.
Rating:
Summary: Persuasive...But Less Than Entirely
Review: Professor Hanson is a very good writer in my opinion. This, for the most part, is an elegantly written and well argued short book (150 pgs). The author's diagnosis of the illegal immigration problem and his recommended prescription cures were fairly compelling. He speaks from a great deal of personal experience given his life on a small south Central Valley farm. I don't believe the author is a racist nor do I believe myself to be a racist because I largely agree with him. However, that doesn't mean that I think neither one of us has prejudices. Every human that I've ever known has possessed some degree of prejudice. To qualify for the term "racist" you really have to buy into the idea that your racial (or perceived "racial") group is "it." By this definition I still notice that there are a lot of American racists of the white, brown, black, yellow, etc. variety still circulating in our culture. Care to 2nd that motion, Rush? Nevertheless, the author has written a very timely, well expressed, and reasoned book on one of our most critical national issues. An issue that neither the conservative business interests or the liberal political interest groups want examined too closely. Our spineless politicians and insipidly politically bland news media are well versed in effectively evading this one. The book is published by Encounter Books. This publisher appears to be a right wing funded publishing house. However, Hanson much of the time sounds like someone wistfully desiring that the charming forever lost rural Central California past come back to him. Sort of a mossback conservative's version of E.F. Schumacher's "Small Is Beautiful." However, he invariably snaps out of that temporary trance and will go off about some of the "democratic" benefits of "free markets" and corporatism. I fail to see how corporations--which by their very nature are emblematic of the concentration of wealth and privilege--can be the spreaders of "democratic" values. But the author is usually pretty elegant in his arguments. He also goes off on jeremiads about "multiculturalism." I am sure there is some merit to these arguments, too. However, I think he rants a bit too much on this particular subject. Same with bilingualism. Probably a misguided policy, however, please recall that in years past--and not that terribly long ago--children were very severely punished for speaking any other language than English amongst themselves while in school. David Amram lyric: "If you worship the good old days, beware of returning to the bad old ways." He also argues that the U.S. is superior to Europe because of our endless supply of cheap goodies. Whilst those miserable Europeans live in small houses, drive small cars, take long vacations, have guaranteed health care, work 35 hours per week, have a less manic way of life, etc., etc. You'll have to be the judge on that issue. If the reader is still interested, I would refer him/her to the 1896 classic "Theory of the Leisure Class" by the American radical economist/sociologist, Thorstein Veblen. The writing style is turgid and convoluted, but old Thorstein covered the absurdity of excess consumption better than anyone else before or since--in my opinion. I subscribe to the author's view that seems to coincide with Morris Berman's ("The Twilight of American Culture") view that America is becoming "moronized." The evidence certainly is strong--from what I can see. He likes to push his own antiguity classics curriculum--a noble goal I think. I would push the classics, too, along with history, philosophy, foreign language, physical sciences, social sciences, literature, etc. However, I would push more contemporary--like within a thousand or a hundred years--classics. Separatist and ethnic studies are not the only majors that have watered down the educational experience. Never forget business admin management courses, formal education courses, PE, etc., etc. There are many guilty parties in the devaluation of the college experience. It's hardly any wonder that we are a nation of airheads--"college educated" and otherwise. Care to invade another country, anyone? In conclusion, this is a good book, worth a serious read. Regardless of how insanely partisan your political ideolgy is....
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