Rating: 
Summary: A very good and important book
Review: [disclosure: I'm an immigrant myself]It's a cliche, but I'll say it anyway: this book ought to be read by all. While the book is primarily about Mexican immigration to California the analysis is universal and erudite. A reader of Victor Davis Hanson's other works will definently recognize the style. This book is in some ways (at least in my opinion) a coda to the sad but beautiful 'Fields Without Dreams' and also recalls elements of some of Hanson's more muscular pieces from 'An Autumn of War' and 2003. The author looks at immigration historically and in the present, both from the perspective of the immigrants themselves and the natives. Just as the past is not overly romanticized, the present is not overly demonized. The chapter on popular culture's ameliorating effect on cultural strife and tribalism is particularly important, and transcends the subject of immigration. Of the book's many virtues the outstanding one remains that the author has no obvious political partisan loyalties -- free-marketers and leftists are both targets -- but instead remains dedicated to the people themselves, the idea and future of America, and to truth. In closing I have to mention the first review in this collection, accusing the auther of writing an "anti-immigrant diatribe". It's simply too unfair and slanderous to remain unopposed. First of all the book is not just anecdotal but also historical and factual. I found it both thoughtful and convincing. The charge of racism will seem ridiculous and vile to any honest reader of the book. The kindest interpretation of that charge is that perhaps the critic is uncomfortable with the concept of valuing one society over another (it's not racism to notice in which direction the immigrants are going). This would explain the too-delicious-to-refute lamentation that the author leaves the assertion that the US gov't is better than the Mexican gov't "unsubstantiated" :-) Right. It's a terrific book. Read it.
Rating:
Summary: THE book on immigration
Review: This is simply a brilliant book--written from the heart by an excellent writer. All the policy analyses on the issue of immigration don't come close to indicating the human dimensions of the problem the way this book does. Victor Hanson, whose family has been in California for five generations and who runs a family farm (in addition to being a classics professor and writer of military history), frames the important issues in a way no other writer has. The conclusion he reaches--that we stand at a crossroads in which we will either have to choose assimilation for our immigrants or cultural chaos--and the literary ability he displays in reaching this conclusion makes this the most important book I've ever read on this subject.
Rating:
Summary: COMMON SENSE
Review: This rational book has the same potential to serve public opinion as that provided by Thomas Paine's COMMON SENSE. Hanson does not rant or play a race card. He just describes the corrosive pattern of the combination of anti-American-culture and massive illegal in-migration and unrestrained legal immigration. CA's immigration-driven population grows by 6 million a decade. How many decades before all open land is paved over and clean are is just a faint memory? Hanson's book should be in the hands of every elected representative.
Rating: 
Summary: Another Anti-Immigrant Diatribe.
Review: This book, written by a classics professor, is well-written and engaging. However, it is a weak substitute for serious analysis of the issue of immigration and civil rights in the modern United States. Rather, the book is nothing more than a polemic against Latina/o activists, ethnic studies professors, affirmative action, the federal and state governments, multioculturalists, educators, and, in a few places, immigration and immigrants. The author does not purport -- and does not -- discuss the social science literature that undercuts his arguments. Assertions, such as the claim that the Mexican government is worse than the U.S government, are left unsubstantiated. In this way, it is a weaker version of Peter Brimelow's book "Alien Nation," which at least reviews the evidence on immigration. In place of scholarly inquiry, the author relies on his experiences with minority students at Fresno State and his life as a small farmer in the Central Valley. He claims that "illegal aliens" from Mexico are changing his small town (Selma) for the worse, bringing to town crime, environmental degradation, cultural separatism, etc. A strong under-current of anti-Mexican sentiment can be found throughout the book, although the author repeats frequently that "some of his best friends are Mexican," to paraphrase the claim of the archetypal racist. The sad part about this book is that it might reinforce the discriminatory views of some readers who look to the book for an education. It preaches but does not offer analysis appropriate of a scholar with a Ph.D.
Rating:
Summary: A balanced look at a problem out of control
Review: Outstanding! This book is writed by someone who truly sees both sides of this issue. Well thought out, well written, and well researched. A very balanced look a problem out of control. Thought provoking. Don't be fooled by anyone who tells you the book is racist, it simple is not! This is a fair look at what we as a state/country did in the past and the how and why it worked, and what we are doing now and why it is not working. A must read.
Rating:
Summary: What about the statistical aspect?
Review: Although I find the diversity of opinons on every issue to be important, and in that way supported this book, I did dislike the fact that Hanson used supposed "proof" to support his theory in the form of numbers and data and yet mysteriously did not footnote any of it. I shall not in any way accuse him of making up this data, but I can't help but wonder: is his data coming from perhaps only a similarly like-minded source and not from official documents? Why else would he not have cited his sources? I can't help but feel that it is perhaps it is a bit too xenophobic towards a group of hard-working people without whom, I must say, the booming economy of California would not exist, at least not to this extent. I doubt that any reasonable middle-class citizen would prefer to pay $10 for a half pound of grapes than continue to open their doors (more or less, less really being the operative word here) to their friendly neighbors to the South.
Rating:
Summary: Very Unengaging
Review: I checked the book out from a library thinking I'd learn something worthwhile from another perspective. Well that did not turn out to be the case. Right from the start the book had a negative and somber tone to it. The author sounds fatalistic about Mexican immigration. Without getting all analytical about this issue, it takes two to tango. If some Americans weren't so greedy there wouldn't be so many Mexicans coming into the US illegally. You reap what you sow and cannot expect to pay somebody minimum wage and that person and their family not depend on the system to survive. Let's be real here.
What happening now is the same thing that was going on in this country 100 years ago with Irish, Scottish and other European immigration that was considered undiserable. There was a lot of fear, lies and stereotypes being thrown around. Of course the difference with the Mexicans is that they are slowly taking over their land. Who can dispute that Europeans came in and took our land and benefitted from it? Americans of European descent began dumping on our environment long before Mexicans were accused of doing the same. These are the brutal realities that most whites do not wish to face. What goes around comes around. Un clavo saco al otro.
Assimilation is such an ugly word for all it implies. America is a country of immigrants and settlers so who can determine what the local culture and language should be. This isn't Germany we are talking about where the natives speak German and have their own culture and customs. America is a very culturally and racially divided nation where there is a racial hierarchy and assimilation implies that Mexicans should become as Anglo in their traditions as possible. If ALL cultures in the US were intergrated as is the case in many Latin American countries I could see where assimilation is possible. Trying to assimilate Mexicans and other Hispanics through consumerism and intermarriage is not only unrealistic, but racist and insulting because he is implying that we should water down our culture in order to blend in with Anglo society. He bemoans of all the injustices in Mexico and he is doing the same thing in the US by suggesting that Hispanics should 'cleanse' their bloodlines by marrying someone of another ethnicity, preferrably white. Marriage should take place because of love regardless of who is involved. Whether Hispanics assimilate or not, racism will always be there. I've lived in several states, I am bilingual, educated and it hasn't meant much because I am not white. I think Dr. Hanson needs to remove the blinders from his eyes. Until African Americans, Asian Americans and other cultural and ethnic groups are a part of the American mainstream, nobody can say that Mexicans should assimilate because white America has a long ways to go when it comes to assimilation themselves. Ningún mono se ve su rabo. That's an old Cuban saying.
The author is assumptive in his tone throughout the book even though he tries to make himself look compassionate. Just because he holds a university degree does not mean he doesn't need to list his references. He is trying to pass semi autobiographical accounts of his life as anthropology and pseudo sociology. And just because Dr. Hanson has lived with Mexicans does not make him an authority on the subject because he is not one of them. I've lived in Puerto Rican, Portuguese and white communities and that does not make me any of these things. I am still Cuban and Mexican American no matter where I go.
Blaming societies problems on Mexicans is a very simple minded thing to do. If the author had a clue about pre-Mexican anthropology he'd know that the problems Mexicans have brought to the United States are the same problems Europeans brought to Mexico, Latin America and other countries they colonized. If Mr. Hanson and his supporters are not part of the solution then they are part of the problem.
Rating: 
Summary: Show Me the Sources
Review: I sympathize with the problems the author faces as a result of illegal immigration, but I found many of the chapters to be little more than a rant about those problems. I was also dismayed to see that sources for the statistics the author used were not included in a reference list. As a matter of fact, there was NO reference list of ANY kind. I would have liked to have known where his informaion was coming from.
Rating: 
Summary: An expert's review
Review: I thought the book was interesting and would recommend it to anyone to read but for several reasons I cannot give it more than 3 stars. First I'll tell you something about myself, I have lived on the border for over 20 years and I work as an immigration enforcement officer. I consider myself as much an expert on immigration as the author.
I enjoyed the book for several reasons and recommend it because of them. The book is shorter than I would have expected. Most anti-immigration books tend to be racist but I never got that feeling from this book. I thought that the chapter on the Universe of the Illegal Alien was excellent. If you don't live in the southwest, this will give you a good idea of the immigrant's life.
I agree with the author that one of the major problems now with immigration is that Mexican immigrants no longer want to or feel the need to assimilate to the American lifestlye. This is caused by the huge illegal alien influx and possibly several liberal judicial decisions. The author does an very good job of describing the effect of illegal immigration but errs in his describtion of the cause.
The author makes two major errors on the causes of illegal immigration. He places most of the blame on what he calls the "liberal elite" and only briefly mentions the right. This is a huge error. If you want to find the greatest accelerant of illegal and legal immigration, you would find it to be the IRCA 86. The bill granting amnesty to illegal aliens was passed in 1986 by Reagan and a Republican Senate. This is especially relevent considering that this book was written post 9/11 and President Bush had already made public his intentions for another anmesty. The omission of it is incredible. The bill intended to grant citizenship to about 3 million illegal aliens but in turn granted citizenship or permanent residence to at least 15 to 20 million immigrants.
The author also errs in in underestimating the effect of racism on hispanics and other minority group. To think that racism doesn't play a part is ridiculous. Also, the author would also use statistics and not mention any source that they came from. For example, he may say something like 40% of illegal aliens cannot read but he doesn't mention where he got that statistic from.
Rating:
Summary: Man, the racism in this book & these reviews is frightening!
Review: As a white Californian, I really feel for the Mexican immigrants who are up against the wall of racism as evidenced from this book and the sympathetic reviewers. NEVER underestimate the innate power of the us versus them reaction. Whew!
Even for those who are racist though, on a purely pragmatic and even selfish level, we need to open the border with Mexico so that we can benefit from the influx of a young work force and thereby avoid the perils of the dropping birth rates in the First World (see Wattenberg's "Fewer" for details). Everyone will get richer simply from the influx, for as the lowest levels of the socioeconomic pyramid are filled by immigrants, the assets of those above automatically increase in value.
But I'm sure I'm just whistling in the wind...so...
WHY DONT YER JUST PACK THEM WETBACKS UP IN A BIG OLE BOX AN SHIP EM BACK TO WHAR THEY COME FROM DANG IT!
There, did the majority of you readers like that better?
Jeez!
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