Social Work Practice with Immigrants and Refugees

Rating:
Summary: Strong book blending social work and immigration
Review: Books on immigration have a serious pitfall and social work books have a serious pitfall. Once you've read one book on immigration in the US, you read them all. They repeat the same stuff (how immigrants of color now are treated like Southern Europeans from a century ago, the Chinese Exclusion Acts, the changes in the law in 1965, etc.). Social work texts get bogged down in internal, lengthy discussions about the worker-client relationship. In Balgopal's book, he connects the dots between American immigration history and politics with social work. For example, Jane Addams and her Hudd House was not just a social work center, but a major resource for aiding immigrants. Further, the authors cite studies that most social workers and immigration activists probably have not laid their hands on. Thus, this book was a crisp policy discussion and not just some "feel-good", non-rigorous text. Balgopal's introduction was excellent; his chapter on Asian immigrants was the weakest in the book, and his conclusion was bland. Still, Longres' chapter on Latinos was excellent and the chapter on black immigrants was superb. This book was written before 911 and I can't blame the editor seriously, but still, a chapter on Arab and North African immigrants would have been a welcome addition. I am pleased that I had the opportunity to read this book and I am glad that the editor had the vision to compile it.

Rating:
Summary: Strong book blending social work and immigration
Review: Books on immigration have a serious pitfall and social work books have a serious pitfall. Once you've read one book on immigration in the US, you read them all. They repeat the same stuff (how immigrants of color now are treated like Southern Europeans from a century ago, the Chinese Exclusion Acts, the changes in the law in 1965, etc.). Social work texts get bogged down in internal, lengthy discussions about the worker-client relationship. In Balgopal's book, he connects the dots between American immigration history and politics with social work. For example, Jane Addams and her Hudd House was not just a social work center, but a major resource for aiding immigrants. Further, the authors cite studies that most social workers and immigration activists probably have not laid their hands on. Thus, this book was a crisp policy discussion and not just some "feel-good", non-rigorous text. Balgopal's introduction was excellent; his chapter on Asian immigrants was the weakest in the book, and his conclusion was bland. Still, Longres' chapter on Latinos was excellent and the chapter on black immigrants was superb. This book was written before 911 and I can't blame the editor seriously, but still, a chapter on Arab and North African immigrants would have been a welcome addition. I am pleased that I had the opportunity to read this book and I am glad that the editor had the vision to compile it.