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karatedrummer's review against another edition
5.0
Essential reading for those wanting to better understand the immigrant experience and the history of Latin-American emigration. The author draws upon multiple first-hand accounts (including his own) and troves of research (including his own) to create an enlightening and surprisingly clear narrative. Could not recommend this more.
yetanothersusan's review against another edition
4.0
North Americans (just Americans, not Canadians) have done a continued disservice to the Hispanic populations. Continued abuse through government programs, corporate influence, and policies have stripped Central American countries of stability. Then we complain when their citizens want to head north. A terrific read about history that most of us don't know a thing about, but should.
boredacademic's review against another edition
4.0
I added Harvest of Empire to my physical book shelf awhile back. Several friends recommended this to me over the years, and I scored a lightly used copy from a local used bookstore soon after their recommendation. I knew the importance of this work in history courses about Latin America, but I could not find inspiration to read this until immigration and immigration reform became the issue it is currently. Only then was I able to find the motivation to delve into the book. (What can I say, I’m honest.) I regret that it took me this long to do so.
Harvest of Empire covers the history of Latino countries as they relate to the United States: Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Cuba, Honduras, and El Salvador. What I anticipated for this book, and part of the reason I failed to find reading motivation earlier, was a more simple documentation of which groups came when, why, and what they brought to the country. I was expecting more of a cultural history of these countries, encouraging us to recognize and embrace the influence of Latinos on our food, music, movies, etc. What I was not expecting was such a deep and thorough explanation of the political history that brought these immigrants to the United States.
Gonzalez’s thesis is that the current (and by current, he is talking pre-9/11, but just as current today) immigration crisis we face in the United States, in terms of Latin American immigrants, is the fault of the United States trade and foreign policies; policies that effectively destroyed the economies of multiple countries in Central and South America and forced the people to immigrate to seek work and a liveable wage. Gonzalez traces the history of the United States’ actions in each of the 7 Central and Latin American countries showing exactly how American greed–for more land, for cheaper labor, for their own increased bottom line–led to the political actions that put the natives of each country in such dire straits that they fled to the United States. Gonzalez does not overlook United States policies that encouraged migration from certain countries and later policy that attempted to cease immigration from some countries.
I grew up in the United States, so I grew up with the whitewashed version of history we are taught in school (or were taught in the late 1990s, though I doubt it’s changed much since). There was so much I did not know before reading Harvest of Empire, and so much I wish I knew well before now. Gonzalez is detailed in his sources as well, so a reader can trace any statement he makes to support this thesis.
Harvest of Empire covers the history of Latino countries as they relate to the United States: Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Cuba, Honduras, and El Salvador. What I anticipated for this book, and part of the reason I failed to find reading motivation earlier, was a more simple documentation of which groups came when, why, and what they brought to the country. I was expecting more of a cultural history of these countries, encouraging us to recognize and embrace the influence of Latinos on our food, music, movies, etc. What I was not expecting was such a deep and thorough explanation of the political history that brought these immigrants to the United States.
Gonzalez’s thesis is that the current (and by current, he is talking pre-9/11, but just as current today) immigration crisis we face in the United States, in terms of Latin American immigrants, is the fault of the United States trade and foreign policies; policies that effectively destroyed the economies of multiple countries in Central and South America and forced the people to immigrate to seek work and a liveable wage. Gonzalez traces the history of the United States’ actions in each of the 7 Central and Latin American countries showing exactly how American greed–for more land, for cheaper labor, for their own increased bottom line–led to the political actions that put the natives of each country in such dire straits that they fled to the United States. Gonzalez does not overlook United States policies that encouraged migration from certain countries and later policy that attempted to cease immigration from some countries.
I grew up in the United States, so I grew up with the whitewashed version of history we are taught in school (or were taught in the late 1990s, though I doubt it’s changed much since). There was so much I did not know before reading Harvest of Empire, and so much I wish I knew well before now. Gonzalez is detailed in his sources as well, so a reader can trace any statement he makes to support this thesis.
salamymommy's review against another edition
5.0
The most enlightening and accessible literature on Latinos in America. I genuinely enjoyed Gonzalez's writing and the personal stories were illuminating. I recommend this to anyone seeking to learn about their own heritage or the history of the country they're currently in.
daisyb33's review
informative
slow-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Violence, Slavery, and Colonisation
avidreaderandgeekgirl's review against another edition
4.0
Very informative book, yet interesting, even though it was used as a textbook it was not dry!
tora76's review against another edition
5.0
This book is almost twenty years old and thus obviously a lot has happened since then, but it's still an excellent resource.
emryal's review against another edition
4.0
https://emryal.wordpress.com/2016/10/31/harvest-of-empire-a-history-of-latinos-in-america/
bibliostatic's review
5.0
If you ever want to know why the US and US policy is hated in other countries, read this.
jone_d's review
4.0
This book feels very dated. (It came out before 9/11, before the giant immigrant rights mobilizations in in '06.) But I still found it really informative. A couple of highlights: I really liked the way Gonzalez, maybe because of his journalist background, choose the story of a family from each group of Latino immigrants he wrote a chapter about to build that chapter around. In my classroom I have a child who was born in the Dominican Republic, another who was born in El Salvador, and a child who was born in Puerto Rico; I really appreciated that Gonzalez took the time and space to layout the different specifics about the relationships of these these place and the US and the different contexts into which folks from these places immigrated/migrated. Although it was short I really found the section on language and 'cultural integration,' which included information about German immigration to the US, interesting and informative. And of course the whole premise of the book: that US intervention/empire building in Latin America shapes Latino immigration to America is not just a logical but also a powerful analysis.
One thing I found disappointing was how "apolitical" the book was, or maybe more correctly how absent the language of anti-capitalism and anti-imperialism was from an author who was part of the Young Lords. But it is not hard to draw ones own political conclusions from this book.
One thing I found disappointing was how "apolitical" the book was, or maybe more correctly how absent the language of anti-capitalism and anti-imperialism was from an author who was part of the Young Lords. But it is not hard to draw ones own political conclusions from this book.