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Compelling stories and striking photographs illustrate the challenges and highlights of Latino/a life in Portland, Maine.
Latinos-those born in the United States as well as those who immigrated later in life-are not only transforming the country and cities, they are also transforming themselves in a difficult process of community making. This book tells the story of how a diverse group of immigrants have adapted to dramatic changes in the largely Anglo setting of Portland, Maine, building bridges instead of walls. The Latino storytellers included here address multiple challenges of discrimination, language barriers, cultural retention and adaptation, and speak of their strengths-strong family ties, a connection to the environment, and an expanding sense of home-to illustrate how they have emerged not only with hopes and dreams intact, but also with a resilience built upon fluid and flexible identities.
"The personal tone of the narratives and the compelling, engaging stories are a strong complement to scholarship about Latinos in the United States." — Daniel D. Arreola, author of Tejano South Texas: A Mexican American Cultural Province
List of Illustrations
Foreword
Elsa Nuñez
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Situating Latino Voices in a New England Community
David Carey Jr.
1. It's About Dream Building
Blanca Santiago
2. I Wanted to Free Myself
Adrian Bravo Chávez
3. We're Very United, All the Latinos
Ana Manza and Eliseo Brea
4. Swimming in a Different Ocean
Laura Ochoa
5. It's About Community Building
John Connors
6. Answering the Call
The Reverend Virginia Marie Rincón
7. So Our Children Do Not Have to Suffer Like We Did
Hernán and Marta
8. My Life Has Always Included Change
Victoria Chicón
9. Roots Are Important
Juan González
10. You Don't Know What I Had to Go Through
Lourdes Carpenter
11. Everything Has Its Good Sides and Its Bad
Iván Cantor
12. You've Got to Practice It
Olga Alicea
Conclusion: Toward a Fluid Latino Identity
Robert Atkinson
Appendix: English and Spanish Questions
Index