Douglas Monroy
Rebirth
Mexican Los Angeles from the Great Migration to the Great Depression
$25.95, £14.95 paperback
978-0-520-21333-3
Available Now
331 pages, 6 x 9 inches, 24 b/w illustrations, 1 map
June 1999, Available worldwide
Categories: Latin American Studies; Latino Studies; United States History; Californian & Western History
June 1999, Available worldwide
Categories: Latin American Studies; Latino Studies; United States History; Californian & Western History
Free online edition (eScholarship)--available only to University of California faculty, staff, and students (List of public titles)
"A compelling account of the complex relationship of an immigrant people, the community they construct, and the larger society to which they must relate."—Choice
"In Rebirth [Monroy] offers a beautifully written story that portrays the building of Mexican Los Angeles from around 1900 to the Great Depression. Composed after years of conducting research and mastering existing knowledge on the subject, Monroy displays a deep understanding of the Mexican community. . . . The story is detailed, rich, and engaging. Unlike histories that primarily speak to other scholars or about narrow subjects, this one offers a sweeping view that carries the reader into Los Angeles and beyond via immigration pathways, work and neighborhood life, and the culture of immigrants and first generation youth."—La Tertulia
"A detailed and innovative study of Mexican Los Angeles during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. . . . What [Monroy] does very well. . . is to demonstrate how intertwined the history of California and the U.S. Southwest was, and is, with the history of Mexico. . . . Monroy pays close attenion to the ways in which Mexicans created new lives in 'México de Afuera,' including their long involvement in labor unions and political protest."—Southwestern Mission Research Center
"Monroy's in-depth analysis of Mexican political activism, both influenced by the Mexican Revolution and the American labour movement, adds much needed diversity to typical treatments of such organizations as the Industrial Works of the World and the Congress of Industrial Organizations. Monroy's study is thus of value to immigration, labour and social historians."—Urban History
"Monroy is at his best as a cultural historian, displaying his ability to read events as a text, sometimes juxtaposing one historical moment with another to advance his argument."—H-Net Reviews
"Solidly researched. . . . Monroy's stress on ambiguity and the complexity of the Mexican experience in the United States advances such debates in Chicano historiography."—International Migration Review
"What distinguishes this volume from previous efforts is its focus on the diversity of experiences of the Mexican-origin population on the Los Angeles 'landscape.' . . . Monroy offers fresh insights. . . . Rebirth is an important contribution to the study of Mexican Americans."—California History
"In Rebirth [Monroy] offers a beautifully written story that portrays the building of Mexican Los Angeles from around 1900 to the Great Depression. Composed after years of conducting research and mastering existing knowledge on the subject, Monroy displays a deep understanding of the Mexican community. . . . The story is detailed, rich, and engaging. Unlike histories that primarily speak to other scholars or about narrow subjects, this one offers a sweeping view that carries the reader into Los Angeles and beyond via immigration pathways, work and neighborhood life, and the culture of immigrants and first generation youth."—La Tertulia
"A detailed and innovative study of Mexican Los Angeles during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. . . . What [Monroy] does very well. . . is to demonstrate how intertwined the history of California and the U.S. Southwest was, and is, with the history of Mexico. . . . Monroy pays close attenion to the ways in which Mexicans created new lives in 'México de Afuera,' including their long involvement in labor unions and political protest."—Southwestern Mission Research Center
"Monroy's in-depth analysis of Mexican political activism, both influenced by the Mexican Revolution and the American labour movement, adds much needed diversity to typical treatments of such organizations as the Industrial Works of the World and the Congress of Industrial Organizations. Monroy's study is thus of value to immigration, labour and social historians."—Urban History
"Monroy is at his best as a cultural historian, displaying his ability to read events as a text, sometimes juxtaposing one historical moment with another to advance his argument."—H-Net Reviews
"Solidly researched. . . . Monroy's stress on ambiguity and the complexity of the Mexican experience in the United States advances such debates in Chicano historiography."—International Migration Review
"What distinguishes this volume from previous efforts is its focus on the diversity of experiences of the Mexican-origin population on the Los Angeles 'landscape.' . . . Monroy offers fresh insights. . . . Rebirth is an important contribution to the study of Mexican Americans."—California History
"A detailed, rich, and engaging text on Mexicans in Los Angeles, from the turn of the century, when their presence was virtually unacknowledged, to the 1930s, when Mexican communities created a significant presence in the city. Monroy's book offers a sweeping narrative that carries you into Los Angeles and beyond, through a discussion of immigration pathways, work lives, and the popular culture of the immigrants and the first generation youth."—Lisbeth Haas, author of Conquests and Historical Identities in California, 1769-1936
This sweeping, vibrant narrative chronicles the history of the Mexican community in Los Angeles. Douglas Monroy unravels the dramatic, complex story of Mexican immigration to Los Angeles during the early decades of the twentieth century and shows how Mexican immigrants re-created their lives and their communities. Against the backdrop of this newly created cityscape, Rebirth explores pivotal aspects of Mexican Los Angeles during this time—its history, political economy, popular culture—and depicts the creation of a time and place unique in Californian and American history.
Mexican boxers, movie stars, politicians, workers, parents, and children, American popular culture and schools, and historical fervor on both sides of the border all come alive in this literary, jargon-free chronicle. In addition to the colorful unfolding of the social and cultural life of Mexican Los Angeles, Monroy tells a story of first-generation immigrants that provides important points of comparison for understanding other immigrant groups in the United States.
Monroy shows how the transmigration of space, culture, and reality from Mexico to Los Angeles became neither wholly American nor Mexican, but México de afuera, "Mexico outside," a place where new concerns and new lives emerged from what was both old and familiar. This extremely accessible work uncovers the human stories of a dynamic immigrant population and shows the emergence of a truly transnational history and culture. Rebirth provides an integral piece of Chicano history, as well as an important element of California urban history, with the rich, synthetic portrait it gives of Mexican Los Angeles.
Mexican boxers, movie stars, politicians, workers, parents, and children, American popular culture and schools, and historical fervor on both sides of the border all come alive in this literary, jargon-free chronicle. In addition to the colorful unfolding of the social and cultural life of Mexican Los Angeles, Monroy tells a story of first-generation immigrants that provides important points of comparison for understanding other immigrant groups in the United States.
Monroy shows how the transmigration of space, culture, and reality from Mexico to Los Angeles became neither wholly American nor Mexican, but México de afuera, "Mexico outside," a place where new concerns and new lives emerged from what was both old and familiar. This extremely accessible work uncovers the human stories of a dynamic immigrant population and shows the emergence of a truly transnational history and culture. Rebirth provides an integral piece of Chicano history, as well as an important element of California urban history, with the rich, synthetic portrait it gives of Mexican Los Angeles.
Thrown Among Strangers, by Douglas Monroy