No comments about Tito Puente (The Great Hispanic Heritage).

5 comments about Immokalee's Fields of Hope.

1. I really enjoyed this book. It is rare to find a book that educates and enlightens at the same time as it entertains and touches the soul. It's not a history book, but you will learn the histories of several peoples and places. It's not a book about racism, but you will be saddened by the stories of how our society has treated immigrants and people of color. People who only want to make a better life for themselves and their families. At the same time you see hope for our society in the town of Immokalee and how it has embraced all of the histories and cultures make up it's people.

   The book is written in a very warm, friendly and personal style that is instantly engaging and touchingly honest. As I read this book, I didn't want to put it down. I wanted to hear more about the children at Guadalupe Family Center, and the church in Immokalee that says Mass in three languages. I wanted to understand the circumstances that drive people in Mexico, Haiti and Guatemala to risk everything to get to the United States, to try to live the life that I take for granted everyday. I wanted to hear all of the stories of these people.

   I also enjoyed the author's history and perspective weaved into the fabric of the book. I found I could relate to the author's struggle to find meaning her life - to know that someone slept easier at night because she exists.

   Sometimes, in my anticipation I would just open the book to the middle and begin reading ahead - and I would find myself torn - I didn't want to stop, but I also didn't want to miss anything I had skipped past. And whenever I had to put the book down, I felt as if I were reluctantly ending a very enjoyable conversation with a good friend.

   If you want to learn more about Mexican, Guatemalan and Haitian cultures, if you want to understand where they came from and if you want to read something that will gently challenge you to examine your own life, you will enjoy this book.




2. > It was more than just a book about immigration. We are receiving life lessons; lessons against bigotry, lessons for charity, and in sociology.
   >
   > Of course it touches on necessary ways we have to look at our fellow man's struggles to have a better life. We need to be willing to take a closer look at the illegal immigrant, and be willing to welcome these people that want to work in a country we take for granted. We need to learn acceptance of those that are different from us--financially, culturally--in many ways.
   >
   > The author is shaking us into the reality of how good we've got it in the United States. And that it's essential to be willing to share what we are blessed with here. We take a lot for granted in this exceptional, abundant country of ours, and we need to look at what we've got and give back--whether it's our time or our money--to the people that need our help. It's not necessarily charity--it's our obligation as human beings.
   >
   > I feel Carlene Thissen's book touches us in many ways, individually and as a country. We need to wake up. We need to be grateful for what we've got and we need to be willing to be more loving rather than judgmental, of our fellow human beings struggling to just have a decent life.
   > As a layperson, I truly enjoyed Immokalee's Fields of Hope. It was interesting and thoughtful. I would not only recommend it to friends, but to teachers in schools. I believe this could be a very good tool for social studies.



3. This book shows the human side of immigration issues, with the histories of real people who came from Mexico, Haiti and Guatemala. Why? Because there was work here. It is also the history of Immokalee and how agriculture expanded in the 1960s and 1970s due to Castro's takeover of Cuba. And it includes a look at Father Richard Sanders, Immokalee's own saint. It's a great book that everyone should read.



4. Of the many books about the development of Southwest Florida, Fields of Hope is one of the most enlightening and interesting. As a child growing up in nearby Naples, Immokalee was always that place we only went to for fresh vegetables at the Farmer's Market. When I became an adult and chose my profession and volunteer activities, Immokalee became a much different place to me, with a wonderfully warm population of mixed cultures and colors. This book is a beautiful representation of Immokalee and richly explains how Immokalee came to be.



5. This is a wonderful and moving account of the lives of recent immigrants to SW Florida. Not educated Europeans like me but the poorest of the poor, mainly from Haiti, Guatemala and Mexico.
   The book recounts the personal stories of many of the immigrants but also gives a historical and political background on the countries these people immigrated from. It is never a dull history book; it written fluently and provides context and perspective. It also shows how Florida's agribusiness can only exist through these workers.
   
   I live in Naples, less than 1 hour away from Immokalee, yet almost on a different planet. This book is an absolute eye-opener, it brings the human aspect into immigration and shows that much more compassion is needed. A must read for anyone interested in Florida.

No comments about The Hispanic American Biography Reference Library/With Cumulative Index.

No comments about Black Writers and the Hispanic Canon (Twayne's World Authors Series).

No comments about Fidel Castro (Twentieth Century's Most Influential Hispanics).

1 comments about Latin Sensations (Biography (a & E)).

1. This is one of the greatest books I haved ever read for a very long time. I recomend this book to people who don't understand the latin community. This book explores the lifes of many latin artist who's life you don't know; this book goes on to talk about artists who's lifes where cut short like Selena's.

No comments about Cameron Diaz (Latinos in the Limelight).

No comments about Here walks my enemy: The story of Luis.

No comments about UXL Hispanic American Reference Library Cumulative Index Edition 2..

No comments about National directory of Latin Americanists;: Biographies of 2,695 specialists in the social sciences & humanities (Hispanic Foundation bibliographical series).