Christian Zlolniski

"... There are a lot of stereotypes and generalizations made about Mexican immigrants coming into the United States - Janitors, Street Vendors, and Activists is an excellent book because it gives a look into what some of their experience is actually like, and of course many of the things people think of are way off mark. I am sure that just like with any group of people, there are some Mexican immigrants who will be lazy or stupid. But those two words also describe a large number of US citizens, so I'm not really sure how "lazy" came to be associated with the immigrants from Mexico. After reading this book, I was even more confused on that point, because the people whose stories were featured work harder than most people I know - certainly they work harder than I do! They struggle to make ends meet (and make do when they cannot make ends meet). They put up with a lot while at work - things that any of us would be going to Human Resources to file a complaint about. Many immigrants were trained professionals in Mexico, but cannot find jobs in their fields in the United States because their credentials aren't recognized - so they take work in lower-wage jobs that we tend to look down on in a way (fast food, janitorial services, street vending, etc.). ..."

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