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Journal of Asian American Studies 4.1 (2001) 88-90



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Book Review

The Filipino Americans


The Filipino Americans. By Barbara M. Posadas. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1999.

It is estimated that Filipino Americans are currently the largest Asian American group in the United States. Despite this, books and articles that center on the Filipino American community are still relatively sparse. In the past few years, though, this trend has been steadily changing. It appears that scholars and/or activists have effectively made the case that the once "forgotten Asian Americans" can no longer be forgotten. In addition to classic historical accounts by authors such as Carlos Bulosan and Bienvenido N. Santos, more recent works have examined a variety of topics such as: the daily lives of newer Filipino immigrants, 1 the formation of community, 2 and the Filipino diaspora. 3

The Filipino Americans is part of The New Americans series on post-1965 immigrants in the United States. Since these books are intended to be read by high school students and a general audience, all authors have written general overviews of each immigrant community, thus concentrating heavily on four areas: a brief history of the homeland, culture, reasons for immigration, and adjustment to the United States. Barbara Posadas, a leading Filipino American historian, does a wonderful job in providing a succinct, yet incredibly thorough description of the Filipino American community. The book is divided into three main parts: history, demographics, and current issues.

In part 1, the author provides a succinct description of the various regions, cultures, and languages spoken in the Philippines. In addition, she gives a brief history of the political and economic climate in the Philippines, focusing particularly on its "special relationship" with the United States. This sets up her discussion of Filipino immigration to the United States. In Chapters 2 and 3, Posadas documents the three major waves of Filipino immigration. She explains in great detail the effect of various immigration laws (particularly those that were enacted as a result of the civil rights movement) on Filipino communities in the United States. The strength of this section is that Posadas supplements immigration statistics and her discussion of these laws with vignettes from her [End Page 88] interview data as well as archival documents from the Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS). These snippets effectively provide the old-timers and recent immigrants with a voice.

Part 2 focuses primarily on the non-linear, transformative acculturation process of Filipinos in the United States. In chapters 4 and 5, Posadas describes the various methods by which first-generation immigrants maintain Filipino cultural values and practices and pass it onto second-generation Filipino Americans. Through her vivid descriptions of Filipino American social gatherings and community organizations, the author shows the reader how cultural values and customs are modified and passed on through the generations. As in the section on immigration, she provides the readers with pictorials and excerpts from interview data to supplement her analysis of Filipino American community formation. At the end of this section, through a thorough examination of household income, education levels, and the success of political organizations, Posadas describes the growing economic and political power of the Filipino American community. This sets up the next section, which focuses heavily on current political issues that affect the Filipino American community as a whole.

In part 3, she focuses primarily on 1.5 or later generation Filipino Americans. Through an analysis of household income and educational levels, as well as the high expectations Filipino Americans' families hold for their children, Posadas documents the pressure that many Filipino American children face to achieve the American dream. In addition, the author also documents the effects of current immigration law and civil rights initiatives on the Filipino American community as a whole. As in the rest of the book, recent historical events and laws are juxtaposed with vignettes that powerfully illustrate the effects of these issues on the community. At the end, Posadas describes the transnational connections among Filipinos in the diaspora. As in other works on Filipinos in the United States, she...

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