Mi Voz, Mi Vida (PDF)

Amid the flurry of debates about immigration, poverty, and education in the United States, the stories in Mi Voz, Mi Vida allow us to reflect on how young people who might be most affected by the results of these debates actually navigate through American society.

The fifteen Latino college students who tell their stories in this book come from a variety of socioeconomic, regional, and family backgrounds-they are young men and women of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Dominican, Central American, and South American descent. Their insights are both balanced and frank, blending personal, anecdotal, political, and cultural viewpoints. Their engaging stories detail the students' personal struggles with issues such as identity and biculturalism, family dynamics, religion, poverty, stereotypes, and the value of education.

Throughout, they provide insights into issues of racial identity in contemporary America among a minority population that is very much in the news. This book gives educators, students, and their families a clear view of the experience of Latino students adapting to a challenging educational environment and a cultural context-Dartmouth College-often very different from their childhood ones.

Andrew Garrod is Professor Emeritus of Education at Dartmouth College. He is coeditor of I Am Where I Come Frome: Native American College Students and Graduates Tell Their Life Stories; Growing Up Muslim: Muslim College Students in America Tell Their Life Stories, First Person, First Peoples: Native American College Graduates Tell Their Life Stories, Balancing Two Worlds: Asian American College Students Tell Their Life Stories, Mi Voz, Mi Vida: Latino College Students Tell Their Life Stories, and Mixed: Multiracial College Students Tell Their Life Stories, all from Cornell.KilkennyRobert:

Robert Kilkenny is Executive Director of the Alliance for Inclusion and Prevention. He is coeditor of I Am Where I Come From; Mixed; Mi Voz, Mi Vida; and Balancing Two Worlds, all from Cornell.GomezChristina:

Christina Gómez is Professor of Sociology at Northeastern Illinois University. She is coeditor of Mi Voz, Mi Vida.