Legacies: The Story of the Immigrant Second Generation

by Alejandro Portes, Prof. Rubén G. Rumbaut

One out of five Americans, more than 55 million people, are first-or second-generation immigrants. This landmark study, the most comprehensive to date, probes all aspects of the new immigrant second generation's lives, exploring their immense potential to transform American society for better or worse.

Whether this new generation reinvigorates the nation or deepens its social problems depends on the social and economic trajectories of this still young population. In Legacies, Alejandro Portes and Rubén G. Rumbaut—two of the leading figures in the field—provide a close look at this rising second generation, including their patterns of acculturation, family and school life, language, identity, experiences of discrimination, self-esteem, ambition, and achievement.

Based on the largest research study of its kind, Legacies combines vivid vignettes with a wealth of survey and school data. Accessible, engaging, and indispensable for any consideration of the changing face of American society, this book presents a wide range of real-life stories of immigrant families—from Mexico, Cuba, Nicaragua, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Trinidad, the Philippines, China, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam—now living in Miami and San Diego, two of the areas most heavily affected by the new immigration.

The authors explore the world of second-generation youth, looking at patterns of parent-child conflict and cohesion within immigrant families, the role of peer groups and school subcultures, the factors that affect the children's academic achievement, and much more.

A companion volume to Legacies, entitled Ethnicities: Children of Immigrants in America, was published by California in Fall 2001. Edited by the authors of Legacies, this book will bring together some of the country's leading scholars of immigration and ethnicity to provide a close look at this rising second generation.

A co-publication with the Russell Sage Foundation.

Genres: Sociology, Nonfiction, Education

406 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2001

Reviews

[David Burns · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting study on 2.0 (second) generation immigrant identity around the world. Useful for my research proposal which will focus on the experiences of 2.0-generation Brazilians in New Orleans.

Read in Mayaguez and Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico (Oct-Dec 2025)

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finally finished reading this book, which was required reading for a grad teaching-of-ESL course. The topic is fascinating because the whole book deals with second generation immigrants -- and I'm one of them! It mostly focuses on Hispanic and Asian immigrants and shys away from talking about European immigrants since they are coming in relatively small numbers and generally have an easier time assimilating, at least racially. The book tackles all kinds of interesting topics that all go back to education and academic success of these second generation immigrants.

I liked that the book opens with a chapter that tells you 12 different stories that really sort of illustrate the various reasons for why people come to the U.S. and then talks about how vastly different life can be once they are here. Some people are successful academically, others are not. Some people work hard and move to good neighborhoods, others are stuck living in dangerous, crime-ridden ghettos with little opportunity. It's fascinating because I think the book really transcends stereotypes to try to use data to figure out why the outcomes and motivations of immigrants from different cultures are so very different. What will make a child care about getting good grades and what will drive a child from the same culture to give up on education and join a gang? The book addresses some frightening realities, too. For example, the research shows that Haitian immigrants and Mexican immigrants both feel that even if they earn a college degree, they will still be discriminated against. This is a scary but interesting thing that we, as educators, need to think about.

I learned a lot from this research and what it means to me as a teacher in an urban public school system. I can't say the book is always a riveting page-turner and there were sections that I skimmed but generally I was pretty interested in what I was reading. I thought the study was well done and the conclusion were very relevant, even now, 10 years later.

[Sadie Forsythe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Legacies tackles a notoriously slippery and difficult subject, and it does so admirably. As a social researcher looking at social identity, Legacies was repeatedly recommend to me (always with high praise, and often accompanied by an and exclamation mark). I lost track of the number of times I heard, "Oh have you read Legacies yet? You really have to." I am familiar with the work of both Portes and Rumbolt, and they maintained their high standards throughout this text. Legacies is not always easy to read, mind you. It can be dry at times, as any book covering quantitative data tends to be. But the character profiles in the early chapters helps to soften the tendency significantly. While not wholly without criticism, the research methods are sound and the sample size significant. I too would recommend it to readers interested in the changing dynamic of the American population. It challenges some firmly held dogmas, and sadly highlights some of the social ills we all wish would be found to be untrue.

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not love this book. Yes, good points were raised and immense amounts of data were collected. But some of the points were awkwardly shoved into the framework they were trying to prove and a sprinkling of important facts that were treated as side notes didn't help the readability.

[Windy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dry as hell, but I can't deny it's a good foundation.