Harvest of Empire: A History of Latinos in America

The author uses personal stories (especially in the “Branches” section) to highlight the different immigration stories of people from different countries. Choose two representatives from different countries, comparing and contrasting their journeys to the United States as well as their adjustments to living in the United States.

The author makes himself a character in his book, using his own experiences to highlight the Puerto Rican immigrant experience. He does not attempt to hide his opinions behind a detached point of view. Does this result in biased reporting or is the author still able to remain credible?

This book was originally published in 2000 and revised in 2011. Which parts of the book are especially relevant today? Have any parts of the book become dated, or lost their relevance?

Many immigrant groups made their way to New York City. Why were so many drawn to New York? Focus on at least two immigrant groups that immigrated to New York, comparing and contrasting their experiences.

The author presents overwhelming evidence detailing the United States' history of empire building. Pick a country from Harvest of Empire and create a timeline of US intervention in that country, using both Harvest of Empire and outside research.

The author advocates for bilingual education in US schools. He advocates the “‘transitional’ bilingual mode, which instructs in the native language for a limited amount of time—two to four years—while the child masters English, or the dual language model, where all students receive instruction in two languages” (247). Do you think US education should be bilingual? Why or why not?

Research one dictator mentioned in Harvest of Empire, and using both Harvest of Empire and outside research, show how that dictator’s actions fostered immigration to the United States.

Many civil rights groups are discussed in the “Branches” section of the book, such as LULAC, the oldest Hispanic civil rights group, and the Young Lords, a Puerto Rican civil rights group that the author helped to found. Research one of the groups discussed in the book, and find out what issues that group is advocating today.