Making lemonade out of lemons : Mexican American labor and leisure in a California town, 1880-1960 / José M. Alamillo.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Alamillo, José M., 1969-

Series:

Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Centennial series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Mexican Americans--California--Corona--History.

Mexican Americans.

Mexican Americans--California--Corona--Social conditions.

Agricultural laborers--California--Corona--History.

Agricultural laborers.

Agricultural laborers--California--Corona--Social conditions.

Social conditions.

History.

Corona (Calif.)--History.

Corona (Calif.).

Corona (Calif.)--Social conditions.

California--Corona.

Physical Description:

xii, 220 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, maps ; 23 cm.

Place of Publication:

Urbana : University of Illinois Press, [2006]

Summary:

Out of the "lemons" handed to Mexican American workers in Corona, California - low pay, segregated schooling, inadequate housing, and racial discrimination - Mexican men and women made "lemonade" by transforming leisure spaces such as pool halls, movie theaters, baseball games, festivals, and churches into politicized spaces where workers voiced their grievances, debated strategies for advancement, and built solidarity. Using oral history interviews, extensive citrus company records, and his own experiences in Corona, Jose Alamillo argues that Mexican Americans helped lay the groundwork for civil rights struggles and electoral campaigns in the post-World War II era.

Contents:

Lemon capital of the world

Red, white, and greening of Corona

Saloons, pool halls, and bootlegging

Churches, movie theaters, and Cinco de Mayo fiestas

Baseball and sports clubs

Labor unionism and the 1941 strike

The struggle for civil rights.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 173-210) and index.

ISBN:

0252030818

0252073258

OCLC:

63660253

Publisher Number:

9780252030819

9780252073250