This new and very important collection of essays reinterprets and updates the histo-ry of New York's Puerto Rican community and its leaders from
the beginnings of the great migration in the 1940s to the present time. The collection also honors the mem-ory of the late Dr. Antonia Pantoja, who was perhaps the community's most impor-tant and influential activist and institution builder during this period.


The book is organized in chronological order and includes chapters by noted his-torians, sociologists, and political scientists, such as Virginia Snchez Korrol, Ana Celia Zentella, Jos Cruz, Francisco Rivera Batiz, and Gabriel Haslip-Viera. These chapters focus on issues of culture, demography, language, economic status, politics, and community organization. The volume ends with essays by Angelo Falcn and Clara E. Rodrguez that assess the legacy, current status, and future prospects of the Puerto Rican community in New York.