Pushing boundaries

Mexicano communities are some of the oldest, most widespread immigrant communities in the history of the United States. Their resilient nature and their increasing number create an important contemporary case for understanding the relationship between language socialization and bilingualism. The description of Eastside, a Mexicano community in northern California, provides a window into the rich and complex sociolinguistic milieu of such communities.

Pushing Boundaries is a fascinating account that considers language, learning and socialization in the context of real, problematic, and important activities in people's lives. The authors describe ways in which bilingual children and their families actively and innovatively use the linguistic and cultural resources available to them.

We learn that Mexicano parents are responsible and deliberate participants in their children's language socialization; that bilingual school-age children rely on knowledge sources that extend well beyond their immediate neighborhoods; and that children using their skills as cultural and linguistic brokers are an invaluable resource for their families.

Educators, psychologists, public policy advocates, as well as scholars of sociolinguistics and urban studies will find the descriptions of the bilingual child of Eastside insightful and useful.