In the mid-fifties it was suddenly discovered that there was a “Puerto Rican problem” in New York. Closer scrutiny shows, however, that many of the components of this “problem” were, to paraphrase the author, decidedly New York problems which had become problems for the Puerto Ricans because they had come to New York. The Puerto Ricans did not create these problems—indecent housing, run-down neighborhoods—rather, their presence highlighted them. The problems of the Puerto Ricans run much deeper.
The main difficulty faced by any migrant group moving into a new, different society is to find a new identity. “In a social setting, group identity normally exists where there is the experience of community. Community is the expression in social interaction of the common values and norms which bind a people together” (p. 26). A strong community plays an important role in creating a stable situation in which the transition from one culture to another may occur; offering a sense of security and order as its members move gradually into acceptance of North American attitudes and patterns of behavior. The main problem facing the Puerto Ricans, then, is to develop a strong sense of identity that will ease their transition to life in the United States.
The elements that helped other migrant groups to maintain a strong sense of community—residential settlement or religious identification, for example—do not seem to be as significant in this case. Culture and cultural background per se, although important, do not seem to be the basis on which the Puerto Ricans will establish their strength. Rather, there has been “a shift in emphasis from culture to power as the basis for community” (p. 181). If the Puerto Ricans can organize effectively to promote their political interests, their achievement of community and identity will be strengthened. “Their militancy about their interests in antipoverty programs, education, public welfare and housing may enable them to develop a sense of identity and community solidarity which they have thus far found it difficult to achieve” (p. 183).
The author covers the problem of the development of this identity discussing, among other things, the Island background, the role of the family, the problem of color, religion and the education system of New York City. Chapters on three special problems—welfare, mental illness and drug abuse—round up the book. This is a very good introduction to the meaning of the Puerto Rican migration to the United States.
