Synopses & Reviews
Why arent Hispanics succeeding like Asians, Jews, and other immigrant groups in America? Herman Badillo's answer is as politically incorrect as the question: Hispanics simply dont put the same emphasis on education as other immigrant groups.
As the nations first Puerto Ricanborn U.S. congressman, the trailblazing Badillo once supported bilingual education and other government programs he thought would help the Hispanic community. But he came to see that the real path to prosperity, political unity, and the American mainstream is self-reliance, not big government. Now Badillo is a champion of one standard of achievement for all races and ethnicities.
In this surprising and controversial manifesto, you will learn:
- Why Hispanic cultures trouble with education, democracy, and economics stems from Mother Spain and the five-hundred year siesta” she induced in Latin America.
- Why the Congressman who drafted the first Spanish-English bilingual education legislation now believes that bilingual education hurts students more than it helps.
- Why social promotion” putting minority students self-esteem ahead of their academic performance and then admitting them to college unprepared continues to this day, despite the systems documented failures and injustices.
- How self-identifying as Hispanic” or white” or black” undermines achievement, and what lessons we can learn from Latin American countries, where ones race is irrelevant.
With Central and Latin America exporting a large portion of their poor, Hispanics are on the way to becoming a majority in the United States... but one with all the problems of a minority culture.
Badillos solution to this problem relies on traditional values: hard work, education, and achievement. His lessons are important not only for Hispanics but for every American.
Review
Herman Badillo is a true leader who doesnt flinch from expressing difficult truths. His own amazing story provides inspiration and the moral authority that allows him to advocate hard choices for American Hispanics. (Linda Chavez, author of Out of the Barrio)
Review
He provides nourishment for intelligent people who call themselves liberals and equally intelligent people who call themselves conservatives. I call him brilliant. (Mario Cuomo, former governor of New York)
Review
The greatest lesson of Herman Badillos story is that the genius of American lifethe upward ladder of opportunity that American freedom at its best providesis better at solving most any problem than any government program. (Rudolph W. Giuliani, former mayor of New York City)
Review
Hermans recollections on a host of important national issues, described and discussed in One Nation, One Standard, are fascinating. It is a wonderful read. (Edward I. Koch, former mayor of New York City)
Synopsis
An ex-liberal Hispanic statesman cites the challenges posed by legal and illegal immigration in America today, challenging popular myths about the government's readiness to provide basic needs while urging the Hispanic community to embrace self-reliance, assimilation, and high standards.
About the Author
Herman Badillo was the nation's first Puerto Ricanborn congressman. He also served as the borough president of the Bronx, deputy mayor of New York City, and chairman of the board of the City University of New York. Currently he is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute.