Immokalee's Fields of Hope | Carlene A Thissen

Immokalee's Fields of Hope | Carlene A Thissen | A wonderful journey

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Immokalee's Fields...

	Immokalee's Fields of Hope Carlene A Thissen iUniverse Star, 2004 - 296 pages average customer review:based on 5 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Immokalee s Fields of Hope is a story of Mexican, Haitian, and Guatemalan immigrants, told by an ex-hippie turned businesswoman who regained her soul through volunteering with children. With compassion and understanding, the author leads the reader through the personal stories the immigrants told her, framed with the political and social histories of their countries. Beginning with family memories of her own German and Irish grandparents, she captures the struggles, hopes, and dreams of people who just want to work and make a better life. The book gives the reader s imagination the opportunity to stretch out and truly visualize the plights of the people being described and their motivation for coming here. They left horrible poverty, violence, and persecution and risked everything they had to come to Southwest Florida as word spread across our borders: There is work in Immokalee. More than just the vivid story of the immigrants, this book also explains the frustrations and fears of the rural community that struggled to absorb them and the dedicated people who came to help. The immigrants dreams of a better life and the author s own journey back to the garden all began in Immokalee s Fields of Hope.

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Understanding Immigration

This book was a real eye-opener for me. I had many of the same questions that the author presented at the beginning of the book: Who are these people? Why do they come here? Why do they send money home? Do they just come to take and not give anything? Before reading the book I had no answers to these questions. I realize that attitudes I had towards our newest immigrants was based on ignorance. This is a story of Latin American immigrants and their move to a special place in southern Florida. This place, Imokalee, is special because there always seems to be work there - work that no one else wants to do. The author presents these immigrants as real people with real needs and struggles. They are looking for work and a better life. They have endured hardships and will endure much more for a chance at a better life. I like the way she calls them the "last heres". She reminds us that we were all "last heres" at one time and all looking for a better life for our families. I came away from this book understanding that these people need and deserve our help and support. All Americans should read this book.

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A wonderful journey

> It was more than just a book about immigration. We are receiving life lessons; lessons against bigotry, lessons for charity, and in sociology.
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> Of course it touches on necessary ways we have to look at our fellow man's struggles to have a better life. We need to be willing to take a closer look at the illegal immigrant, and be willing to welcome these people that want to work in a country we take for granted. We need to learn acceptance of those that are different from us--financially, culturally--in many ways.
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> The author is shaking us into the reality of how good we've got it in the United States. And that it's essential to be willing to share what we are blessed with here. We take a lot for granted in this exceptional, abundant country of ours, and we need to look at what we've got and give back--whether it's our time or our money--to the people that need our help. It's not necessarily charity--it's our obligation as human beings.
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> I feel Carlene Thissen's book touches us in many ways, individually and as a country. We need to wake up. We need to be grateful for what we've got and we need to be willing to be more loving rather than judgmental, of our fellow human beings struggling to just have a decent life.
> As a layperson, I truly enjoyed Immokalee's Fields of Hope. It was interesting and thoughtful. I would not only recommend it to friends, but to teachers in schools. I believe this could be a very good tool for social studies.

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Great book!

"Immokalee's Fields of Hope" puts a human face to the plight of immigrant field workers. It is deserving of being read by anyone interested in the inner-workings of America's immigration policies. But it's not just a political book. There is
considerable background and history included in the text, as well. The author is passionate about the subhect and the entire manuscript has been well thought out and skillfully executed.

Human side of immigration

This book shows the human side of immigration issues, with the histories of real people who came from Mexico, Haiti and Guatemala. Why? Because there was work here. It is also the history of Immokalee and how agriculture expanded in the 1960s and 1970s due to Castro's takeover of Cuba. And it includes a look at Father Richard Sanders, Immokalee's own saint. It's a great book that everyone should read.

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Loved this book!

I really enjoyed this book. It is rare to find a book that educates and enlightens at the same time as it entertains and touches the soul. It's not a history book, but you will learn the histories of several peoples and places. It's not a book about racism, but you will be saddened by the stories of how our society has treated immigrants and people of color. People who only want to make a better life for themselves and their families. At the same time you see hope for our society in the town of Immokalee and how it has embraced all of the histories and cultures make up it's people.

The book is written in a very warm, friendly and personal style that is instantly engaging and touchingly honest. As I read this book, I didn't want to put it down. I wanted to hear more about the children at Guadalupe Family Center, and the church in Immokalee that says Mass in three languages. I wanted to understand the circumstances that drive people in Mexico, Haiti and Guatemala to risk everything to get to the United States, to try to live the life that I take for granted everyday. I wanted to hear all of the stories of these people.

I also enjoyed the author's history and perspective weaved into the fabric of the book. I found I could relate to the author's struggle to find meaning her life - to know that someone slept easier at night because she exists.

Sometimes, in my anticipation I would just open the book to the middle and begin reading ahead - and I would find myself torn - I didn't want to stop, but I also didn't want to miss anything I had skipped past. And whenever I had to put the book down, I felt as if I were reluctantly ending a very enjoyable conversation with a good friend.

If you want to learn more about Mexican, Guatemalan and Haitian cultures, if you want to understand where they came from and if you want to read something that will gently challenge you to examine your own life, you will enjoy this book.

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