From South Texas to the Nation

“This is an absolutely terrific work that is clearly written, thoroughly researched, and sweeping in its chronological scope. The story Weber tells will be relevant to contemporary debates about the nature of immigration and low-wage labor markets. From South Texas to the Nation will surely join a growing list of books that move these issues from the fringes to the center of our understanding of the evolution of race and labor relations in the Southwest.” — Alex Lichtenstein, Indiana University

“John Weber masterfully situates the state as a tool supporting agricultural businesses and social domination by Anglo elites in South Texas. This book provides innovative insights to American labor history and our understanding of the modern state.” — Raúl A. Ramos, University of Houston

“Texas finally finds its Victor Hugo and John Steinbeck — in the halls of the academy.” — Texas Monthly

“Contributes to understanding the histories of labor and racial relations in Texas, the Mexican American world, and the US.” — CHOICE

“Turns a penetrating historical eye on the cultural heritage of South Texas.” — Austin American-Statesman

“Unquestionably deserves a wide readership. . . . Weber’s analysis [is] useful and perhaps indispensable.” — Texas Books in Review

“To understand, from a historical perspective, why comprehensive immigration reform is a dishonest possibility, From South Texas to the Nation is a must read.” — Western Historical Quarterly

“[An] innovative and much-needed examination of south Texas norms. . . . Essential reading for anyone interested in the study of work and workers in the United States, guest worker programs, Chicano history, immigrant and Mexican American rights, and the study of Mexican American culture in the borderlands.”—Journal of American History

“An approachable and chronologically ambitious book about the exploitation of Mexican labor in the United States from the late nineteenth century to the present.” — Southwestern Historical Quarterly