Author: Nancy Foner

The impact of immigrants over the past half century has become so much a part of everyday life in the US that we sometimes fail to see it. 

This deeply researched book by one of America’s leading immigration scholars tells the story of how immigrants are fundamentally changing this country.

An astonishing number of immigrants and their children — nearly 86 million people —now live in the US. 

Together, they have transformed the American experience in profound and far-reaching ways that go to the heart of the country’s identity and institutions.

“One Quarter of the Nation” traces how immigration has reconfigured America’s racial order — and, importantly, how Americans perceive race — and played a pivotal role in reshaping electoral politics and party alignments. 

It  examines how they have strengthened the economy, fueling the growth of old industries and spurring the formation of new ones.