Gypsies: The Hidden Americans

By Anne Sutherland

Book Overview

The Gypsies portrayed in this book are the Vlax-speaking Rom, the largest group of Gypsies in the United States, numbering 500,000. Not officially recognized as a minority in the U.S. until 1972,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0881332356
• ISBN13: 9780881332353
• Release Date: January 1986
• Publisher: Waveland Pr Inc
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 0.94 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.5" x 0.5" x 5.5"

Customer Reviews

gypsies; the review

This ethnography is detailed and well written, without being too long. If you are really interesrted in learning about the culture of gypsies living in America it is worth a read.

An honest view

If you are seeking an exciting, and completely false, account of the Roma in America(such as the reviewer above apparently is), then this is not the book for you. There are plenty of books that further damage our reputation with the stereotypes of our people. It is refreshing to read a very realistic account. People, like the reviewer above, need to realize that the stereotypes have caused extreme discrimination, all in the name of romanticized entertainment. If it doesn't hurt them, they don't care. As long as they have a good read, however fictional it is. If you are seeking the truth about the Roma, then this book will be a good addition to your collection.

A great ethnographic study of a misunderstood ethnic group.

Due to its nature as an ethnographic study the book will apear as a dry relation of facts. However, the book carries get weight and is used in University Anthropology classes.

A Thorough resource

A previous comment expressed dissapointment in this book, due to it's scholarly (and thus dry) content. To those looking for excitement and romance about this "fascinating subject," there are countless books out there, weaving tales of unsubstantiated and perpetuated misinformation for the sake of romance. Indeed, someone who wants to find accurate, thorough material on the Rom (especially in the US) with atleast a modicum of objectivity, is probably frustrated by the plentitude of such romantic Gypsy books. Sutherland's book, which has been called "techno-babble," is in fact what serious researchers would call an "ethnography"-- an amazing modern invention (however dry), that if it existed years ago, so much romantic crap about the Rom wouldn't have been accepted in print and thus Gypsies everywhere would probably be less oppressed by other's damaging notions. There are too few real ethnographies on the Rom in the English language, and anyone interested in learning about the Rom population in the US will probably begin their research with this book. It's also important to note that (as the necessity of any ethnography that desires to be somewhat thorough) only a specific group is dealt with in the book, and generalizations about all Rom in the US would be difficult.