Postville U.S.A.

By Aaron Goldsmith, Mark Grey, Michele Devlin

Book Overview

Postville is an obscure meatpacking town in the northeast corner of Iowa. Here, in the most unlikely of places, unparalleled diversity drew international media. Now people declare the town's... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1934848646
• ISBN13: 9781934848647
• Release Date: September 2009
• Publisher: GemmaMedia
• Length: 200 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.1" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Valuable but flawed

The greatest strength of this book is its subject. The town of Postville, Iowa, endured an immigration raid on May 12, 2008 that shut down its largest employer. It was widely discussed at the time. Here we have some non-superficial coverage from three authors who were there. I liked the parts that covered the ICE's preparation for the big raid, the activities of local charities as they fed and housed people afterwards, Agriprocessors efforts to keep operating, media coverage of Postville both before and after the raid, and the description of the diversity industry. There were lots of interesting details along the way. For example, many of the illegals arrested were from Guatemala. Guatemalans in Iowa! I dearly wish there had been an editor. The story spills out in a disorganized way, jumping ahead, jumping around -- so much to say, no time to say it. And unlike that other book (Postville: A Clash of Cultures in Heartland America), a good read before you tackle this one, Postville U.S.A. suffers from awkward, clumsy prose, the kind of thing a good editor would polish away. The other annoyance is the authors tendency to preach. The "[Nine] Lessons Learned Surviving Diversity" chapter is the most outrageous. One gets the feeling they would love to see thousands marching down a street behind a banner that reads "All Hail the Nine Lessons!". The Capitalists among you will smile as you read they'd like the continued presence of cheap foreign labor in America. The fans of Labor, higher minimum wages etc., will be scowling. Five stars for a great topic, minus one for preaching, minus half a star for lack of editing, rounded up to four because I'm feeling generous today.

Heartfelt Evaluation of Social & Economic Impact of US Immigration Policy

The ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) Raid that occurred in Postville, Iowa in the spring of 2008 had incredible impact on the community and surrounding area. The authors shared not only their expertise on the history of AgriProcessors in Postville, the history of immigration and policy in America, the growth (sometimes painful) that occurred as a wide variety of cultures settled in Postville and grew to call it 'Home'; as well as the devastation that followed the raid. As I read the book, I was struck by the authenticity of the message. One of the authors, Aaron, who lives and works in Postville, speaks clearly of the adjustment of very different cultures living closely in a small town. 'Diversity' is often glossed over, or painted as an easy process - Aaron describes the growth and hard work needed to make it work. It was very interesting that even though the authors are experts at diversity, their advice was discounted because their backgrounds are not viewed as 'diverse' enough to qualify them as 'experts'. Living only 15 miles from Postville, and a sociologist/social worker/mediator by training, I was interested in Postville over the years and impressed as I saw the schools and health systems stretch to make thing work. After the raid, I was very concerned about the community of Postville, and the devastation to families and the economy. It was as though a bomb had ripped through the social and economic fabric of the community and very few resources were provided to aid in the clean-up. I knew firsthand that the needs of those affected by the raid were being provided by individuals stepping up and helping out. I appreciate the ability of the authors to paint a picture of life in Postville before and after the raid, to hold those accountable for the process, and to openly put forth the issues which must be addressed in order for Postville to thrive once again. This is a must-read book for anyone interested in social policy, immigration, and the impact of both those processes on American culture.