Part of a series on ethnic groups in American life, this book treats the Mexican American experience in the U.S. Perspectives presented in the book result from interaction with Mexican American and Anglo students and with Mexican American community members, from responses to surveys in 3 southwestern cities, and from recent research findings. Available demographic information is summarized, as is the history of the Catholic church and its Mexican parishioners, Mexican immigration, and Mexican American education. Major divisions of the book are: Mexican Americans in American Life; History: A Minority Appears; The Origins of Diversity; Profile of the Mexican American; American Institutions in the Mexican Experience; Family and Community: Stability and Change; Language and Culture; and Perspective on Politics. (MJB)