A sociological field study of the development of a Puerto Rican community organization in an American city (Maplewood, New Jersey), this book describes what happens when an ethnic minority attempts to attain a voice in the affairs of an affluent city. Chapter 1 discusses the study's purpose. Chapters 2 to 11 narrate, from the members' viewpoint and the author/researchers' viewpoint, a chronological account of the development, internal and external problems, social change, and eventual success of the "Hispanic Confederation." Chapters 5 and 8 are first-person accounts of the same material from, respectively, the viewpoint of Maplewood's Puerto Rican political boss and the viewpoint of the group's second president. The remainder of the book, Chapters 12-15, deals with methodological explanation and sociological interpretation, and contains statistical analyses of patterns of group support and social change among the membership. (KH)