Journalist Rivera examines the growth of the Hispanic population in the U.S., fueled partly by what may be the single most divisive issue in America today: illegal immigration. With objective clarity and personal conviction, Rivera sheds light on an issue that is muddled with confusion and prejudice--and too often blamed for everything from terrorism to welfare. Examining the past--his own parents' struggle to be "real" Americans, as well as the plight of other ethnic groups in their quest for that dream--Rivera places the issue of illegal immigration in a historic context, dispelling the myth that we are facing an unprecedented crisis.--From publisher description.