America is in the Heart
America is in the Heart is Carlos Bulosan?s heartwrenching account of a Filipino American?s experiences as a migrant laborer in
the West. The book has long been considered a classic of Asian American literature, as it not only captures the harsh realities of
the immigrant experience, but was one of the earliest published works that presents that experience from an Asian American
perspective. Bulosan, a writer and labor activist, is also considered a hero in the struggle for justice for immigrant and working class
people.
Bulosan describes how the intense poverty of Philippines led his protagonist Carlos to come to America only to be faced with
racism and economic exploitation. Working for little pay in the salmon canneries of Alaska and facing racial violence as a migrant
farmer in the western U.S., Carlos begins to question his earlier notion of America as a land of opportunity. At the same time, he
begins to understand that the oppression he faces as a Filipino American is rooted in the same forces of institutional racism that
oppress other minorities in America. His revelation leads to his belief in uniting collectively to fight for social justice. Armed with this
knowledge, he takes on the role
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