rence, and exclusion. They must be given the necessary resources and help to survive" (1995, p. 218). Along the same lines, Vuong (1985) declares that the U.S. must programmatically reject the melting pot myth and evolve into a pluralistic society.
Ten essays explain and elaborate special community-action needs of ten social subgroups: Native Americans, Chicanos, African Americans, Puerto Ricans, women of color, Chinese Americans, Japanese Americans, Pilipino Americans, Central Americans, and Southeast Asians. The remaining three essays deal with general issues of community development. In their essays, Rivera and Erlich elaborate the main theoretical issues and practical approaches suited to community action and development. Pantoja and Perry argue that development of communities must be centered on economic development, noting at the same time that "neocolonialist" values of oppression and community dysfunction are sanctioned by public policies that insist on universal absorption of mainstream values while denying rights, information, and legal protections to minority-group communities (p. 227).
Some essays imply that action-organization professionals will come from the mainstream and caution the need for social workers to acknowledge and adjust community-action efforts to distinctive cultural features that present themselves. Indeed, the subgroup-specific essays provide useful information along these lines.
Edwards and Edwards explain the concept of "cultural enhancement" that surfaces among Native Americans, including evidence of a spiritual and communitarian orientation where development is concerned (pp. 40-41). Montiel and Gasca sort out the myriad communities within the Chicano community, which nevertheless have some potential for self-governance vis-a-vis mainstream institutions governed by traditional democratic or Judeo-Christian values. Devore (1995) outlines highly specific recommendations for involving social work...