A powerful new book examining opportunity, inequality, and the realities facing Latino immigrants in America is set to arrive in bookstores next year.
On January 22, 2027, University of Chicago Press will publish 1 in 100: Why so Few Latinos Find Labor Market Success, a groundbreaking new work by sociologist and Penn State University professor A. Nicole Kreisberg. Drawing on more than fifteen years of research and engagement with immigrant communities, organizations, and policy advocates, the book explores a question that has long remained overlooked in national conversations about education, immigration, and economic mobility.
Why do so few Latino immigrants who arrive in the United States as children ultimately achieve high-paying professional careers, even after doing everything society tells them is necessary for success?
At the center of Kreisberg’s research is a striking finding that inspired the book’s title. According to her work, only one out of every one hundred Latino immigrants who arrive in the United States before adulthood will eventually secure a high-wage job requiring a college degree.
The statistic challenges one of America’s most enduring beliefs: that hard work and education alone guarantee upward mobility.
Through the experiences of Latino immigrants who dreamed of careers in medicine, business, government, and other professions, 1 in 100 examines the often unseen barriers that shape educational and professional outcomes. Rather than focusing on individual failures, the book investigates how immigration policies, educational institutions, and workplace practices can combine to limit opportunities for talented and ambitious individuals.
Kreisberg argues that the struggles many Latino immigrants face are not isolated incidents but part of a broader pattern that affects communities across the country. Her research also highlights how stereotypes associated with Latino immigrants frequently extend beyond immigrant populations themselves, impacting millions of U.S.-born Latinos navigating the same schools, colleges, and workplaces.
As conversations about immigration, workforce development, and economic inequality continue to dominate headlines, 1 in 100 arrives at a particularly important moment. The book offers readers an opportunity to look beyond political debates and gain a deeper understanding of the structural forces that influence who succeeds, who struggles, and why.
Combining rigorous sociological research with compelling personal narratives, 1 in 100 promises to be an important addition to the national conversation surrounding opportunity and achievement in the United States. It is a book that challenges assumptions, raises urgent questions, and gives voice to experiences too often left out of discussions about the American Dream.
A. Nicole Kreisberg’s 1 in 100: Why so Few Latinos Find Labor Market Success will be released by University of Chicago Press on January 22, 2027.