Dean J. Franco is Professor of English and Director of the Humanities Institute at Wake Forest University. He is the author of Race, Rights, and Recognition: Jewish American Literature since 1969 (2012) and Ethnic American Literature: Comparing Chicano, Jewish, and African American Writing (2006).

• Introduction: The Borders and Lines of Social Identities1. Redlining and Realigning in East L.A.: The Neighborhoods of Helena María Viramontes and Union de Vecinos2. The Matter of the Neighbor and the Property of "Unmitigated Blackness"3. My Neighborhood: Private Claims, Public Space, and Jewish Los AngelesConclusion: Love, Space, and the Grounds of Comparative Ethnic Literature Study

"Dean Franco's vibrant prose and dexterous analysis make The Border and the Line a significant contribution to the study of U.S. ethnic literatures. So much more than a regional case study, this book gifts us a comparative imaginary as far-reaching as it is urgently needed."—Keith Feldman, University of California, Berkeley "The Border and the Line is a must-read for anyone concerned with the resurgence of ethically informed reading in ethnic studies, Jewish studies, and literary criticism. Few scholars today read texts as astutely as Dean Franco. He does so here to demonstrate how we all live in relational proximity to our neighbors, even as constructed barriers seek to keep us separate. Superbly written."—Michael Hames-García, University of Oregon "[Franco is] both analytically astute and attentive to the interlocking lived realities of the communities on whom his book focuses, thus elegantly breathing new life into the practice of comparative ethnic studies....The Border and the Line is a model for those of us aiming to connect cultural representations to the political-economic realities of communities coexisting in Los Angeles's historical past and present."—Richard T. Rodríguez, Western American Literature

Dean J. Franco is Professor of English and Director of the Humanities Institute at Wake Forest University. He is the author of Race, Rights, and Recognition: Jewish American Literature since 1969 (2012) and Ethnic American Literature: Comparing Chicano, Jewish, and African American Writing (2006).

• Introduction: The Borders and Lines of Social Identities1. Redlining and Realigning in East L.A.: The Neighborhoods of Helena María Viramontes and Union de Vecinos2. The Matter of the Neighbor and the Property of "Unmitigated Blackness"3. My Neighborhood: Private Claims, Public Space, and Jewish Los AngelesConclusion: Love, Space, and the Grounds of Comparative Ethnic Literature Study

"Dean Franco's vibrant prose and dexterous analysis make The Border and the Line a significant contribution to the study of U.S. ethnic literatures. So much more than a regional case study, this book gifts us a comparative imaginary as far-reaching as it is urgently needed."—Keith Feldman, University of California, Berkeley "The Border and the Line is a must-read for anyone concerned with the resurgence of ethically informed reading in ethnic studies, Jewish studies, and literary criticism. Few scholars today read texts as astutely as Dean Franco. He does so here to demonstrate how we all live in relational proximity to our neighbors, even as constructed barriers seek to keep us separate. Superbly written."—Michael Hames-García, University of Oregon "[Franco is] both analytically astute and attentive to the interlocking lived realities of the communities on whom his book focuses, thus elegantly breathing new life into the practice of comparative ethnic studies....The Border and the Line is a model for those of us aiming to connect cultural representations to the political-economic realities of communities coexisting in Los Angeles's historical past and present."—Richard T. Rodríguez, Western American Literature

Dean J. Franco is Professor of English and Director of the Humanities Institute at Wake Forest University. He is the author of Race, Rights, and Recognition: Jewish American Literature since 1969 (2012) and Ethnic American Literature: Comparing Chicano, Jewish, and African American Writing (2006).

• Introduction: The Borders and Lines of Social Identities1. Redlining and Realigning in East L.A.: The Neighborhoods of Helena María Viramontes and Union de Vecinos2. The Matter of the Neighbor and the Property of "Unmitigated Blackness"3. My Neighborhood: Private Claims, Public Space, and Jewish Los AngelesConclusion: Love, Space, and the Grounds of Comparative Ethnic Literature Study

"Dean Franco's vibrant prose and dexterous analysis make The Border and the Line a significant contribution to the study of U.S. ethnic literatures. So much more than a regional case study, this book gifts us a comparative imaginary as far-reaching as it is urgently needed."—Keith Feldman, University of California, Berkeley "The Border and the Line is a must-read for anyone concerned with the resurgence of ethically informed reading in ethnic studies, Jewish studies, and literary criticism. Few scholars today read texts as astutely as Dean Franco. He does so here to demonstrate how we all live in relational proximity to our neighbors, even as constructed barriers seek to keep us separate. Superbly written."—Michael Hames-García, University of Oregon "[Franco is] both analytically astute and attentive to the interlocking lived realities of the communities on whom his book focuses, thus elegantly breathing new life into the practice of comparative ethnic studies....The Border and the Line is a model for those of us aiming to connect cultural representations to the political-economic realities of communities coexisting in Los Angeles's historical past and present."—Richard T. Rodríguez, Western American Literature