"Provides a timely and necessary counter-balance to the incessant ‘new economy' hype that touts Silicon Valley as the answer to the myriad economic and environmental challenges around the world."
Journal of American Ethnic History
The Silicon Valley of Dreams
Environmental Injustice, Immigrant Workers, and the High-Tech Global Economy
David Pellow
,
December 22, 2002

In The Silicon Valley of Dreams, the authors take a hard look at the high-tech region of Silicon Valley to examine environmental racism within the context of immigrant patterns, labor markets, and the historical patterns of colonialism. One cannot understand Silicon Valley or the high-tech global economy in general, they contend, without also understanding the role people of color play in the labor force, working in the electronic industry's toxic environments. These toxic work environments produce chemical pollution that, in turn, disrupts the ecosystems of surrounding communities inhabited by people of color and immigrants. The authors trace the origins of this exploitation and provide a new understanding of the present-day struggles for occupational health and safety.