This book tells the story of a small group of Puerto Ricans who banded together to form the Hispanic Confederation of Maplewood in an attempt to secure for their ethnic community a voice in the affairs of the city. The Confederation's story covers a 44-month period, from the inception of the group when the members were docile and unsure of themselves to that point in time when they became avowedly militant in their negotiations with city officials and hostile toward the establishment. The story is told in two ways: from Chapters Two to Eleven and in the Epilogue, the narrative of events is presented, from the internal and external problems, social change, and eventual success of the action group. Chapters Five and Eight are first person accounts of the same material from the viewpoint of the Puerto Rican political boss of the city and from the point of view of the second president of the group, two strong community leaders whose personalities were shaped by their ethnic experiences. The remainder of the book, Chapters 12 to 15, is devoted to methodological explanation and sociological interpretation, complete with statistical analyses of patterns of group support and social change among the membership. (Author/JM)