Product Description
"Nuestro pueblo está reconociendo su propia fuerza, que es lo que temen los poderes coloniales," explica el independentista puertorriqueño Rafael Cancel Miranda. En dos entrevistas, el dirigente independentista puertorriqueño Cancel Miranda—uno de los cinco nacionalistas puertorriqueños encarcelados por Washington por más de 25 años hasta 1979—habla sobre la realidad brutal del coloniaje norteamericano, la campaña para liberar a los presos políticos puertorriqueños, el ejemplo de la revolución socialista cubana, y el resurgimiento del movimiento independentista hoy.

También disponible en: English; Farsi

Puerto Rico: Independence Is a Necessity. "Our people are becoming aware of their own strength, which is what the colonial powers fear," explains Puerto Rican independence leader Rafael Cancel Miranda. In two interviews, Cancel Miranda—one of five Puerto Rican Nationalists imprisoned by Washington for more than 25 years until 1979—speaks out on the brutal reality of U.S. colonial domination, the campaign to free Puerto Rican political prisoners, the example of Cuba's socialist revolution, and the resurgence of the independence movement today. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Un intercambio entre revolucionarios
Este inspirado folleto constata una conversación entre revolucionarios: dos dirigentes de la Juventud Socialista norteamericana, el editor responsable del periódico socialista norteamericana Perspectiva Mundial, y un verdadero héroe de la lucha por la libertad de Puerto Rico (la última colonia directa del imperio yanqui). El héroe es Rafael Cancel Miranda, quien, en 1954, participó en una acción armada del movimiento independentista puertorriqueño.

Pasó casi 30 años en los cárceles norteamericanos donde intentaron romperle mental y físicamente. Fracasaron; tal y como le pasó con Nelson Mandela, salió del reclusorio fortalecido. Casi la mitad de este folleto es una defensa animada de la revolución cubana y su ejemplo para el pueblo trabajador mundial de lo que podemos hacer. Es una obra indispensable para todo luchador -joven o viejo- por un mundo verdaderamente humano. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (3)

Eco. History of PR-Great Buy
This book provides a very good analysis of Puerto Rico's economic situation at various historical stages. It's geared towards those doing research on the subject and can be tough reading for just a historical perspective, but if you want the big picture, this book is a big part of it.

At least we have this work
Good social/economic histories are rare and we are fortunate to have this study for Puerto Rico.It is too easy to forget how life was prior to the demographic explosion of the early 20th century.Many areas had just a few thousand inhabitants.The book also demonstratedse the importance of the Munoz Marin strategy of economic development.If there is any weakness, I think a more detailed analysis of the dependence of PR on the US is warranted.If we compare Puerto Rico to the Dominican Republic, we see a society in which welfare/food stamps programs raised food costs etc. and displaced local agriculture and production.In the Dominican Republic local production remains and costs remain low because of the much lower per capita income.Sea-Land is not referenced in the book.I would point out that his statistics do document the unbalanced nature of trade and the issue of trading with other Caribbean nations given US trade policies.The challenge of continued development requires greater production of domestic goods in Puerto Rico and the ability to trade freely with surrounding economies. In sum, this work is an excellent start for improved understanding of the Commonwealth and its status in the US and the region.

An excellent work
In this book James Dietz works on the economial history of the island of Puerto Rico. Dietzs work makes him a pioneer with a complete summary in this subject. The chapters are well written, aslo the works uses ilustrations and graphs which makes this book easy to read. This book covers from the colonization and concludes with an analysis of the actual economy. Excellent work. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (2)

fascinating insights
I am the grandchild of a Puerto Rican woman who lived on the island about the time this book was written.I was absolutely fascinated by the book and found it explained a lot about attitudes toward race and sexuality that prevailed in my own family that I'd always found contradictory and inexplicable.

I generally avoid books written by academicians because their writing style is usually turgid, wordy and devoid of life.Not so this book.While it does carefully document its subject, the writing is lively and engaging.

A must-read for anyone who wants insight into a fascinating aspect of Puerto Rican culture.

Accessible and well written
Well researched and engaged with the scholarly discussion, yet readable and at times very elegantly argued. The book contributes to discussions of race and sexuality and should be of interest to many more than the fewacademics in Latin American history and women's studies. Those people, andmany others interested in those and related fields, however, MUST read it! ... Read more

Product Description
The island of Puerto Rico has a severely distressed economy, is one of the most densely populated places on earth, and enjoys only limited political freedom.. In this book a distinguished Puerto Rican legal scholar and former government official discusses the island`s century-old relationship with the United States and argues that the process of decolonization should begin immediately.Amazon.com Review
Although Puerto Rico is technically a territory of the UnitedStates, José Trias Monge prefers the unvarnished term"colony" to describe his homeland's difficultposition. Spain ceded control of the island to the United States morethan 100 years ago, and in that time Washington has continually avowedits desire to respect the wishes of the Puerto Ricans whilesystematically limiting its sovereignty. Only three options remainopen to the island: Puerto Rico can remain a territory with greatersovereignty, become an independent nation, or join the U.S. as the51st state. Yet frequent plebiscites held in the territory haveresolved nothing. primarily due, Monge asserts, to the U.S.'s reluctance totruly allow Puerto Rico to become self-governing before any finaldecision is made about the territory's status. Though Monge is quickto point out how Puerto Rico has benefited from its relationship withthe U.S., he is unwavering in his support of the idea that"Nobody has the right to govern another: it is as simple asthat." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

The truth at last!
Great book will open your eyes as to what has happened in the past and how it is still an on going issue.

Great book!
This is a must read for any person who would like to learn about Puerto Rico, its history and its relationship with the U.S.A.Also, the author makes a good explanation about other territories in the Caribbean and the Pacific, which is good to make a comparison with the political status of Puerto Rico. I highly recommend it.

A Great Overview of the PR Status Question
This is a relative short (less than 200 pages), straightforward and direct book on the most important subject facing PR for 100 years. The author gives us a great background on the evolution of the status question (independence, statehood or commonwealth) for PR since Spain ceded it to the U.S. after the Spanish American War of 1898. Other lands that were ceded after the war (Philippines, Cuba) were granted more autonomy and even independence than PR was. But why? The author tries to answer that.

The bigger issue is that the Commonwealth status that PR and the US enacted in 1952, while a step forward, is not really the "true" associated free state that PR envisioned for itself. While PR generally makes its own laws and governs itself, in the things that it cannot do and the ability of Congress to abolish some laws, the island can be defined as a colony in the purest sense of the word. The author goes on to state many times that it is not an issue of dislike toward the Americans, something so fashionable these days. In fact, he clearly states that whether PR chooses to be independent or perfects the commonwealth status, a close association with the U.S. would be a very desirable thing. The U.S. has generally been a very positive influence in the economic development of the island.

However, the island was told early on by the U.S. that when the day came and it was ready, the U.S. would allow it to choose its destiny in terms of self-government and would honor it...a "promise" that has not been kept. In my opinion, with 400 years of Spanish rule in the background, I don't think Puerto Ricans would ever assimilate culturally to being a state. They would never let that happen. An improved associated free state is the likeliest outcome.

The question of at least not being a "colony" anymore is the main issue of the book and it is such a central and clear problem for the residents of the island that the heads of all three main parties (independence party included) have all come out against the current dangling status.

The author doesn't make an overt case for statehood or an improved commonwealth status. I think he does a good job of stating the possible advantages and disadvantages of either scenario. It would be a very difficult decision and drawn-out process, but it must be undertaken in order to gain a better sense of self-respect for both the US and PR.

Exposes the "cupones por megatones" US citizenship theory
Essentially, Trias Monge is not the most appropriate person to demand additional autonomy for Puerto Rico (he was responsible for the systematic use of dossiers by the Puerto Rican police to gather intelligence againstthose who precisely demanded in the past the same things that he'sdemanding now), but he has a point.Puerto Rico has become a militarycolony, exchanging "cupones" (entitlements) for"megatones" (no need to explain here). Faust would be proud;Trias' point is precisely that.Puerto Ricans are nominal US citizens,furthering annexation would require a change in the island's culturalmindset. An eye opener, should be required reading for US Congressmen andPuerto Ricans alike.

Must read for all Americans, including those in Puerto Rico
There has been much misunderstandings between Americans in the mainland and those who live in Puerto Rico for over 100 years.It is time for Congres to take an active role in their resposibility!If the Declarationof Independence is more than empty words, then all American Citizens wouldhave a voice.Those 4 million in Puerto Rico do not.Is that DEMOCRACY? ... Read more

Product Description
"Our people are becoming aware of their own strength, which is what the colonial powers fear," explains Puerto Rican independence leader Rafael Cancel Miranda. In two interviews, Cancel Miranda—one of five Puerto Rican Nationalists imprisoned by Washington for more than 25 years until 1979—speaks out on the brutal reality of U.S. colonial domination, the campaign to free Puerto Rican political prisoners, the example of Cuba's socialist revolution, and the resurgence of the independence movement today.

Photos. Appendix: Political prisoners in U.S. prisons in 1998. Now with enlarged type.

Also available in: Farsi, Spanish ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

A Necessity and an Inevitability
What a magnificent booklet!The author's insight, revolutionary intransigence, and eloquence remind one of Malcolm X, Nelson Mandela, and Fidel Castro.He convinces the reader that Puerto Rico's independence is not only a necessity, but also an inevitability.

The independence struggle continues in Puerto Rico
This inspiring little pamphlet is by a true fighter for Puerto Rico's independence.He spent a quarter century behind bars in US prisons for his actions, which included taking part in an armed protest in the US Capitol building in 1954.Nearly fifty years after that happened, he's still fighting and now there is a new generation of Puerto Ricans who are interested in his message.This pamphlet is not about the past, but about the present and future.One of the interviews with Rafael Cancel Miranda took place in 1998 as tens of thousands of workers for the state-owned Puerto Rican telephone company were on a 41-day strike, to protest selling the company to US big business.This sparked a 2-day general strike throughout the island.As these events and his ideas show, Puerto Rican nationalism is not dead.The second interview, done earlier in the year,gives a lot of helpful information about Miranda's own family background, how he became a rebel, and what his imprisonment was like.He explains that his first protest was at the age of six when he refused to say the pledge of allegiance to the US flag.This pamphlet also does a nice job of showing how the fight for Puerto Rican independence is tied up with workers struggles worldwide, including those in Cuba.

sí se puede
El uso de la isla Viequés como campo de tiro permanente es prueba contundente de que Puerto Rico es colonia. Que consiga la independencia es en los intereses no sólo del pueblo de la isla caribeño, sino también para la gran mayoría de los estadounidenses; con una lucha exitosa, la conquista de la independencia significará un golpe mortal a su enemigo común, las llamadas quinientas familias, mostrando que sí se puede romper las cadenas del imperio más poderoso y violento que jamás desgració la faz de la Tierra.

O bien por el simple espíritu de solidaridad humana contra el imperio, o bien por la directa necesidad de los explotados en los EE.UU. de unir contra el enemigo común o bien por el altruista fin de avanzar hacia un futuro en donde todos y todas seamos iguales, Puerto Rico, siendo de las últimas colonias, merece libertad.

La editorial Pathfinder a veces se llama "la editorial de los mártires", pero en este folleto conocemos el héroe vivo Rafael Cancel Miranda.

This is who the Empire calls "Terrorist"
This inspiring pamphlet is mainly a conversation betweenrevolutionaries: two leaders of the Young Socialists organization based in the U.S., and a true hero of Puerto Rico's fight for freedom ( Puerto Rico is the Yanqui Empire's last direct colony ).Rafael Cancel Miranda participated in an armed action of the Puerto Rican independence movement in 1954.He spent almost 30 years in US prisons where they tried to break him physically and mentally. They failed; like Nelson Mandela he came out stronger. Almost half of this pamphlet is a stirring defense of socialist Cuba and its example for working people worldwide as an example of what we can do. Indispensable reading for any fighter, young or old, for a truly human world.

why Puerto Rico must be independent
Puerto Rico is a colony.Puerto Rico is exploited by the USA. Puerto Rico is occupied militarily by the USA. The crimes at Vieques is only one of a series of undemocratic measures Washington and Wall Street have rammed down the mouths of the Puerto Rican people in the 104 years they have been ruled from Washington and Wall Street.Veteran independence fighter Rafael Cancel Miranda explains these things and more, explains not only why Puerto Rico must be independent, but why working people in the United State need to support that struggle as well. Miranda has a strong, stirring, but plain spoken way of making his ideas clear.

Puerto Rico is a colony.Puerto Rico is exploited by the USA. Puerto Rico is occupied militarily by the USA. The crimes at Vieques is only one of a series of undemocratic measures Washington and Wall Street have rammed down the mouths of the Puerto Rican people in the 104 years they have been ruled from Washington and Wall Street.Veteran independence fighter Rafael Cancel Miranda explains these things and more, explains not only why Puerto Rico must be independent, but why working people in the United State need to support that struggle as well. Miranda has a strong, stirring, but plain spoken way of making his ideas clear.

While this book is not always available on Amazon, it is always available from BooksfromPathfinder, an Amazon Z store that you can get to by clicking on New and Used further up this page!
... Read more

Product Description

The precise legal nature of the relationship between the United States and the people of Puerto Rico was not explicitly determined in 1898 when the Treaty of Paris transferred sovereignty over Puerto Rico from Spain to the United States. Since then, many court cases, beginning in 1901, have been instrumental in defining this delicate relationship.

Customer Reviews (1)

Timely challenge to America's international democratic image
In a season when the 2004 election placed emphasis on counting every vote and Americans valued our political system by contrast to the rampant election fraud in Ukraine, law professor Pedro Malavet has exposed one of the gaping cracks in our national and international political leadership--the U.S. occupation of Puerto Rico that has denied political participation to its residents for over a century without resolution.Observing correctly that few U.S. citizens understand or appreciate the second-class citizenship status of the people of Puerto Rico, Malavet charts a concise but potent history of occupation of Puerto Rico by Spain and then the United States, and proposes a strategy to enable Puerto Ricans to determine their desired status.Most heartening in his analysis is that despite their political second-class citizenship coupled with efforts to Americanize them, Malavet demonstrates that the people of Puerto Rico have managed to forge an independent cultural identity.Their sparkling cultural nationhood heightens the need to change the legal status of "America's colony."Called by one commentator a forgotten colony, Malavet addresses his birthplace with cultural reverence while exposing this underside of American democracy and demanding recognition of the flaws in the U.S.-Puerto Rico colonial relationship. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

PUERTO RICO THE COLONIALIST EXPERIMENT; IRAQ AND IRAN THE REALITY: IT'S THE OIL!!
This academic historical study from a few decades ago recounting the history of US invasion, conquest, and occupation of the tiny island of Puerto Rico for vampiric imperialist sucking dry of its resources including agricultural workers for the Northeast's tobacco and fruit industries as well as monopolizing and making its local agricultural into a few exportable cash crops (sugar cane, pineapple, banana, coffee)makes important reading for us now as the crumbling US imperial project attempts to establish colonies in the oil reserve regions of the misnomered Middle East.

But let future generations should they care to take the time and effort trace the sad historical record of whether we have become simply the proxy army of our own old colonialist oppressors in their petroleum thirst and profit. Meanwhile let us read this present dismal history of one of our early colonialist enterprises as if well and truly limed by this Oxfordian scholar Raymond Carr, chosen by the editorial team as one who bears no ideological ax to grind, and thus published by the academic Vintage Classics in its Twentieth Century Fund Study series.

This thick 500 page study serves the interests of every researcher from neophyte to the field to those seeking a valuable, reliable and comprehensive resource under one cover for any academic and historical purpose.


As the Director of the Twentieth Century Fund, MJ Rossant, explains their difficulty a quarter century ago in selecting a researcher for this project who had not already made up their mind regarding the relationship of the USA with Puerto Rico: "The major problem in mounting a Puerto Rican study had been the difficulty of finding a scholar whether Puerto Rican or American (sic - Puerto Ricans are US citizens and America encompasses an entire hemisphere of separate nations, Rossant himself displays prejudicial thought patterns and set political paradigms in this one word) who had not already made up his (sic) mind about what the relationship ought to be. The Puerto Rican scholars, I must add, are even more committeed to specific points of view than Americans (sic) perhaps because nothing is more important to them than the US relationship with Puerto Rico. Our solution, arrived at after careful deliberation, was to interest an English scholar, one who could handle the peculiar history of the Puerto Rican - US relationship with dispassion and sensitivity, in the project. In Raymond Carr, a (sic) historian noted for his work on Spain, now Warden of St. Anthony's College, and formerly professor of Latin American studies at Oxford, we found the ideal choice for the assigment (p. viii)."

Overlooking for now the underlying and fallacious misconceptions evident in that statement, let us see the back matter which states: "In its depth and insight (this work) is certain to prove a major contribution to the resolution, not only of the growing controversy over the political status of Puerto Rico, but of the larger problems of colonialism and imperialism in the modern world."

Although such a "resolution" is even further off now than ever, unless through a deeply undesirable violent revolution or further unsustainable military occupation, we find in this scholarly analysis of a quarter century ago important reflection for our current position not only in our expensive and fruitless Iraqi efforts, but also in our so-called "free trade" agreements which destroy local independent farmers and industries, and in fact evidence the effects of multinational for profit corporations and globalization as a whole. Despite therather fallacious selection of the author by the editorial team, whose continued anglophiliac and colonialist subservient mindset should be obvious to all in the contorted quotation cited above, one may discover here an important and highly recommended study which we do well now to read again. Let us free ourselves from our own continued colonialist oppressive mindset which entraps us unto emperor worship of the British throne most embarrassingly revealed in the Torry Bush regime, and let us liberate as well those whom we ourselves oppress. The greater and more difficult liberation of mind which we require is in believing ourselves superior to other nations in any way. ... Read more

Product Description
This book uses historical and interview data to trace the development of Puerto Rican identity in the 20th century. It analyzes how and why Puerto Ricans have maintained a clear sense of distinctiveness in the face of direct and indirect pressures on their identity. After gaining sovereignty over Puerto Rico from Spain in 1898, the United States undertook a sustained campaign to "Americanize" the island. Despite 50 years of active Americanization and another 40 years of continued United States sovereignty over the island, Puerto Ricans retain a sense of themselves as distinctly and proudly Puerto Rican. This study examines the symbols of Puerto Rican identity, and their use in the complex politics of the island. It shows that identity is dynamic, it is experienced differently by individuals across Puerto Rican society, and that the key symbols of Puerto Rican identity have not remained static over time. Through the study of Puerto Rico, the book investigates and challenges the widely-heard argument that the inevitable result of the export of U.S. mass media and consumer culture throughout the world is the weakening of cultural identities in receiving societies. The book develops the idea that external pressure on collective identity may strengthen that identity rather than, as is often assumed, diminish it. ... Read more

Product Description
"McCaffrey's outstanding analysis movingly narrates the community's longstanding anguish and accurately situates the Vieques movement in the larger context of U.S. military policy in the Caribbean and Puerto Rico's unresolved status quandary. Those interested in understanding the Vieques crisis will find Military Power and Popular Protest an indispensible work." --Amilcar Antonio Barreto, author of Vieques, the Navy, and Puerto Rican PoliticsResidents of Vieques, a small island just off the east coast of Puerto Rico, live wedged between an ammunition depot and live bombing range for the U.S. Navy. Since the 1940s when the navy expropriated over two-thirds of the island, residents have struggled to make a life amid the thundering of bombs and the rumbling of weaponry fire. Like the army's base in Okinawa, Japan, the facility has drawn vociferous protests from residents who challenged U.S. security interests overseas. In 1999, when a local civilian employee of the base was killed by a stray bomb, Vieques again erupted in protests that have mobilized tens of thousands of individuals and have transformed this tiny Caribbean island into the setting for an international cause celebre.Katherine T. McCaffrey gives a complete analysis of the troubled relationship between the U.S. Navy and island residents. She explores such topics as the history of U.S. naval involvement in Vieques; a grassroots mobilization--led by fisherman--that began in the 1970s; how the navy promised to improve the lives of the island residents--and failed; and the present-day emergence of a revitalized political activism that has effectively challenged naval hegemony.Military bases overseas act as lightning rods for anti-American sentiment, thus threatening his country's image and interests abroad. By analyzing this particular, conflicted relationship, the book also explores important lessons about colonialism and postcolonialism and the relationship of the United States to the countries in which it maintains military bases.Katherine T. McCaffrey is an assistant professor of anthropology at Montclair State University, New Jersey. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great Excellent History of Vieques and the Victory to Stop the Navy Bombing
Kate McCaffrey conducted on-site research in Vieques for about 10 years in order to present this very clear history of how the US Navy came to Vieques in the 1940's to conduct military practices and how the people of Vieques were successful in ending the bombing in 2003.I have a guest house inVieques and keep a copy of Kate's book in each of my rooms so that visitors will know that our "island paradise" has been contaminated with 60 years of munitions and our people made sick with cancer and other illnesses from toxic military waste.I hope that everyone who reads this book will support a safe and complete clean up of Vieques andsustainable development of former navy lands that benefits our people.Kathy ... Read more

Product Description
Traducción de la obra publicada por Yale University Press en 1997, Puerto Rico: The Trials of the Oldest Colony of the World. Análisis crítico sobre la historia política y socioeconómica de Puerto Rico y su relación con Estados Unidos.A critical analysis about the political and socioeconomic history of Puerto Rico and its relation with the United States. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

all good
i can't complaint about the product quality. the description said it was used but it's between used-new. it just has the library stamp and the dewey decimal system sticker still stuck to its spine, plus it's missing the paper wrap that goes around the hardcover, but i don't mind any of these things. the pages are in excellent quality, no marks whatsoever. EXCELLENT book! ... Read more

Product Description
In the 1930s, Puerto Rico was economically and culturally a nineteenth-century agrarian state dominated by sugar and coffee plantations. Then came the New Deal, and the island changed forever. Puerto Rico entered the twentieth century in every respect, including its economy, culture, and infrastructure. This transformation was neither easy nor without resistance. The author leads the reader through this upheaval with all its ups and downs. ... Read more

Product Description

Silén restores to his people their history, stolen from them along with their land and independence.

Product Description
Offering a comprehensive overview of Puerto Rico's history and evolution since the installation of U.S. rule, Ayala and Bernabe connect the island's economic, political, cultural, and social past of residents of the island as well as the many Puerto Ricans in the diaspora. The authors discuss a wide range of topics, including literary and cultural debates and social and labor struggles that previous histories have neglected. Ayala and Bernabe argue that the inability of Puerto Rico to shake its colonial legacy reveals the limits of free-market capitalism. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Accurate Puerto Rican History
The history of every country is exciting and worthy of study. Puerto Rico's particularly so.

It's First American century began in in 1898, when through no fault of its own it was conquored by United States forces. It went from an ignored Spanish colony discovered by Colombus in 1502 to a shaky alliance with a more powerful United States.

No wonder its history has been so complex. There have been many misteps and many fruitful successes along the way. But Puerto Ricans are a valiant and resourceful people. They created one of the most democratic areas in Latin America and made significant contributions to their island and to the United States in a number of fields. Its relative stable economy and growing middle class is the envy of many in Latin America.

The question of Puerto Rican status, should it be independent, a state or continue as a "commonwealth" still bubbles under the surface. Many referenda have been held. Normally 48 percent vote for statehood, 48 percent vote for the existing commonwealth status and less that 3 percent for independence.

Cesar J. Ayala and Rafael Bernabe have written a seriouos study. (Some of the data appeared previously in Spanish.)This volume is balanced in his presentation of the various political and social trends that continue to buffet the small island.

Their style is scholarly and their facts are accurate.Destined I assume for a university audience, it will be well received. I wish they would have written for a boarder audience and captured some of the island's color. They do drone on. So much more could have been chronicled.But ... it is still a worthy read.

Dr. Mellander has a Ph. D. in Latin American History and was an academic dean at a university in Puerto Rico.

A very good synthesis of Puerto Rican history
Ayala and Bernabe have written a top-notch synthesis of Puerto Rican history.They combine political history with social and economic developments, always with an eye to the unusual relationship between Puerto Rico and the United States.There is a lot of cultural history in here as well.They are fair to all of the players in the "status question" that has so dominated Puerto Rican politics and history.

The book is definitely written by intellectuals for university use, but it would be a good start for anyone interested in Puerto Rican history.

Weaving Together The Dispersed Fragments of History
To a certain extent, Ayala and Bernabé have achieved something seeminglyimpossible: connecting the varied historical strands of the carpet of the Puerto Rican social formation by providing a theoretical frame of reference that helps give sense to the discrete parts. If the tendency in the last years among Puerto Rican intellectuals has been a fragmented vision, pessimistic and iconoclastic of our historical, cultural economic and political life, Ayala and Bernabé provide a peak into another way of imagining ourselves.

Comprehensive, a bit dry
Covers all the bases wonderfully, covers various social/artistic/cultural/economic factors that made Puerto Rico what it is today.I got a bit sleepy in parts, in its completeness the authors lack some flair.Worth reading before going to PR.

Puerto Rico in The Amewrican Century: A History since 1898
Facts about the beginning of the 20th century Puerto Rico related no ones cares to write. Full of facts and evolving events that mask our history. ... Read more

Product Description
EMPIRE AND ANTISLAVERY is an extensive study of the origins of the Spanish Abolitionist Society and its role in the destruction of Cuban and Puerto Rican slavery. Based on archival research in Spain, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the United States, it offers new perspectives on the political and cultural dynamics of Spanish colonialism and Antillean slavery in the nineteenth century.This work is broadly comparative and places the struggle over Antillean slavery in an Atlantic context. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

WOW!!!!!
This is an incredible book for anyone interested in the abolition ofslavery.

A major break through
Christopher Schmidt-Nowara has written an excellent book to understand the process that led to the abolition of slavery in the Spanish colonies in the Caribbean, taking into account the latest developments in Cuban,Puertorrican, and Spanish history. This is an important new viewpoint: tounderstand the nineteenth-century history of Cuba and Puerto Rico it'snecessary to have a fine understanding of Spain's colonial policy and thesocio-economic links that these two colonies established with themetropolis. I consider this book a major break through, a very importantbook for any person interested in the history of the Caribbean, LatinAmerica and/or Spain. ... Read more

Product Description
This is a revised and updated edition of Ronald Fernandez's acclaimed study of the Puerto Rico-United States relationship. Tracing that relationship from the early years of the 20th century through to the present, Fernandez provides a comprehensive analysis of political, economic, and military affairs as they relate to Puerto Rico. The new edition is completely up-to-date through 1995 and includes important new material based upon documents found in the Reagan presidential library, as well as newly declassified documents in the Eisenhower library. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A definite wake up call
All throughout my school years up until high school, I was bombarded by statements such as, "Puerto Ricans are lazy.They are always on welfare here on the mainland and on foodstamps on the island.That is why the U.S. should not allow Puerto Rico to become a state.They're too dependent."

Little did I know about "neo-colonialism", nor the economic 'development' in Puerto Rico under the direction of the U.S. government.After reading this book, I felt enlightened and, naturally, rather enraged with history.I have read books on all aspects of my culture, while keeping an eye on the economic and political aspects.

Though more and more Puerto Ricans on the island are in favor of statehood, I feel it is important for them to know the history of the island under all the colonial powers (whether Spain or the U.S.).

I thank Ronald Fernandez for all the factual information that he gave.He has opened up my eyes.

Que viva Puerto Rico!

A wake-up call to Americans and Puerto Ricans alike
This book summarizes the systematic comedy of errors that has been the United State's dominance over Puerto Rico; perhaps the least publicised of America's abuses towards some of its own (if you care to consider PuertoRicans as Americans, many of which don't themselves). A must read for anyWashington politician who dares to deal with the potentially fractitious(and sometimes fraticidal) subject of Puerto Rico's ultimate statussolution.

The profuse details on how the United States' governmentbrought the local Puerto Rican economy to its knees soon after the SpanishAmerican War, how it dealt with the islanders as an afterthought (and stilldoes) and how a small elite of local politicians have turned the discussionon U.S.-Puerto Rico relations into a quagmire, would be dismissed asheavily biased towards the left, if it wasn't so heavily researched.Fernandez has done an excellent job of documenting the true story ofU.S.-Puerto Rico relations. ... Read more