Puerto Rico in the American Century - by César J Ayala & Rafael Bernabe (Paperback)

About the Book

Puerto Rico in the American Century: A History since 1898

Book Synopsis

Offering a comprehensive overview of Puerto Rico's history and evolution since the installation of U.S. rule, Cesar Ayala and Rafael Bernabe connect the island's economic, political, cultural, and social past. Puerto Rico in the American Century explores Puerto Ricans in the diaspora as well as the island residents, who experience an unusual and daily conundrum: they consider themselves a distinct people but are part of the American political system; they have U.S. citizenship but are not represented in the U.S. Congress; and they live on land that is neither independent nor part of the United States.

Highlighting both well-known and forgotten figures from Puerto Rican history, Ayala and Bernabe discuss a wide range of topics, including literary and cultural debates and social and labor struggles that previous histories have neglected. Although the island's political economy remains dependent on the United States, the authors also discuss Puerto Rico's situation in light of world economies. Ayala and Bernabe argue that the inability of Puerto Rico to shake its colonial legacy reveals the limits of free-market capitalism, a break from which would require a renewal of the long tradition of labor and social activism in Puerto Rico in connection with similar currents in the United States.

Offering a comprehensive overview of Puerto Rico's history and evolution since the installation of U.S. rule, Cesar Ayala and Rafael Bernabe connect the island's economic, political, cultural, and social past. Puerto Rico in the American Century explores the history of Puerto Ricans in the diaspora as well as the island residents, who experience an unusual and daily conundrum: they consider themselves a distinct people but are part of the American political system; they have U.S. citizenship but are not represented in the U.S. Congress; and they live on an island that is neither independent nor part of the United States. Highlighting both well-known and forgotten figures from Puerto Rican history, Ayala and Bernabe discuss a wide range of topics, including literary and cultural debates and social and labor struggles that previous histories have neglected.

Review Quotes

"A comprehensive historical picture of political developments in the island. . . .Puerto Rico in the American Century offers a far more plausible context for understanding the status issue, while offering a far more tolerable, democratic direction for the independence movement in a globalized world."--Latin American Review of Books

"A comprehensive overview of Puerto Rico's history and its evolution since the installation of U.S. rule."--RepeatingIslands.com

"Academics, students, and general readers will find this book a helpful tool to probe the intricacies of Puerto Rican history. . . . A provocative . . . [and] landmark work."--Pedro San Miguel, Centro: Journal of the Center for Puerto Rican Studies

"An admirable history of Puerto Rico. . . . This book is the standard against which any other about twentieth-century Puerto Rico will be judged."--New West Indian Guide

"An exciting . . . volume that stimulates as well as informs; students and scholars on all levels will find much to discuss. . . . Highly recommended."--CHOICE

"An impressive achievement. . . . Up to date in its scholarship, solid in its mastery of history, lucidly analyzed, strongly argued, and clearly written, Puerto Rico in the American Century may be the best modern history of the island and its people in print."--Peter Winn, History Book Club

"Indispensable."--Edgardo Rodriguez Julia, Primera Revista Latinoamerican de Libros

"Not only an excellent introduction to the island for the nonexpert but it is also of value to scholars who are searching for new topics to research on Puerto Rican history and the Puerto Rican diaspora. . . . An excellent contribution to the general history of Puerto Rico during the twentieth century." -- Hispanic American Historical Review

"Politics, economics and culture are in constant dialogue within the narrative . . . providing a complex and at many points refreshing perspective of Puerto Rican history."--Against the Current

"This book goes far to provide the information and analysis necessary to resolve the short shrift that Puerto Rico and its people have received in histories of Latin America and of the United States."--The Americas

About the Author

César J. Ayala is professor of sociology at the University of California, Los Angeles, and author of American Sugar Kingdom: The Plantation Economy of the Spanish Caribbean, 1898-1934. Rafael Bernabe is professor and director of the Federico de Onís Hispanic Studies Center at the University of Puerto Rico at Río Piedras. He has published three books in Puerto Rico.