The Disenchanted Island - 2nd Edition by Ronald Fernandez (Paperback)

About the Book

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.

Book Synopsis

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.

Review Quotes

?. . . one of those rare works which is genuinely useful to both scholars and general readers. This volume contains a significant amount of new insights and documentation, making it interesting to the specialist, while also providing enough background and clear analysis to educate those with little or no knowledge of Puerto Rican affairs . . . this volume makes an important contribution to our understanding of Puerto Rico's colonial dilemma.?-Journal of Third World Studies

?A controversial, readable history.?-World Affairs Council

?The author of Los Macheteros: The Violent Struggle for Puerto Rican Independence here provides a well-written historical narrative of the island's political evolution vis-a-vis the United States from 1898 to the present. Fernandez argues that, despite slight modifications in the relationship, Puerto Rico remains dependent on the United States. Throughout, he introduces many interesting figures and offers perceptive insights into political and economic developments which have influenced the relationship, including the consequences of the Internal Revenue Service's decisions on resident and nonresident taxes and the gross ignorance of Harding appointee Governor Reilly, in the early 1920s. Highly recommended as a readable general overview.?-Library Journal

?The Disenchanted Island is a well-written sociohistoric interpretation of relations between Puerto Rico and the United States in the twentieth century.?-Latin American Research Review

?A controversial, readable history.??World Affairs Council

." . . one of those rare works which is genuinely useful to both scholars and general readers. This volume contains a significant amount of new insights and documentation, making it interesting to the specialist, while also providing enough background and clear analysis to educate those with little or no knowledge of Puerto Rican affairs . . . this volume makes an important contribution to our understanding of Puerto Rico's colonial dilemma."-Journal of Third World Studies

"A controversial, readable history."-World Affairs Council

"The Disenchanted Island is a well-written sociohistoric interpretation of relations between Puerto Rico and the United States in the twentieth century."-Latin American Research Review

"The author of Los Macheteros: The Violent Struggle for Puerto Rican Independence here provides a well-written historical narrative of the island's political evolution vis-a-vis the United States from 1898 to the present. Fernandez argues that, despite slight modifications in the relationship, Puerto Rico remains dependent on the United States. Throughout, he introduces many interesting figures and offers perceptive insights into political and economic developments which have influenced the relationship, including the consequences of the Internal Revenue Service's decisions on resident and nonresident taxes and the gross ignorance of Harding appointee Governor Reilly, in the early 1920s. Highly recommended as a readable general overview."-Library Journal

About the Author

RONALD FERNANDEZ is Professor of Sociology at Central Connecticut State University and is the author of, among other books, Prisoners of Colonialism: The Struggle For Justice in Puerto Rico (1994), Cruising the Caribbean: U.S. Influence and Intervention in the Twentieth Century (1994), and Los Macheteros: The Violent Struggle for Puerto Rican Independence (1988).