From the Publisher
“It has been a double privilege to translate Jorell Meléndez-Badillo’s brilliant book into Spanish and to have been invited on board the inaugural journey of this wonderful series of collaborations between Princeton University Press and Grupo Planeta. Working with Meléndez-Badillo on the Spanish version of this beautifully written and thoroughly thought-out book was a delightful and illuminating experience; a translator’s dream.”—Aurora Lauzardo, translator of Puerto Rico: A National History“I finished reading this book with tears in my eyes. This is a book that many Puerto Ricans should read for their individual and collective good. With the rigor of a well-trained historian, Jorell Meléndez-Badillo goes beyond traditional accounts and, with clarity and precision, with courage and honesty, offers a national history of Puerto Rico and a call to conscience.”—Aníbal González-Pérez, Yale University“Puerto Rico is a much-needed retelling of the island nation’s story. Jorell Meléndez-Badillo’s centering of workers’ movements, women, and queer activism as vital sources of political history resurrects Puerto Rico’s silenced past. The usual suspects of established two-party politics are all here, but the riveting context of an array of actors from the bottom up as well as the author’s personal narrative make it a rewarding read.”—Ed Morales, author of Fantasy Island: Colonialism, Exploitation, and the Betrayal of Puerto Rico“Written with urgency and care, Jorell Meléndez-Badillo’s Puerto Rico eschews a top-down narrative of colonial violence and instead amplifies Puerto Ricans’ vibrant and creative forms of resistance. As Puerto Rico finds itself in a moment of deepening crisis, the histories recounted in this book provide lessons about how Puerto Ricans have always found ways to imagine and fight for a future rooted in freedom.”—Marisol LeBrón, author of Policing Life and Death: Race, Violence, and Resistance in Puerto Rico
