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Puerto Rico
- Author
- Jorell Meléndez-Badillo
- Narrator
- Tony Chiroldes
- Publisher
- Princeton University Press
- Publish Date
- 2 April 2024
- Run Time
- 10 hours 27 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
What to expect
This audiobook narrated by Tony Chiroldes traces the multifaceted history of Puerto Rico from pre-Columbian times to today
Puerto Rico is a Spanish-speaking territory of the United States with a history shaped by conquest and resistance. For centuries, Puerto Ricans have crafted and negotiated complex ideas about nationhood. Jorell Meléndez-Badillo provides a new history of Puerto Rico that gives voice to the archipelago's people while offering a lens through which to understand the political, economic, and social challenges confronting them today.
In this masterful work of scholarship, Meléndez-Badillo sheds light on the vibrant cultures of the archipelago in the centuries before the arrival of Columbus, and captures the full sweep of Puerto Rico's turbulent history in the centuries that followed, from the first indigenous insurrection against colonial rule in 1511—led by the powerful chieftain Agüeybaná II—to the establishment of the Commonwealth in 1952. He deftly portrays the contemporary period and the intertwined though unequal histories of the archipelago and the continental United States.
Puerto Rico is an engaging, sometimes personal, and consistently surprising history of colonialism, revolt, and the creation of a national identity, offering new perspectives not only on Puerto Rico and the Caribbean but on the United States and the Atlantic world more broadly.
Available in Spanish from our partners at Grupo Planeta
Critics Review
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"A much-needed primer on the history of Puerto Rico, showcasing how its people have long cultivated a tradition of resilience and resistance. . . . [Meléndez-Badillo] offers readers a critical understanding of how the island came to exist as it does today and how its future may yet unfold. [He] succeeds in not just recounting historical events from a distance as other historians might but in using the stories of real people—both from history and from the present, including his own—to spark something deeper in the reader. I found it impossible to read this book and not be overwhelmed with emotion at times, not just feeling like I learned something new but that I also wanted to do something more."—Jazmine Gonzalez, Porchlight
Porchlight
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"[Meléndez-Badillo] explores the history of . . . his native Puerto Rico in a thorough, accessible exposition. Beginning with the archipelago's Indigenous Taíno people, back when Puerto Rico was called Borikén, the book traces a history of imperialism as the land was colonized by the Spanish and then by the United States."—Library Journal
Library Journal
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"[Puerto Rico] has a nuanced political history of conquest and struggles for freedom from imperial rule. Puerto Rico: A National History covers this history with clarity, honesty, and compassion. . . . A great choice for . . . anyone looking to learn more about modern-day imperialism."—Alyssa Parssinen, Shelf Awareness
Shelf Awareness
User Reviews
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Details
- Author
- Jorell Meléndez-Badillo
- Narrator
- Tony Chiroldes
- Duration
- 10 hours 27 minutes
- Release Date
- 2 April 2024
- ISBN
- 9780691262925
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Princeton University Press
- Genre
- History, History of the Americas: pre-contacts
Synopsis
This audiobook narrated by Tony Chiroldes traces the multifaceted history of Puerto Rico from pre-Columbian times to today Puerto Rico is a Spanish-speaking territory of the United States with a history shaped by conquest and resistance. For centuries, Puerto Ricans have crafted and negotiated complex ideas about nationhood. Jorell Meléndez-Badillo provides a new history of Puerto Rico that gives voice to the archipelago's people while offering a lens through which to understand the political, economic, and social challenges confronting them today. In this masterful work of scholarship, Meléndez-Badillo sheds light on the vibrant cultures of the archipelago in the centuries before the arrival of Columbus, and captures the full sweep of Puerto Rico's turbulent history in the centuries that followed, from the first indigenous insurrection against colonial rule in 1511—led by the powerful chieftain Agüeybaná II—to the establishment of the Commonwealth in 1952. He deftly portrays the contemporary period and the intertwined though unequal histories of the archipelago and the continental United States. Puerto Rico is an engaging, sometimes personal, and consistently surprising history of colonialism, revolt, and the creation of a national identity, offering new perspectives not only on Puerto Rico and the Caribbean but on the United States and the Atlantic world more broadly. Available in Spanish from our partners at Grupo Planeta
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