Caribbean Books

Press and Reviews for Puerto Rico 1898

In this book, Fernando Pico not only analyzes the nature of the violence that :
erupted in rural Puerto Rico following the island's invasion by the United States on July 25, 1898, but also calls into question the interpretations of earlier scholars.
Pico's much.moreexhaustive study provides new evidence with which to revise those interpretations. He demonstrates.,that, for several months after the U.S. invasion, workers and peasant farmers of the interior of Puerto Rico attacked first the businesses and haciendas of the Spaniards and later those of the local Creoles.
Pico argues that the groups involved, known in Puerto Rico's history as "par-tidas sediciosas," were neither solely in favor of annexation to the United States, as Mariano Negron-Portillo (1987) contends, nor merely anti-Spanish groups seek-ing independence for Puerto Rico, as Juan Manuel Delgado has suggested (1980). Although Pico found evidence that groups of Creoles, primarily from the urban areas and from the "better" families of the island, cooperated with the U.S. troops, lie rejects tlie notion that the pai~tidns can be dismissed as proannexationist. He is quick to point out that he found evidence that some Creole groups also cooperated with the Spaniards during the early stages of the Spanish-American conflict. Having studied the social and economic development of rural Puerto Rico for most of the nineteenth century, Pico offers the view that tlie partidas "constituted a vigorous popular reaction against the old order and a desire to settle old scores with the members of the system they were rejecting" (p. 201).
Pico's contribution rests in his ability to analyze the violent conflict in light of the deteriorating economic conditions of the 1980s and -the anarchy that resulted from the U.S. invasion. He explains that, in the rural economy of Puerto Rico, neither the workers nor the peasant farmers could escape the exploitation of the wealthier rural classes. This exploitation kept them in debt, paid them starvation wages, and often deprived them of their plots of land. Thus, he finds nothing un-usual about the fact that the poorer classes should revolt against their oppressors. That such attacks against the local property owners lasted at all is an indication that U.S. troops were willing to tolerate outbreaks so long as they served U.S. purposes. As Pico points out, once the U.S. forces took possession of the island they set up military garrisons in the troubled areas and arrested and imprisoned the partidas leaders.
In this as in his earlier works, Pico, following the method of the Annales school, has reconstructed a period of Puerto Rico's history in splendid fashion. It should be of interest to social historians and students of Puerto Rican, Latin American, and U.S. history.
-Hispanic American Historical Review
Rutgers University, Newark Campus OLCA JIMENEZ WAGENHEIM

Fernando Pico has made fundamental contributions to the history of Puerto Rico, from broad interpretive surveys to fine-grained studies of work, class, and politics in Utuado, a mountainous coffee district that underwent dramatic social and economic changes in the nineteenth century. Puerto Rico 1898 is the translation of a work that first appeared in Spanish in 1987. It is a study of how Puerto Ricans responded to the North American invasion of the island in 1898. Much of the analysis relies on police reports from Utuado. The author also incorporates press reports, novels, and memoirs that address other regions. Pico's study focuses on the armed bands of tiznados (men who blackened their faces with burnt cork) that sprung up during and after the American invasion. These groups carried out acts of rough justice, addressing grievances accumulated in the latter decades of Spanish rule. In the relative political vacuum opened by the imperial transition, the bands robbed and intimidated prominent landowners, many of them Spaniards.
Pico treats the actions of the tiznados as a window onto the tensions within Puerto Rican society in the closing days of Spanish colonialism and the opening of the United States occupation. In his judgment, "After the 1898 invasion, the 'seditious bands' were the broadest and most vigorous expression of popular sentiment as a reaction to the Spanish-American War in Puerto Rico. However, far from being a resistance movement against the invasion, the bands represented the repudiation of the previous economic and social regime, and a settlement of accounts with the most visible representatives of that
regime" (p-123).
Reconstructing the history of the tiznados has other ends, as well. In the author's view, capturing the violence of late-nineteenth-century rural life in Puerto Rico is a way of debunking the nostalgic yearnings for the era of Spanish rule that sometimes crop into Puerto Rican views of the past. As scholars such as Arcadio Diaz-Quinones and Silvia Alvarez Curbelo have shown, for many Puerto Ricans since 1898, the days of the Spanish colony have represented an attractive alternative to the present of North American rule. Pico, however, insists that under the Spanish regime life was brutally hard, especially for workers in the agrarian economy. Many lived on the edge of penury and starvation (pp. 1-10). Besides challenging hispanista nostalgia, Pico highlights the axes of conflict at the end of the nineteenth century. Separatism was not the major source of political opposition, as it was in the other Spanish colony, Cuba; the labor movement was (others might emphasize the Partido Autonomista, founded in 1887). Here, like other Puerto Rican historians such as Astrid Cubano-Iguina and Gervasio Garcia, Pico argues persuasively that the absence of a robust separatist movement did not indicate a harmonious colonial world. The history of the tiznados reveals instead a contentious society, rent by conflicts between Spaniards and criollos, workers, and hacendados: "To remember the bands is, first of all, to reveal the conflictive character of the old economic rule in the mountains. Likewise, it is to acknowledge the fighting capacity of the people of the mountains against those who had dispossessed them by subjecting them to the work regime of the haciendas and the indebtedness to the hacienda stores" (p. 126).
Though Pico focuses on the conflicts brewing under the old regime, he also provides fascinating insights into the early days of the United States occupation. Though penned in 1987, the 2004 translation of Puerto Rico 1898 will strike the reader as uncannily resonant with war and occupation in the twenty-first century. The transition of empires led to a breakdown of social order that allowed the tiznados to flourish. The new occupier began to undo the Spanish colonial state and only slowly replaced it with new institutions: "[D]ifferent regions of the island experienced a political vacuum. The Spanish State, which had, with much difficulty, managed to rule in the farthest and most troublesome areas of the country, was dismantled. The new American political and military apparatus replacing it, however, started off by wielding its power in a hesitant, uneven manner" (p. 43). An example of that hesitancy was the American military's attitude toward the tiznados. Only over time and with much imploring from landowners did the military come to see policing rural areas and maintaining social order as a necessary facet of war and occupation (pp. 60-62).
I recommend this book to several reading publics. For the scholar of the Caribbean and Latin America, Puerto Rico 1898 is a fine example of trends within Puerto Rican social and political history. It is also a concise depiction of one aspect of the transition of empires in 1898. In that sense, it should be of strong interest to historians of Spain, the United States, and other modern colonial regimes. Finally, while closely researched, this excellent translation is easily accessible to the nonspecialist. I myself would eagerly include it in undergraduate classes. Markus Wiener Publishers are to be congratulated for making available this important work, along with other first-rate works in Puerto Rican and Caribbean history.
- Hispanic American Historical Review

"The book is essentially the story of partidas sediciosas, armed groups that terrorized the Puerto Rican countryside in 1898 and 1899. Chiefly active during and after the invasion (July to October 1898), the partidas focused their anger on peninsular Spanish merchants and landowners. The bandits battered or killed their victims, and almost invariably destroyed property... Picó's thoughtful typology of the partidas sheds light on the tensions that undercut Puerto Rican society at the end of the nineteenth century. The author reconstructs, with the help of U.S. military records, previously unexplored aspects of the invasion." -American Historical Review
"In this as in his earlier works, Picó, following the method of the Annales school, has reconstructed a period of Puerto Rico's history in splendid fashion. It should be of interest to social historians and students of Puerto Rican, Latin American, and U.S. History."
-Hispanic American Historical Review
Fernando Picó, University of Puerto Rico, is the leading authority on Puerto Rican history and the author of seven books, including Historia general de Puerto Rico.



Hardcover Info:
ISBN ISBN 1-55876-326-0
200pp
$68.95

Paperback Info:
ISBN ISBN 1-55876-327-9
200pp
$22.95

This a great book on Puerto Rican art. The choice of pieces for this collection is very good. Book is in English and Spanish. Good for reading or leaving on your coffee table.

This book presents in both spanish and english an excellent review of Puertorican art. From the great José Campeche to a contemporary Osiris Delgado, it gives everyone a description of the greatest painters and artists from Puerto Rico.

This is one of the most beautiful books one can ever read. "LLanto por Ignacio Sanchez Mejias" is a very powerful poem. The strong rhythm will dazzle you. "Romancero Gitano" is written with an eloquent spirit and you will enjoy it as much. I strongly recommend this book and any of Lorca's works.

This work by Lorca fortifies and makes the poetry richer. It gives it emotional, moral, and mental strength absent in the literary works of the late 19th and the early 20th century.

This book is everything I want in an art book! A lot of large color reproductions, mainly. Also bioigraphical info and pictures of the artist and his milieu. And a reasonable price!

"Romare Bearden: The Caribbean Dimension", co-authored by Sally Price and her husband Richard (both of whom are professor of American Studies, Anthropology, and History at the College of William and Mary in Virginia) showcases the life and work of the African American artist Romare Bearden (1911-1988) and his Caribbean work during his last twenty years with its themes of 'enchanted places and lush forest settings for sensuous female nudes. Also included is his 'Carnival' series revealing through an artist's eye the quintessential nature of this annual Caribbean celebration. Best known for his paintings and collages of jazz and the rural South, Bearden's work was postumously recognized with an exhibition at the national Gallery of Art in 2003. Enhanced with the inclusion of 130 paintings, as well as a profusion of photographs of Bearden and his friends, "Romare Bearden" also incorporates poet Derek Walcott and writer Albuert Murray's critical assessments of Bearden's enduring legacy, along with the thoughts of such luminaries as James Baldwin, Alvin Alley, and Ralph Ellison. Simply stated, no serious academic library American Art History collection can be considered complete or comprehensive without the inclusion of "Romare Bearden: The Caribbean Dimension".

The research here is remarkable. The scholarship is first-rate, the information exhaustive (although never definitive since world music grows with leaps and bounds moment by moment).

I love dipping into this attractively illustrated, logically organized, and utterly helpful guide to find whole realms of sound which I not only didn't know existed but also could not even have imagined existed without the help of these fine fans of the music about which they write so clearly and well.

The world today is a depressing place. Sorrow is everywhere one turns. But this celebration of music continually energizes and revivifies. Buy it; enjoy it; and expand your CD collection.

... this one is for Latin & North American, Caribbean, Indian, Asian/Pacific idioms. I picked up the original '94 edition to explore World Beat rhythms in improvisatory settings, and was excited to hear the new edition would cover two volumes. I am NOT displeased !!

This cookbook is fantastic! I was a little concerned when I got it that I wouldn't be able to prepare anything in it, but how wrong I was! The ingredients are fairly basic, and the instructions are simple enough that a supervised child could prepare some dishes.
I HIGHLY reccomend this to anyone in search of a great cookbook!

The food in this cookbook by Chef Rudi Sodamin is totally delicious! I heard about this book from a friend who went on a Royal Caribbean cruise and thought the food was great. I'm not usually a big fan of carrots, but these baked carrots with olive oil, dill, and a little maple syrup were just fantastic. The Osso Buco was the best my family ever had. Other dishes my family loved were the Grilled Island Strip Steak with Caramelized Onion and Rum Glaze, the Pasta, Shrimp, and Salmon Salad, and the Rigatoni Pesto.

Some other dishes I haven't tried yet but want to are the Chilled Roasted Peach Soup and Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes.

We love desserts, and one of them is worth the price of the book alone - the Flourless Chocolate Cake, a decadent treat that's a chocoholic's dream

Unlike some other cookbooks I've used, this is easy to cook from. The directions are simple and clear, and give you tips that make it foolproof.

It's organized to help you put together a whole meal - it goes from appetizers, soups and salads and follows through with pastas, entrees, and desserts. There are some delicious-sounding recipes for people watching their weight, too - like a Crunchy Chicken Salad with Granny Smith Apples and Bulgur.

For people looking for new ideas that are fun and so good your friends will ask for the recipe, this book really works!

This book is not only about healthier recipes but it tells you so much about health issues that the Hispanic community should be aware of. In a scale of 1-10, i'll give it a 10.

An excellent cook book with lots of color pictures. The food is interesting and full of great flavors. The author shows a great appreciation for people who love food, love to cook but are required to eat a low fat diet. People not on low fat diets will never know it's low fat and healthy if you don't tell them.

I have given this book to a lot of children and they all love it.
The story captures childrens' imaginations; the pictures are beautiful.
A really unique and special little book.

The School that Sank is a charming story for young children who are learning to read. It's both whimsical (adorable scene of sea life in the sunken school's classroom) and teaches the lesson of children, even at a young age, caring about and having an impact in their community. The book is well written and beautifully illustrated. Great addition to any child's collection!

Fulani is one of the best, and most underappreciated, writers working today. This is one of my favorite books. Her rendering of the relationships between an immigrant Jamaican family in England is heart-breaking. Her characters are fully realized, and all too human. She is one of the most important voices of her generation.

Seasons...is a great book for anyone interested in the culture and history of Blacks in England, and especially for readers who are familiar with Jamaican dialect. The story unfolds as told by a master story-teller and Fulani's use of Jamaican patois is so realistic that the dialogue echoes out loud from the pages adding a rich cultural dimension to the characters. There's something for everyone in this book: love, sex (not gratuitous or explicit, though), drama, mental illness, racial conflict and social consciousness. The context for all of these themes is an intriguing story of a young woman whose examination of her family's migration from a small Caribbean village to England in search of material well-being ultimately leads her back to her roots in Jamaica. I loved the book and eagerly look for more to come from this promising new writer.

Es un libro muy bien escrito y muy respetuoso. Diria que es una investigación muy original de la obra de Borges y que estimula la lectura de Borges No se si se publicara esto porque no esta en ingles.Pero quiero expresar mi admiración por este libro.

The complex, labyrinthine writings of Jorge Luis Borges are approached in this book from a Freudian perspective by an Argentine psychoanalyst and writer. Like a detective, Woscoboinik searches for clues, reiterations, bridges between different Borgean works. He avoids free-wheeling imaginative inferences and personal interpretations. In the course of his research he has gathered information on Borges's life from various and sundry sources, including numerous in-depth interviews.

Through close readings of several short stories, Woscoboinik follows Borges's path as he evolved from his "narcissistic solipsism" to the establishment of Oedipal links. He borrows the title of this book from Borges himself, who in "The Sect of the Phoenix" refers to sexual intercourse as "Secreto," understanding it only as an act of procreation. Hence Woscoboinik follows the track of fantasy associations, among them those relating to the "primary scene." Further chapters deal with the treatment of feminine characters in Borges's short stories, with the dreams and nightmares constantly retrieved and reiterated through his work, memory and the challenges of self-identification, and with the Borgean view of the problem of time.

Readers of this book need not have specialized knowledge either of literature or of psychoanalysis. Borges fans will find a respectful, non-reductionist interpretation of his work that will increase their admiration for him.