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challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.5

This book is a gripping and devastating read, but such a necessary one. 

I'm a Puerto Rican woman who grew up in the states. I was taught the bare minimum about Puerto Rico in school, and my relatives didn't really speak of the island's past, so I endeavored to find a good book to teach me its history from the time the U.S. colonized it in 1898. Here, Denis has put together a meticulously researched account of the events that took place in Puerto Rico in the first half of the 20th century.

Let me emphasize that this is not an easy read. It took me a while to get through the book because at times, the accounts were hard to stomach and I needed to read it in small doses. But it's important to learn of the atrocities the U.S. has perpetuated against the people of Puerto Rico and others. It's important to know of Puerto Rico's turmoiled past to understand its troubled present. And it's important to keep the stories of the victims alive. 

I do wish that the book more thoroughly covered the last 70 years, and at times it was a little repetitive due to the way the book is structured, but overall, this was a great read on the subject.

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