yasidiaz's review against another edition

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challenging dark informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

5.0

As a Puerto Rican, born and raised on the island, this was a difficult but necessary read. Oftentimes, I found myself indignant, enraged, and heartbroken. As an independentista (independist) myself, reading about the rise and fall of the Nationalists tore me to pieces, but as Angela Davis reminds me Freedom is a constant struggle. Just like el Maestro, Pedro Albizu Campos, I will never stop dreaming about a Puerto Rico Libre.

The book read like a novel, the way it narrated different key moments of the nationalist movement. The way it described the abuses imposed by the US government on my homeland... I had to stop at times. It is a hard read, but if you want to read more about US Imperialism, this is a very needed read. The Nationalist Party might have died with Albizu Campus, but the need for free Puerto Rico hasn't, the abuses of the empire might not be the same, but are still here. 

And lastly,
Puerto Rico y Palestina libres serĂ¡n. 

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tine9625's review against another edition

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challenging dark informative tense medium-paced

5.0

An engaging, concise history of the rise and fall of the nationalist party in Puerto Rico. 

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cc0906's review against another edition

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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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