History of Puerto Rico: A Panorama of its People

Although we have read sections of the original Spanish version of Fernando Picó's well-known general history of Puerto Rico, it was definitely worthwhile to revisit and read the entirety of the text. Picó manages to condense 500 years of history into about 300 pages and cover most of the major themes, areas in need of greater historical research, and present a coherent narrative on the formation of a people. While we believe there could have been a better historical background on the African origins of the Puerto Rican population, and perhaps a more sustained effort to integrate the diaspora with the later history of the island, this might be the best general history. Picó also proposes tantalizing possible explanations for the failures of the independence movement on the island, the legacy of racial discrimination and slavery and a rather bleak but honest assessment of the relationship with the US. To understand the current problems of Puerto Rico in the 21st century, especially the central dilemmas of independence, colonialism and economic development and the best path to reach it, Puerto Rico is a relevant case study for Latin America and the Caribbean.