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
"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
"[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
"[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
"Meléndez-Badillo's fresh perspective illuminates the context and the ongoing challenges that the colony faces at this critical moment. Framing the narrative with his own family's story adds compelling insights into the island's history and the reasons for the inhabitants' to-ing and fro-ing throughout the years since the fateful encounter of 1492. Meticulously referenced with notes, an annotated bibliography, and a comprehensive index, this much needed and clarifying overview is rich in maps, illustrations, and images that add depth and texture. Meléndez-Badillo finds hope for a brighter future in Puerto Ricans themselves, especially in emerging leaders from a younger generation inspired by the 'collective rage' in Bad Bunny's song, 'El Apagon.'"—Sara Martinez, Booklist
"a stunning account of Puerto Rico’s history that invites readers to understand how Puerto Ricans negotiate, resist, and construct their identities within and in defiance of their colonial position. Consulting an exhaustive breadth of interdisciplinary scholarship within Puerto Rican studies...Meléndez-Badillo captures the attention of the reader with clear storytelling, historical rigor, and emotional care of the subject matter... Handled with care, [the book] asks readers to consider how the multiple visions of Puerto Rico within the context of colonialism inspires future struggles for a better tomorrow."—Manuel A. Grajales, H-Caribbean Reviews
"As an academic with roots in Puerto Rico, Meléndez-Badillo delves deeply into the island's national history, providing a nuanced perspective on its unique, complex, and evolving national identity. His expert analysis sheds light on the intricate interplay between cultural, political, and social forces that have shaped Puerto Rico over the centuries. Meléndez-Badillo's work stands out for its depth of insight and its honest examination of both the challenges and opportunities in Puerto Rico's past and future."—Jwahr Alotaibi, H-Ethnic Reviews
"At the heart of Puerto’s Rico’s many problems...is the relationship between a corrupt, entitled and all-but transnational elite and their imperial masters. This makes Meléndez-Badillo’s history of Puerto Rico refreshing, focusing as he does on the travails and travels of its working-class emigrants who over time have been the main losers of a colonial political process built upon corruption"—Gavin O'Toole, Latin American Review of Books
"The changing figuration of the nation that Meléndez-Badillo writes about has been nothing more than a precise response to the challenges imposed by the arbitrary gaze of those who introduced the place we call Puerto Rico into the European-Western cultural and material circuits.... The nation is an impulse that responds to the challenges of those diverse modernities to which communities are introduced: it is an act of resistance…. The “history of a nation” that [Meléndez-Badillo] claims as his own is something more than a mere academic exercise. It is true that the nation is formulated through “history,” but it is also a lived experience. Puerto Rico...is a work that deserves numerous readings. I hope mine will help stimulate a broader discussion on the subject."—Mario Cancel Sepúlveda, Siglo 22
“It has been a double privilege to translate Jorell Meléndez-Badillo’s brilliant book into Spanish and to have been invited on board the inaugural journey of this wonderful series of collaborations between Princeton University Press and Grupo Planeta. Working with Meléndez-Badillo on the Spanish version of this beautifully written and thoroughly thought-out book was a delightful and illuminating experience; a translator’s dream.”—Aurora Lauzardo, translator of Puerto Rico: A National History
“I finished reading this book with tears in my eyes. This is a book that many Puerto Ricans should read for their individual and collective good. With the rigor of a well-trained historian, Jorell Meléndez-Badillo goes beyond traditional accounts and, with clarity and precision, with courage and honesty, offers a national history of Puerto Rico and a call to conscience.”—Aníbal González-Pérez, Yale University
“Puerto Rico is a much-needed retelling of the island nation’s story. Jorell Meléndez-Badillo’s centering of workers’ movements, women, and queer activism as vital sources of political history resurrects Puerto Rico’s silenced past. The usual suspects of established two-party politics are all here, but the riveting context of an array of actors from the bottom up as well as the author’s personal narrative make it a rewarding read.”—Ed Morales, author of Fantasy Island: Colonialism, Exploitation, and the Betrayal of Puerto Rico
“Written with urgency and care, Jorell Meléndez-Badillo’s Puerto Rico eschews a top-down narrative of colonial violence and instead amplifies Puerto Ricans’ vibrant and creative forms of resistance. As Puerto Rico finds itself in a moment of deepening crisis, the histories recounted in this book provide lessons about how Puerto Ricans have always found ways to imagine and fight for a future rooted in freedom.”—Marisol LeBrón, author of Policing Life and Death: Race, Violence, and Resistance in Puerto Rico
