Recommended Books

History

• The Caribbean People, by Reginald Honychurch. In three volumes, this is a well-balanced account written by one of the so-called new historians of the Caribbean.
• Puerto Rico: A Political and Cultural History, by Artura Morales Carrion This is one of the best major overviews of Puerto Rican history and culture.
• A Short History of Puerto Rico, by Morton Golding. This book suits those who want their history readable and condensed.
• Sugar and Slavery in Puerto Rico: The Plantation Economy of Ponce, 1800-1850, by Francisco A. Scarano. Scarano produces a scholarly study of an agrarian region of Puerto Rico far removed from the Spanish-controlled capital of San Juan.

Politics

• Puerto Rico: A Colonial Experiment, by Ramon Carr. Carr offers one of the most insightful views of island politics, which have been called the national religion of Puerto Rico.
• Puerto Rico: Commonwealth or Colony? by Roberta Johnson. This book attempts to answer the title's provocative question.
• Puerto Rico: Commonwealth, State, or Nation? by Byron Williams. This book offers a pointed discussion of the major Puerto Rican self-determination movements.
• The United States and Puerto Rico: Breaking the Bonds of Economic Colonialism, by Roland I. Perusse. This book traces the history of trade relations in Puerto Rico, the second-largest Western trading partner of the United States, after Canada. It is a cultural and economic survey with a strongly politicized point of view.