Puerto Rico

A National History

By: Jorell Meléndez-Badillo

Narrated by: Tony Chiroldes

This audiobook narrated by Tony Chiroldes traces the multifaceted history of Puerto Rico from pre-Columbian times to today

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

©2024 Jorell Meléndez-Badillo (P)2024 Princeton University Press

Critic reviews

“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

It's a good start

This is a good, high level look at the history of PR with its unfortunate colonial past and present. There are many ares, times and topics that deserve and need significant more in depth look and analysis, while some items take more real state on the book than deserved. Overall a really good work that should entice the curious to ask a lot questions and provoke more in depth studies .

A much needed comprehensive history

Taking on more than half a century’s worth of nation building and contestation, historian Jorell Meléndez-Badillo emphasizes the many Puerto Ricos that have been made possible by violence, resistance, and the consistent imagination of a liberatory future for Puerto Ricans everywhere.

A clear history from the Taino Indians through Hurricane Maria and more.

What touched me the most was the severity of Hurricane Maria and the damage, destruction and lack of basic services, Residents were without safe drinking water for months! They are a US territory and It was Shameful the way ex Trump, disrespected and attacked the Puerto Rican people, when they were at their lowest. Saying, “Puerto Rico was costing the U.S. a lot of money” Jerk! Hundreds died as a result of that storm.

Mi nombre va pa' las museos, va pa' los libro'

It is heavy with history. As a historian, Jorell Meléndez-Badillo tells a compelling story with many known and unknown facts that all Puerto Ricans and those who appreciate the diaspora should partake in.

A Must Read for anyone wanting to learn more about PR

The release of this book came at a perfect time for me. I’ve been wanting to dive deeper into the history of Puerto Rico and this book is an excellent way to do just that. The author does an amazing job of laying things out in an easy to follow manner. The narration was superb. I learned so much and will be reading/listening to it again in the future. “Puerto Rico A Natural History” will make you feel every emotion. I can’t recommend it enough.

i could not put this down!

i’ve never read a book in two days- until now! do yourself a favor and read it!

A brief history for a beautiful island: not trash

It is amazing listening and remembering the clases I took about the history of PR. It is unable to go in depth but a great starting point to understanding how we got to where we are. It is nice to see other things from PR historical figures.

Good Narration, but seemingly Pro socialist

I was underwhelmed. I was expecting a more comprehensive deep dive into the socioeconomic history of why Puerto Rico is what it is. This hit the wave tops but with a socialist slant. I'm glad I read it because it provided some of the pieces to the Puerto Rican puzzle, but it is far from complete.