The Taste of Sugar
Books | Fiction / Literary
3.7
(73)
Marisel Vera
It is 1898, and groups of starving Puerto Ricans, los hambrientos, roam the parched countryside and dusty towns begging for food. Under the yoke of Spanish oppression, the Caribbean island is forced to prepare to wage war with the United States. Up in the mountainous coffee region of Utuado, Vicente Vega and Valentina Sanchez labor to keep their small farm from the creditors. When the Spanish-American War and the great San Ciriaco Hurricane of 1899 bring devastating upheaval, the young couple is lured, along with thousands of other puertorriquenos, to the sugar plantations of Hawaii—another US territory—where they are confronted by the hollowness of America’s promises of prosperity. Writing in the tradition of great Latin American storytelling, Marisel Vera’s The Taste of Sugar is an unforgettable novel of love and endurance, and a timeless portrait of the reasons we leave home.
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Author
Marisel Vera
Pages
384
Publisher
National Geographic Books
Published Date
2020-06-16
ISBN
1631497731 9781631497735
Community ReviewsSee all
"Very interesting read. Made me realize how little I really know. "
Millie Alvarez
"Ultimately, I don’t think this is one of those books you “enjoy” in the traditional sense. Did I learn a lot? Absolutely. Would I recommend it? Hell yes. Are you going to be emotional gutted and not ok from the storyline? Well, yeah, and there’s the rub: it’s really freaking sad. But so is a lot of horrid history, therefore it can hardly be used as an excuse to avoid it. If we are so afraid to look at the horrors of the past, how can we address them in the future? Because let me tell you, that ****’s cyclical.<br/><br/>In fact, I felt like I learned more about Puerto Rico today through this historical lens than any history tome I read in school (but don’t get me up on that soap box, I’ll never come down). I admired the authors deft handling of the same issues that exist with the nebulous definition of “territory” today that they had in 1898…and yes, this has been a discussion for over 100 years with hardly any improvement. <br/><br/>This was an excellent supplement to my recent visit to Puerto Rico, and while it wasn’t a lighthearted beach read, it opened my eyes to historical events I wouldn’t have known about otherwise."
A P
Allie Peduto
