Whatever you thought you knew about Puerto Rico has probably been changed by the news and images coming from the Caribbean’s “Rich Port” in the days since Hurricane Maria devastated the island. Maria’s wrath made history in the Caribbean and its impact on the United States will likely also become historic: economically, culturally and politically.

It’s time to reconsider Puerto Rico. Many great books bring it to life, opening the door to the island and its people, the past and the potential for our shared future. They include:

Non-Fiction
Vida – Oscar Lewis
Puerto Rico, A Political & Cultural History – Arturo Morales Carrión
When I Was Puerto Rican – Esmeralda Santiago
History of Puerto Rico: A Panorama of Its People – Fernando Picó

Fiction
Eccentric Neighborhood – Rosario Ferré
Stories from Puerto Rico – Robert L. Muckley & Adela Martinez

Anthology
Boricuas: Influential Puerto Rican Writings – Roberto Santiago

Poetry
Song of the Simple Truth: The Complete Poems of Julia de Burgos – Julia de Burgos

“Immigrant goes to America,
Many hellos in America;
Nobody knows in America
Puerto Rico’s in America!” – America (from West Side Story) – lyrics by Stephen Sondheim