Book Review: The Puerto Rican War: A Graphic History

John Vasquez Mejias, The Puerto Rican War: a Graphic History. New York: Union & Square Company, 2024.  ISBN: 9781454952466.

Genre: Puerto Rico history, art

Subgenre: U.S. history, graphic novels

Format: e-book galley

Source: Edelweiss Plus 

 This graphic novel is both a work of history and a work of art. The book looks at the 1950 Nationalist armed insurrection in Puerto Rico, including an assassination attempt on U.S. President Harry Truman. This is a piece of history that is not always taught. I know it is not taught in the U.S. for the most part. Anecdotally, I taught social studies for a while in high school, and this story was not included in any U.S. History units. It certainly was not taught back in Puerto Rico when I was going to school there, and I am not sure if it is taught in schools now. This book provides a relatively easy way to learn about this crucial piece of history. 

The art is very good. The story is told in carved woodblock images done by the author. This book reprints the comic that now resides in New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art in their Thomas J. Watson Library. There may be one or two images that are not as clear, but overall the woodblock medium tells the story well. The art is expressive and can be moving at times. 

The book also includes a Puerto Rico Timeline and an insightful interview with the author where he discusses his art as well as some of the sources he used to create the narrative. At one point he talks about how he balanced two differing versions of an event to create the story he tells. 

Overall, I really liked this one. I definitely recommend it for all libraries with graphic novel and comics collections. This is one I would order for our library. 

4 out of 5 stars. 

This book qualifies for the following 2024 Reading Challenges: