The Constitutional Evolution of Puerto Rico and Other U.S. Territories

[disclaimer: Gustavo is a close friend. Nevertheless I'm trying to write as fair a review as I can.]

This is a collection of legal articles and judicial opinions, all of them quite readable even for this layman, tied together under a unifying theme and each prefaced with a short introduction. I found it powerful. Although I've read some of the pieces over the last ten years, reading them in one compilation and with the rest of the material was striking. The author, with remarkable professional detachment, strongly nails down the point that Puerto Rico's current status as an American colony is inconsistent with constitutional and democratic principles.

It's understandable why it remains so: no Congress and no Administration will want to touch this issue, it's a mess. It's understandable, but cowardly and indefensible—how much more so in these days after Hurricane María. I believe that most people reading this book would find it morally necessary to address and resolve PR's status; my hope is that this book reaches the right persons.