The Battle for Paradise: Puerto Rico Takes on the Disaster Capitalists

Naomi Klein

Jun 2018 · Haymarket Books

About this ebook

Fearless necessary reporting . . . Klein exposes the ‘battle of utopias’ that is currently unfolding in storm-ravaged Puerto Rico” (Junot Díaz, author of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao)
 
“We are in a fight for our lives. Hurricanes Irma and María unmasked the colonialism we face in Puerto Rico, and the inequality it fosters, creating a fierce humanitarian crisis. Now we must find a path forward to equality and sustainability, a path driven by communities, not investors. And this book explains, with careful and unbiased reporting, only the efforts of our community activists can answer the paramount question: What type of society do we want to become and who is Puerto Rico for?” —Carmen Yulín Cruz, Mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico
 
In the rubble of Hurricane Maria, Puerto Ricans and ultrarich “Puertopians” are locked in a pitched struggle over how to remake the island. In this vital and startling investigation, bestselling author and activist Naomi Klein uncovers how the forces of shock politics and disaster capitalism seek to undermine the nation’s radical, resilient vision for a “just recovery.”
 
All royalties from the sale of this book in English and Spanish go directly to JunteGente, a gathering of Puerto Rican organizations resisting disaster capitalism and advancing a fair and healthy recovery for their island.
 
“Klein chronicles the extraordinary grassroots resistance by the Puerto Rican people against neoliberal privatization and Wall Street greed in the aftermath of the island’s financial meltdown, of hurricane devastation, and of Washington’s imposition of an outside control board over the most important U.S. colony.” —Juan González, cohost of Democracy Now! and author of Harvest of Empire: A History of Latinos in America

Ratings and reviews

This was an incredibly well written look at the fight for liberation and freedom in the world's oldest colony. Puerto Rico has been used and abused by both U.S. capital and the U.S. government for decades; it is time this stopped. As Puerto Ricans, Borinquenos, recover from the disaster created by a combination of natural and socio-economic causes, looking to how we can claim our sovereignty regardless of laws passed by the invading government (the U.S.) or by our own corrupt government officials, will be integral in realizing the future for our people. Puerto Rico deserves to be free. And the past two years have shown that the only people who truly care about the culture, history and beauty of Puerto Rico, are the People of the island itself.

Relevant and to the point.

About the author

Naomi Klein is an award-winning journalist, syndicated columnist, and author of the international bestsellers No Logo, The Shock Doctrine, and most recently This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate. In 2017 she joined The Intercept as Senior Correspondent.