Puerto Rico Mio (Paperback)

~ Delano J (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Delano, who first visited Puerto Rico in 1941 as a photographer for the Farm Security Administration, returned 40 years later to film again the Puerto Rican landscapes and lives he had come to love. Introduced by four brief essays in both English and Spanish by Delano and educator Arturo Morales Carrion, art historian Alan Fern and anthropologist Sidney W. Mintz, the 175 duotones collected here reflect "the ambiguous, divided situation of a country with which the North Americans have not known how to cope." But Delano's editorial eye proves implacably unimaginative, undermining the power of his photographic vision. The images are organized according to two indefatigably repeated principles: contrast (in one spread, tobacco fields of decades past abut a new housing development) and timeless constancy (another pair of photos depicts sugarcane laborers of 1941 and 1981 who are all but identical). Yet, taken individually, his pictures include honest, beautiful, persuasive portraits of farmers and their mules, exquisitely specific domestic still lifes, and poetic evocations of anonymous solitudes.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

This handsome collection contrasts duotones Delano shot from 1941 to 1942 while working for the Farm Security Administration with photographs of the same places in the 1980s. They document more effectively than prose the island's transformation from an agrarian to a primarily urban culture. Heavy machines cut the surgarcane once harvested by oxen and farmers; women who strung tobacco leaves assemble electronic circuitboards; stevedores, barefooted and barechested when they hauled sacks of coffee and tobacco, now protect themselves with headgear, gloves, and safety shoes to handle manufactured goods. Delano's love for his adopted country and his subjects' enthusiasm for his projects shine from these photographs. Four essays in English and Spanish add cultural, historical, and aesthetic perspectives.
- Lisa Mullenneaux, Iowa City
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 242 pages
• Publisher: Smithsonian (April 17, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0874743893
• ISBN-13: 978-0874743890
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 9.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #45,928 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A piece of history in your hands!, November 10, 1998

By A Customer

After spending six years living abroad as a photojournalist, in and around other Caribbean countries, I feel confident in saying that this is the most honest and beautiful book I've seen on Puerto Rico. Some of the side-by-side dated photo comparisons are incredibly insightful to the changes the island has gone through during it's "commonwealth" identity crisis. I stayed in Puerto Rico for a couple of years, and though it presently has much to offer, it's history was the most interesting topic of study. This book is an incredible collection of pre-1980's photos, from a real "people's" photographer, that I proudly pull out when friends ask me about my impression of Puerto Rico.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Memories of joyful, heartfelt splendor fill the soul., December 17, 1998

By A Customer

The pages of this pictorial opus expresses the legacy, struggle, beauty, misery, joy of Puerto Rico of days past. Second, third generation Puerto Ricans will reconnect with their roots page by page. This is surely an enlighting photo memoir of our People, the images speak louder then words. The power of photograph comes to light in these pages, and Delano did it so well. Delano saves the spirit of Puerto Rico's past, once thought to be lost with faded memories. This is a book to keep for oneself, it strenghtens one's soul.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A powerful photo essay about change in Puerto Rico, February 24, 2001

By A Customer

This book is fascinating! After spending an hour with this book I felt like I really knew what time has meant to Borinquen. Hearing family stories is one thing, but seeing pictures from when they were growing up is another. Anyone interested in Puerto Rican history should have this book.