"Five centuries after Columbus discovered and the Spanish colonized Borinquen, Puerto Rico is today the oldest European settlement under the American flag. And yet, nearly a century after the Stars and Stripes were first raised over Puerto Rico, it remains the least understood part of America. Separated from the mainland by hundreds of miles of ocean and cultural, linguistic and historical divide of proportionate magnitude, Puerto Rico and her people remain enigmas to the vast majority of Americans on the continent. Paradoxically, those elements which contribute to this gap in understanding are the very factors which make Puerto Rico the most fascinating and complex of the many parts of the American whole, a unique cultural blend of the Spanish-Caribbean joie de vivre and the North American drive for organization and forward-thinking. In this new volume author-photographer Roger LaBrucherie (whose first book about the island, Images of Puerto Rico, has been a best-seller since its publication in 1984) has focused on his sentimental attachment for the island's natural beauty and cultural heritage. The result is a stunning and insightful depiction of this complex and beautiful island, a book which will educate those who are just getting to know Puerto Rico, as surely as it will delight those for whom Borinquen is home." -- Publisher's description

“This book is a detailed, well-researched history of how a community of Puerto Ricans came to be in the heart if America. Puerto Rico owes a debt of gratitude to the author and should declare Dr. Tavenner an “honorary Boricua” for the extraordinary effort she has put into documenting the factual history and the fascinating life story of her Puerto Rican neighbor in Lorain, Ohio” ---Secretary of State and Lt. Governor of Puerto Rico, Kenneth McClintock “These Memoirs are reflective of an educational journey in search of ways to better understand and serve individuals, communities, and institutions as a servant leader, unconditionally.”] ---Dr. Generosa Lopez-Molina, Educational Leadership