The Hurricane Book: A Lyric History by Claudia Acevedo-Quiñones is now available! In this powerful debut, Acevedo-Quiñones pieces together the story of her family and Puerto Rico using a captivating combination of historical facts, poems, maps, overheard conversations, and flash essays. Organized around six major hurricanes that passed through the island in the last century, The Hurricane Book documents the myriad ways in which colonialism—particularly the relationship between the U.S. and the island—has seeped into the lives of Puerto Ricans, affecting how they and their land recover from catastrophe, as well as how families and citizens are bound to one another. Through accounts of relatives, folklore, and necessary escape, Acevedo-Quiñones illuminates both the tenderness and heartbreak of bonds with family and homeland.
Jaquira Díaz, author of Ordinary Girls: A Memoir, writes: “The Hurricane Book is an important work of art and archive, a blend of poetry, cartography, and Puerto Rican history. Alternating between playful language and sobering reality, Claudia Acevedo-Quiñones interrogates memory and truth, explores family secrets, and sheds light on the realities of colonialism. A multilayered, powerful book—The Hurricane Book is a gift.” Order your copy today!
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