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

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"Fearless necessary reporting . . . Klein exposes the 'battle of utopias' that is currently unfolding in storm-ravaged Puerto Ricoa battle that pits a pitilessly neoliberal plutocratic paradise' against a community movement with Puerto Rican sovereignty at its center. Junot Daz

"We are in a fight for our lives. Hurricanes Irma and Mara 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" Yulin 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. For more information, visit http://juntegente.org/.

Naomi Klein is an award-winning journalist, syndicated columnist, documentary filmmaker and author of the international bestsellers No Logo: Taking Aim at the Brand Bullies, The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism, This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate, and No Is Not Enough.

Reviews

"Fearless necessary reporting . . .Kleinexposes the 'battle of utopias' that is currently unfolding in storm-ravaged Puerto Ricoa battle that pits a pitilessly neoliberal plutocratic paradise' against a community movement with Puerto Rican sovereignty at its center. Junot Daz

"We are in a fight for our lives. Hurricanes Irma and Mara 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 Yuln Cruz, Mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico

NaomiKleinconcisely reveals to us what Puerto Rico has faced, shock after shock, before Hurricane Maria and after it and also the voices of people who believe and build a future for Puerto Rico from the strength of their communities."
Ana Irma Rivera Lassn, feminist, human rights activist, former president of the Puerto Rico Bar Association

Like so many of my generation, Ive been a reader of Naomi Kleins since the late 90s, always finding something to learn from her rigorous reporting and thoughtful analysis. Theres no-one better to tell the story of Hurricane Maria and its global significance than Naomi. In the face of speculation, exploitation and climate crisis, this book calls on us to recognize Puerto Ricos struggle for democracy, justice, and human life itself, as our own. Ada Colau

What shocks' in this work is the resilient spirit del pueblo boricu. They become the metaphor, the meaning and the maker of possiblity. And one is left immeasurably hopeful. Cherre Moraga, Las Maestras Center for Chicana Indigenous Thought & Art Practice, UCSB

A gripping and timely account of classic 'shock doctrine' being perpetrated in Puerto Rico. Naomi 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 Washingtons imposition of an outside control board over the most important U.S. colony." Juan Gonzlez, co-host ofDemocracy Now!and author ofHarvest of Empire: A History of Latinos in America.

Against the rampant greed of disaster capitalism, only radical solidarity can provide the way forward for Puerto Rico. To build it, our approach must be grounded in uncovering and combating the strategies that have been developed to deprive an entire nation of its human rights and its ability to defend itself. Klein's work does precisely this, inspiring a unified vision to create the Puerto Rico we need. Amrilis Pagn Jimnez

Author Bio

Naomi Klein is an award-winning journalist, syndicated columnist, documentary filmmaker and author of the international bestsellers No Logo: Taking Aim at the Brand Bullies, The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism, This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate, and No Is Not Enough.

She is Senior Correspondent for The Intercept, and contributor to the Nation Magazine. She is also a Puffin Foundation Writing Fellow at The Nation Institute and her writing appears widely in such publications as The New York Times, Le Monde, The Guardian. Klein is a member of the board of directors for climate-action group350.organd one of the organizers behind Canadas Leap Manifesto, a blueprint for a rapid and justice-based transition off fossil fuels. In November 2016 she was awarded Australias prestigious Sydney Peace Prize for, according to the prize jury, inspiring us to stand up locally, nationally and internationally to demand a new agenda for sharing the planet that respects human rights and equality.

Her books have been translated into more than thirty languages.