Puerto Rico Strong

LIBRARY JOURNAL -- When Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico in 2017, the island faced a death toll of nearly 3,000 and billions of dollars in damage. The sluggishness of federal aid efforts and tepid public response revealed that many Americans did not realize that Puerto Ricans are Americans, too-not a “them” but an “us.” While the hurricane is the obvious thread running throughout this benefit anthology, the stories are not necessarily about the disaster; the recurring theme is Puerto Rican pride, a call for solidarity as the island rebuilds. Exploring topics as varied as the zemi god of Taíno lore (Marco Lopez and others' “Of Myth & Monsters”) to the forced sterilization of women in the 1930s-60s (Ally Shwed's “La Operación”) to the experience of contemporary Puerto Ricans living on the U.S. mainland (Tara Martinez and Rod Espinosa's “Breaking Bread”), the writing and art styles are sometimes uneven but always heartfelt.
VERDICT A similar benefit collection, Ricanstruction: Reminiscing & Rebuilding Puerto Rico, features higher-profile comics creators, but one of the strengths of this volume is its inclusion of lesser-known, up-and-comers-a worthy addition to any library.-Ingrid Bohnenkamp, Springfield-Greene Cty. Lib. Dist., MO