Negotiating Paradise

“Offers the reader a nuanced understanding of how tourism, U.S. expansionism, and nationalist projects intertwine.” — NACLA Report on the Americas

“A long-awaited and immensely rich addition to the burgeoning literature on travel, tourism, and foreign relations. . . . The text deserves a wide audience among scholars of U.S. foreign relations, Latin American history, and cultural studies.” — Laura A. Belmonte, H-Diplo

“Merrill makes another good case for examining tourism through the new diplomatic lens.” — Dina Berger, H-Diplo

“[A] first-rate book on U.S. tourism to Mexico, Cuba, and Puerto Rico.” — Kristin Hoganson, H-Diplo

“Point[s] the way to new approaches to empire.” — Louis Perez, H-Diplo

“Not only refreshing but illuminating. . . . Equally informative and engaging. . . . The quality of the scholarship is high, the co-organisation of the cultural and political material is always thoughtful and insightful, and the structural and ‘agency’ perspectives and insights offered are convincing and powerful.” — Journal of Latin American Studies

“This comparative history of US tourism in Latin America in the 20th century shows that empire is a more textured, variable and interactive system of inequality and resistance than commonly assumed.” — Abstracts of Public Administration, Development, and Environment

“Sophisticated and nuanced. . . . Required reading for those interested in the development of tourism in Latin America, cultural enthusiasts . . . and students of Latin American history. Through a masterful blend of theoretical interpretation, the thoughtful use of accounts gleaned from archives, and a thorough understanding of U.S.-Latin American relations, Merrill has created a standard that will remain relevant for years to come in the fields of foreign relations and tourism development.” — Florida Historical Quarterly

“An excellent example of how interesting 'diplomatic history' can be when one looks beyond the diplomats. . . . Fascinating. . . . This absorbing, entertaining and revealing story is a widely applicable model for future upbeat case studies of tourism in other parts of the world.” — American Historical Review

“[A] beautifully researched book. . . . Negotiating Paradise will undoubtedly provoke fruitful debate.” — Journal of American History