Making Never-Never Land

“Jiménez presents an insightful legal analysis of Puerto Rico and how the U.S. government treats it. . . . Both scholars and general readers interested in learning more about Puerto Rico’s past and recent history will appreciate this work.”—Library Journal

“[Making Never-Never Land] argues that Puerto Rico’s colonial status stems from the US’s denial to deal with its racist legal history . . . [and] shows that the US has had chances to deal with its colonial problem but has purposely declined to do so. . . . Jiménez makes a good contribution to the seemingly never-ending discussion of what exactly is Puerto Rico’s political relation to the US, and what exactly are Puerto Ricans’ legal rights under the US Constitution.”—Society for US Intellectual History

“Jiménez’s Making Never-Never Land arrives at a crucial moment when Puerto Rican Studies scholars are examining critically how the United States treats its overseas territories. She not only expands these conversations but also moves beyond centering the debate on the Insular Cases, critically interrogating their lasting impact on Puerto Rico today.”—Not Even Past

“Making Never-Never Land is a short book with a simple but provocative main question: What is Puerto Rico to the United States? . . . Jiménez interpolates autobiography with her own family’s history, providing short vignettes of everyday life in twentieth-century Puerto Rico throughout some of the volume’s five chapters.”—American Historical Review

“Making Never-Never Land is a compelling and revealing analysis of the impact of the combination of racialization and the legal system on perpetuating social inequality.”—Diplomatic History

'Making Never-Never Land explores the racialization of Puerto Rico through the law . . . Recommended. General readers and lower-division undergraduates."—CHOICE

“Jiménez argues that despite Puerto Rico’s unique position as a twenty-first century colony, its path to that place was not exceptional.”—Law and Social Inquiry

“This fantastic book, which traces the racial logics that have informed US legal decisions that undermine Puerto Rico’s sovereignty, will have a tremendous impact across Puerto Rican studies, legal studies, American studies, Native American studies, and other fields.”—Joaquín Villanueva, Gustavus Adolphus College

“A timely and important contribution to our understanding of the long colonial crisis in Puerto Rico under US rule. Taking seriously the injunction to study history from the margins, Jiménez uses Puerto Rico as a case study for the operation of US settler colonialism as a racial and legal project.”—Samuel Erman, University of Michigan