D. Jill Savitt
The following books have been divided into two broad categories; those that deal with Puerto Rico and its people, and those that deal with sexuality and its ramifications. Some books do overlap in their content area. The books that will be used in the classroom, both fictional sources and non-fiction resources are described within the unit or at the end.
I. Puerto Rico and its Culture
Cooper, Paulette, ed.
Growing Up Puerto Rican
. New York and Scarborough, Ontario: The New American Library, Inc., 1973.
Valuable for the teacher as an informative natural resource. Handy also in the classroom for stimulating discussions. Frank and vivid.
Bourne, Dorothy and James.
Thirty Years of Change in Puerto Rico
. New York: Frederick A. Praeger, 1966.
Chapter 9 is most useful as it addresses marital satisfaction. Deals heavily with Puerto Rico’s status somewhere between a traditional and a modern society.
Lopez, Adalberto and James Petras, eds.
Puerto Rico and Puerto Ricans:
(Studies in History and Society)
. New York: Schenkman Publishing Co., 1974.
More of a political resource.
Mendez, E. Fernandez.
Portrait of a Society
. Puerto Rico: University of Puerto Rico Press, 1972.
Less useful than the other books here in that it deals with factual findings rather than cultural and social issues.
Mills, C. Wright, Clarence Sencer and Rose Goldson.
The Puerto Rican
Journey
. New York: Harper & Row, 1950.
Earlier view of Puerto Rican family and relationship patterns. Chapter 6 especially interesting.
Padilla, Elena.
Up From Puerto Rico
. New York: Columbia University Press, 1958.
Very helpful and sensitive study of the migration of the Puerto Rican to the U.S. mainland (New York) and the societal and cultural changes inherent in that move.
Stycos J. Mayone.
Family and Fertility in Puerto Rico
. New York: Columbia University Press, 1955.
Can be read as background to Padilla’s study in that it shares the life of the Puerto Rican before migration. Deals heavily with machismo, virginity, courting, marital satisfaction and birth control problems. Extremely helpful.
Tumin, Melvin and Arnold Feldman.
Social Class and Social Change
in
Puerto Rico
. Indianapolis and New York: Bobbs-Merrill Co., 1961.
Less useful but does talk of consensual unions and their relationship to the lower class.
Wells, Henry.
The Modernization of Puerto Rico
. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1969.
Aptly described as a political study of changing values and institutions.
II. Sexuality and other related topics.
Beach, Frank, ed.
Human Sexuality in Four Perspectives
. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1976.
Assigned reading that proved very helpful in defining sex role standards and sex role identity. Fascinating chapter, (5), by William Davenport on “Sex in Cross Cultural Perspective.”
Lorimer, Frank.
Culture and Human Fertility
. Zurich: Unesco, 1954.
Intriguing study of the connection between culture and fertility. Factual at times and not much vital information on Puerto Rico.
Mead, Margaret.
Coming of Age in Samoa
. New York: Blue Ribbon Books, 1928.
It may seen dated and alien to our work, but it proves ever fascinating as a cross cultural comparison. Can be used with the students as a valuable resource for discussing traditions, changes and differences.
Rainwater, Lee. “Sex in the Culture of Poverty,” in
The Individual
Sex and Society
. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press, 1969.
Excellent article that can be used to discuss myths and truths dealing with sex and class.