American sugar kingdom : the plantation economy of the Spanish Caribbean, 1898-1934 /

This is an outstanding book. Ayala (Lehman College, CUNY) addresses how the changing organizational structure of the US sugar industry in the late 19th and early 20th centuries led to, and was conditioned by, the dominance of US sugar producers in Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and Cuba. This ambitious project required the author to keep straight the complex interactions of US producers, island sugar systems, and other competitors at a time of major political changes in the US and the Caribbean. Through careful attention to the development of argument, evidence, and context, the author accomplishes this with style, economy, and unusual clarity. Along the way, he makes important and innovative suggestions on continuing debates about how to frame studies of plantation economies and societies, the transitions from slavery, and the politics of industrial organization. The respect with which he handles approaches and scholars with whom he disagrees should be a model for academic discourse. Tables, figures, maps, and an excellent bibliography. Very highly recommended for libraries serving upper-division undergraduate and graduate students and faculty with interests in the Caribbean, US history from the Progressive Era to the Depression, imperialism, and associated topics. F. S. Weaver; Hampshire College