Nelson Antonio Denis is an American attorney, author, film director, and former representative to the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Assem ...

. From 1997 through 2000, Denis represented

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

's 68th Assembly district, which includes the

East Harlem East Harlem, also known as Spanish Harlem or and historically known as Italian Harlem, is a neighborhood of Upper Manhattan, New York City, roughly encompassing the area north of the Upper East Side and bounded by 96th Street to the south, F ...

and

Spanish Harlem East Harlem, also known as Spanish Harlem or and historically known as Italian Harlem, is a neighborhood of Upper Manhattan, New York City, roughly encompassing the area north of the Upper East Side and bounded by 96th Street to the south, Fif ...

neighborhoods, both highly populated by Latinos.Navarro, Mireya, (2003-5-6)
''Smile, You're on Candidate Camera: With an Insider's Eye, a Film Skewers Harlem Politics''
The New York Times As the editorial director for ''

El Diario La Prensa ''El Diario Nueva York'' is the largest and the oldest Spanish-language daily newspaper in the United States. Published by ImpreMedia, the paper covers local, national and international news with an emphasis on Latin America, as well as human-in ...

'', Denis published over 300 editorials and won the "Best Editorial Writing" award from the

National Association of Hispanic Journalists The National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) is a Washington, D.C.-based organization dedicated to the advancement of Hispanic and Latino journalists in the United States and Puerto Rico. It was established in 1984. NAHJ has approxima ...

.Author Biography: Nelson Denis; ''Hachette Book Group''
/ref>Washington Times Book Review; ''Puerto Rico is a US Colony;'' May 10, 2015
/ref>Sofrito For Your Soul; ''War Against All Puerto Ricans by Nelson A. Denis,'' July 4, 2015
/ref> His most recent work is ''War Against All Puerto Ricans'', a non-fiction book, about the life of

Puerto Rican independence Throughout the history of Puerto Rico, Puerto Ricans, its inhabitants have initiated several movements to obtain independence for the island, first from the Spanish Empire from 1493 to 1898 and since then from the United States. A spectrum of p ...

leader Pedro Albizu Campos, and the treatment of Puerto Rican nationalists by agencies of the United States government.Sam Roberts, "The last Big Colony and the First Suburb," New York Times, August 23, 2015
/ref>Ray Monell, "Author Nelson Denis releases new book ''War Against All Puerto Ricans: Revolution and Terror in America's Colony''," New York Daily News, February 12, 2015
/ref>

Early life

Denis was born in New York City

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle Ag ...

of Manhattan to Antonio Denis Jordan, a native of Cuba of French descent, and Sarah Denis, originally from Puerto Rico. After his father was peremptorily deported back to his homeland, when Nelson was eight years old, he was raised by his mother and grandmother. Denis went on to graduate from

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...

in 1977, where he earned a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

in Government, and then a ''

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

'' (J.D.) from

Yale Law School Yale Law School (Yale Law or YLS) is the law school of Yale University, a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was established in 1824 and has been ranked as the best law school in the United States by ''U ...

in 1980. He then went to work as an attorney with the New York law firm of

Donovan, Leisure, Newton & Irvine Donovan, Leisure, Newton & Irvine was an American white-shoe law firm, located in New York. It was founded in 1929 by General William "Wild Bill" Donovan, who was often referenced as the Father of the CIA. The firm dissolved in 1998. Its notable ...

.Rising Stars Battle in East Harlem – New York Times
Nytimes.com (1996-08-19). Retrieved on 2012-02-04.Hicks, Jonathan, (2000-8-15

The New York Times

Journalism and writing

Denis's screenplays have won awards from the

New York State Council on the Arts The New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) is an arts council serving the U.S. state of New York. It was established in 1960 through a bill introduced in the New York State Legislature by New York State Senator MacNeil Mitchell (1905–1996), ...

, the

New York Foundation for the Arts The New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) is an independent 501(c)(3) charity, funded through government, foundation, corporate, and individual support, established in 1971. It is part of a network of national not-for-profit arts organizations ...

, and CineFestival.W.T. Whitney, Jr., "New Book Offers No Optimism for a Free Puerto Rico," ''People's World,'' Nov. 12, 2015.
/ref>''Visiting Author to Discuss Book on Puerto Rico,'' California State University Long Beach; September 15, 2015
/ref> He also wrote and directed the feature-length film ''Vote For Me!'' which premiered at the

Tribeca Film Festival The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by TriBeCa Productions, Tribeca Productions. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive progra ...

. Denis wrote the screenplay adaptation of his own book ''War Against All Puerto Ricans'' (Nation Books, 2015). According to The Daily News a feature film of ''War Against All Puerto Ricans'' was being planned from this screenplay and several actors, including Luís Guzmán, were interested in the project.''This War is Escalating,'' New York Daily News, June 10, 2016
/ref> For several years Denis was the editorial director of ''

'', the largest Spanish-language newspaper in New York City, where he published over 300 editorials and received the "Best Editorial Writing" award from the

. Denis also wrote editorials for the

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

,Denis, Nelson, (9/25/17), ''The Jones Act: The law strangling Puerto Rico,'' New York Times
/ref>
/ref>

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...

,
/ref>

The Nation ''The Nation'' is an American liberal biweekly magazine that covers political and cultural news, opinion, and analysis. It was founded on July 6, 1865, as a successor to William Lloyd Garrison's '' The Liberator'', an abolitionist newspaper tha ...

,Denis, Nelson; "After a Century of US Citizenship, Puerto Ricans Have Little to Show for It";'' The Nation''; March 2, 2017
/ref>

Harvard Political Review The ''Harvard Political Review'' is a quarterly, nonpartisan American magazine and website on politics and public policy founded in 1969 at Harvard University in Cambridge,Massachusetts, Cambridge, Massachusetts. It covers domestic and internatio ...

, Daily News,New York Daily News, "Puerto Rico Democracy at Risk," Nelson A. Denis, January 19, 2016
/ref>

New York Newsday ''New York Newsday'' was an American daily newspaper that primarily served New York City and was sold throughout the New York metropolitan area. The paper, established in 1985, was a New York City-specific offshoot of ''Newsday'', a Long Island- ...

Orlando Sentinel The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is the primary newspaper of Orlando, Florida, and the Central Florida region. It was founded in 1876 and is currently owned by Tribune Publishing Company. The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is owned by parent company, '' Tribune P ...

Denis, Nelson, (9/22/2015) ''Sharks Are Circling Puerto Rico's Assets'', Orlando Sentinel
/ref> and

The New York Sun ''The New York Sun'' is an American online newspaper published in Manhattan; from 2002 to 2008 it was a daily newspaper distributed in New York City. It debuted on April 16, 2002, adopting the name, motto, and masthead of the earlier New York ...

. He was also a cultural and political commentator on

WNYC WNYC is the trademark and a set of call letters shared by WNYC (AM) and WNYC-FM, a pair of nonprofit, noncommercial, public radio stations located in New York City. WNYC is owned by New York Public Radio (NYPR), a nonprofit organization that di ...

WADO WADO (1280 AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to New York City. It is owned and operated by Uforia Audio Network, a subsidiary of Univision. It broadcasts a Spanish-language sports radio format. By day, WADO is powered at 50,000 watt ...

, and other radio outlets. From 2015 onward, Denis's journalism has focused on the economic crisis in Puerto Rico, and the historical and political underpinnings of this crisis. His editorials in this area have appeared in the New York Daily News,

, Orlando Sentinel, and Truthout. Denis has also appeared on ABC TV,

C-SPAN Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network (C-SPAN ) is an American cable and satellite television network that was created in 1979 by the cable television industry as a nonprofit public service. It televises many proceedings of the United States ...

New York 1 NY1 (also officially known as Spectrum News NY1 and spoken as New York One) is an American United States cable news, cable news television channel founded by Time Warner Cable, which itself is owned by Charter Communications through its acquisiti ...

MSNBC MSNBC (originally the Microsoft National Broadcasting Company) is an American news-based pay television cable channel. It is owned by NBCUniversala subsidiary of Comcast. Headquartered in New York City, it provides news coverage and political ...

Al Jazeera TV Al Jazeera ( ar, الجزيرة, translit-std=DIN, translit=al-jazīrah, , "The Island") is a state-owned Arabic-language international radio and TV broadcaster of Qatar. It is based in Doha and operated by the media conglomerate Al Jazeera ...

, and Democracy Now!"War Against All Puerto Ricans: Inside the U.S. Crackdown on Pedro Albizu Campos & Nationalist Party," Democracy Now!, April 21, 2015
/ref>"PART 2: Nelson Denis on the U.S. Persecution of Puerto Rican Independence Leader Pedro Albizu Campos," Democracy Now!, April 21, 2015
/ref> to discuss the history and current fiscal crisis of Puerto Rico. Denis also gave radio interviews around the US to discuss conditions on the island: including the

Brian Lehrer Show Brian Lehrer (born October 5, 1952) is an American radio talk show host on New York City's public radio station WNYC. His daily two-hour 2007 Peabody Award-winning program,

in New York,''When Puerto Rico Rebelled'', WNYC, April 15, 2015
/ref> WBEZ Worldview in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

,''History of US Intervention in Puerto Rico'', WBEZ, April 6, 2015
/ref> WNPR Connecticut,''The Untold History Between the US and Puerto Rico,'' WNPR Connecticut, April 9, 2015
/ref>

WBAI WBAI (99.5 FM) is a non-commercial, listener-supported radio station licensed to New York, New York. Its programming is a mixture of political news, talk and opinion from a left-leaning, liberal or progressive viewpoint, and eclectic music. ...

/The Jordan Journal,''War Against All Puerto Ricans'', The Jordan Journal, Feb. 27, 2015
/ref> and

WGBH WGBH may refer to: * WGBH Educational Foundation, based in Boston, Massachusetts, United States ** WGBH (FM), a public radio station at Boston, Massachusetts on 89.7 MHz owned by the WGBH Educational Foundation ** WGBH-TV WGBH-TV (channel 2), ...

The Takeaway ''The Takeaway'' is a morning radio news program co-created and co-produced by Public Radio International and WNYC. Its editorial partner is WGBH-FM; at launch the BBC World Service and ''The New York Times'' were also editorial partners. In ad ...

.''The Secret War for Puerto Rico'', WGBH/WNYC, April 13, 2015
/ref> He is a strong proponent of

because of the "rigged capitalism the United States has forced on its Caribbean colony." He has also written extensively about the Jones Act, and its economic impact on Puerto Rico. His article on the status of Latino publishing in the U.S. was the second most-read editorial in

for the year of 2017.

Advocacy and New York State Assembly

Before and during his years as an assemblyman, Denis conducted a neighborhood legal clinic that provided advocacy, advice, and free legal services to the residents of

. Denis majored in Government at Harvard, and was involved in

State government for fourteen years. In 1995, as deputy director of Yucahu Inc., an East Harlem community group, Denis opposed the merger of

Chemical Bank Chemical Bank was a bank with headquarters in New York City from 1824 until 1996. At the end of 1995, Chemical was the third-largest bank in the U.S., with about $182.9 billion in assets and more than 39,000 employees around the world. Beginning ...

and Chase Manhattan due to inadequate service to the community.Lavan, Rosemary Metzler, (1995-11-17
''Chase/Chem Face Music at Hearing''
New York Daily NewsHarrigan, Susan (1995-11-17) ''Minority Lending at Issue in Chemical-Chase Merger'', New York Newsday Denis was a member of the East Harlem Community Board (C.B. 11), the Area Policy Board, and the director of strategic planning for the

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street (Manhattan), 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and 110th Street (Manhattan), ...

Community Development Corporation. In 1996 Denis won a seat in the

, where he served as a Democrat from 1997 to 2000, and developed a reputation as a reformer. He was also a New York State Democratic District Leader from 1995 to 2001. The press noted that his mother, Sarah Denis, worked 12-hour days on the campaign trail and that Denis was himself an untiring campaigner who was "often seen throughout the neighborhood campaigning on the back of a blue bus."THE 1994 CAMPAIGN: EAST HARLEM; Legislative Candidate Turns to Gang for Help – New York Times
Nytimes.com (1994-09-13). Retrieved on 4 February 2012.

Latin Kings controversy

In 1994, Denis entered into a controversial relationship with the Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation. While jogging along the

FDR Drive The Franklin D. Roosevelt East River Drive, commonly called the FDR Drive for short, is a limited-access parkway on the east side of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It starts near South and Broad Streets, just north of the Battery Park ...

, he ran into a group of 500 Latin Kings and recruited them into his campaign for the State Assembly. Denis and the Latin Kings cleaned up several parks in East Harlem, and attended community board meetings together. Denis also pledged that, if he won, he would help the Latin Kings to create a community non-profit corporation, a leadership training course, and a construction apprenticeship program to rehabilitate roughly 800 abandoned buildings in East Harlem. Denis maintained that "the Kings are the product of 20 years of neglect. These are the youth that

Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

forgot." However, others did not agree. His opponent, the incumbent Assemblyman Angelo Del Toro, said "they're gangsters and a threat." Another early skeptic was Denis's mother. She laid down rules that included no beepers or babies in the office, but she gradually learned to work with them. Despite this controversy, the ''New York Times'' endorsed Denis for the State Assembly that year.New York City Primary Choices – New York Times
Nytimes.com (1994-09-13). Retrieved on 2012-02-04.

Works

''Vote For Me!''

Prior to serving in the New York State Assembly, Denis directed TV commercials and several short films, and wrote eight screenplays.Navarro, Mireya, (2003-5-6)
''Smile, You're on Candidate Camera: With an Insider's Eye, a Film Skewers Harlem Politics''
The New York Times His screenplays won awards from the

, the

, and CineFestival. Denis also wrote and directed the feature film ''Vote For Me!'' which premiered at the

. It also won the Best Picture Award at the 2009

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located in the city's southwest portion, the borough is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull an ...

Film Festival, and a Feature Film Award at the 2009 Orlando

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Film Festival. Nelson Antonio Denis (election poster)

Starring Malik Yoba ( New York Undercover,

Soul Food Soul food is an ethnic cuisine traditionally prepared and eaten by African Americans, originating in the Southern United States.Soul Food originated with the foods that were given to enslaved Black people by their white owners on Souther ...

Cool Runnings ''Cool Runnings'' is a 1993 American sports film directed by Jon Turteltaub and starring Leon Robinson, Doug E. Doug, Malik Yoba, and John Candy. It is loosely based on the true story of the Jamaica national bobsleigh team's debut in competition ...

); Chi Chi Salazar ( Scarface (1983 film),

Carlito's Way ''Carlito's Way'' is a 1993 American crime drama film directed by Brian De Palma, based on the novels ''Carlito's Way'' (1975) and '' After Hours'' (1979) by Judge Edwin Torres. The film adaptation was scripted by David Koepp. It stars Al Pacin ...

); Ricardo Barber ( The Feast of the Goat); ''Vote For Me!'' was a comedy about a 75-year-old Puerto Rican super who runs for the United States Congress. The film was based on Denis's own experiences in East Harlem. Many East Harlem residents, musicians, and even local politicians appeared in the film, which "blurred the line between reality and fiction to capture the spectacle of New York City politics." ''Vote For Me!'' screened in over a dozen film festivals in New York and Puerto Rico, and was well received by the press. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' declared it "reminiscent of Spike Lee's ''Do the Right Thing'', but with a lighter touch." ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

'' found it "ebullient...politically charged...mixes quirkiness and cultural poignancy." ''Vote For Me!'' also received national coverage from

Fox News Channel The Fox News Channel, abbreviated FNC, commonly known as Fox News, and stylized in all caps, is an American multinational conservative cable news television channel based in New York City. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is owne ...

National Public Radio National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other n ...

Univision Univision () is an American Spanish-language free-to-air television network owned by TelevisaUnivision. It is the United States' largest provider of Spanish-language content. The network's programming is aimed at the Latino public and includes ...

Telemundo Telemundo (; formerly NetSpan) is an American Spanish-language Terrestrial television, terrestrial television network owned by NBCUniversal Television and Streaming#NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises, NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises, a divi ...

WSKQ WSKQ-FM (97.9 MHz), known on-air as "La Mega 97.9", is a radio station licensed to New York City and is owned and operated by Spanish Broadcasting System (SBS). The station has a tropical format, which consists of such musical styles as salsa, ...

FM,

MEGA Mega or MEGA may refer to: Science * mega-, a metric prefix denoting 106 * Mega (number), a certain very large integer in Steinhaus–Moser notation * "mega-" a prefix meaning "large" that is used in taxonomy * Gravity assist, for ''Moon-Earth ...

FM,

-AM,

, VIVA Magazine,

El Nuevo Dia EL, El or el may refer to: Religion * El (deity), a Semitic word for "God" People * EL (rapper) (born 1983), stage name of Elorm Adablah, a Ghanaian rapper and sound engineer * El DeBarge, music artist * El Franco Lee (1949–2016), American po ...

, Siempre, Hoy, and other news outlets.Waddell, Robert, (2003-04-22)
''Vote For Me!''
Siempre, 22 April – 5 May 2003

''Make America Great Again''

Denis wrote, produced and directed the feature film ''Make America Great Again,'' a dark comedy about the immigrant experience in America, which premiered at the

Chelsea Film Festival Chelsea Film Festival (CFF) is an international film festival and a non-profit organization based in New York which screens independent films from emerging directors. The festival offers a wide range of films, including documentaries and feature- ...

in New York City. According to the

Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...

, "The film traces the adventures of Rogelio Yola, a dreamer from the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares wit ...

who comes to America in search of a job, gets falsely accused of terrorism, and is chased by ICE agents for nearly half the movie. Aside from one of the most outrageous chase sequences in recent cinema history, the film offers an intelligent, ironic and politically astute vision of US immigration policy."

NBC News NBC News is the news division of the American broadcast television network NBC. The division operates under NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, a division of NBCUniversal, which is, in turn, a subsidiary of Comcast. The news division's var ...

noted that "''Make America Great Again'' was shot in the diverse neighborhood of Washington Heights in New York City. Denis intentionally incorporated local landmarks like the United Palace Theater, the Iwo Jima Memorial, the Morris-Jumel Mansion, the

Audubon Ballroom The Audubon Theatre and Ballroom, generally referred to as the Audubon Ballroom, was a theatre and ballroom located at 3940 Broadway at West 165th Street in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. It was built in 1912 a ...

(where Malcolm X was shot), and the George Washington Bridge into the film, to make his characters' surroundings part of their story." Long Island Weekly reported that, "With the daily political narrative being defined within a truth-is-stranger-than-fiction framework, filmmaker Nelson Denis has taken a satirical crack at addressing these strange times we currently live in. The former

New York State New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. stat ...

Assemblyman and acclaimed author of ''War Against All Puerto Ricans'' recently shot ''Make America Great Again'', a feature film that takes a look at the trials and travails of an undocumented immigrant from the Dominican Republic, played by Angel "Chi Chi" Salazar ( Scarface (1983 film)." In New York City, the film received additional newspaper and radio coverage from the Latino press, and was invited to the Chelsea Film Festival, for a world premiere on October 20, 2018. In Spring 2019, ''Make America Great Again'' was commercially distributed in

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...

. While playing in movie theatres throughout the island, the film received major coverage from the island's largest newspapers.

''War Against All Puerto Ricans''

Denis is the author of ''War Against All Puerto Ricans'', which was published on April 7, 2015. The book is based on recently declassified

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and its principal Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement age ...

files, congressional testimony, oral histories, personal interviews and eyewitness accounts. It covers the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party Revolts of the 1950s, a series of coordinated armed protests for the independence of Puerto Rico led by the president of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party, Don Pedro Albizu Campos.Kirkus Reviews; War Against All Puerto Ricans; 1/22/15
/ref>NY Daily News, "Author Nelson Denis releases new book ''War Against All Puerto Ricans''," 2/12/15
/ref> The book also documents how the U.S. Army arrested 3,000 Puerto Ricans, deployed thousands of troops and bombarded two towns in order to stop the uprising - the only time in history that the U.S. government intentionally bombed its own citizens. Amongst the reviews for the book, the

wrote: "Scathing insights into Washington's response to Albizu Campos's nationalist party and its violent revolution in 1950 that still has broad implications...his perspective of largely overlooked history could not be more timely." Nelson Antonio Denis at a rally

The

New York Daily News The New York ''Daily News'', officially titled the ''Daily News'', is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, NJ. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in ta ...

wrote: "The book gives a meticulous and riveting account of the decades-long clash between the Puerto Rican independence movement...prepare to be outraged...a timely, eye-opening must-read." ''Latino Rebels'' wrote "''War Against All Puerto Ricans'' earns 'instant classic' status…anyone who wants to understand U.S. imperial history from the time of

Manifest Destiny Manifest destiny was a cultural belief in the 19th century in the United States, 19th-century United States that American settlers were destined to expand across North America. There were three basic tenets to the concept: * The special vir ...

needs to read this book."

Mother Jones Mary G. Harris Jones (1837 (baptized) – November 30, 1930), known as Mother Jones from 1897 onwards, was an Irish-born American schoolteacher and dressmaker who became a prominent union organizer, community organizer, and activist. She h ...

called the book "The lost history of Puerto Rico's independence movement."''The Lost History of Puerto Rico's Independence Movement,'' by AJ Vicens, Mother Jones, April 21, 2015
/ref> VIBE Magazine wrote that "''War Against All Puerto Ricans'', in obvious wake of the island's economic turmoil, is relevant in understanding, full circle, why Puerto Rico is where it is today."

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...

described the book as "a scathing examination of American colonial policy in Puerto Rico...a pointed, relentless chronicle of a despicable part of past American foreign policy." In ''La Respuesta,'' the reviewer praised "the book's historical value...a must-read for anyone interested in learning more about Puerto Rico." ''Gozamos'' reported that "Nelson Denis doesn't just give us history. He gives us history on fire…a thoroughly researched indictment of over a

century A century is a period of 100 years. Centuries are numbered ordinally in English and many other languages. The word ''century'' comes from the Latin ''centum'', meaning ''one hundred''. ''Century'' is sometimes abbreviated as c. A centennial or ...

of U.S. policy toward one small island…a full-throated eulogy of brave heroes, men and women of conviction, who devoted every drop of their blood to a people and a principle." ''War Against All Puerto Ricans'' was featured on national and local television, including Democracy Now! and

. Denis also appeared in radio broadcasts around the US, including the

Brian Lehrer Show Brian Lehrer (born October 5, 1952) is an American radio talk show host on New York City's public radio station WNYC. His daily two-hour 2007 Peabody Award-winning program,

in New York, WBEZ Worldview in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, WNPR Connecticut,

/The Jordan Journal, and

. Extensive author interviews were also conducted in Truthout,

, and the largest newspaper in Puerto Rico,

. The

noted that the Independence Party of Puerto Rico scheduled an eight-town tour for the book on the island of Puerto Rico.''War Book is Escalating,'' by Ray Monell, New York Daily News, June 11, 2015
/ref> The Daily News also reported that the book "has become the subject of political water-cooler talk, national TV and newspaper coverage - including a three-part series of articles in

- and a letter from Puerto Rico's governor,

Alejandro Garcia Padilla Alejandro is the Spanish form of the name Alexander. Alejandro has multiple variations in different languages, including Aleksander (Czech, Polish), Alexandre ( French), Alexandros (Greek), Alsander (Irish), Alessandro (Italian), Aleksandr (Rus ...

, to the book's domestic distributor recognizing its significance." A year after its publication, Rain Taxi reported that "Denis's book is a work of history, essential history...an indictment and a call to action." The book has stirred some controversy. One historian questioned Denis' writing style and "resourceful imagination." Another stated that it contained "extraordinary and incredible assertions" and that Chapter 14 should have "more references." Denis responded to these concerns with a detailed article in the

University of Puerto Rico The University of Puerto Rico ( es, Universidad de Puerto Rico, UPR) is the main public university system in the U.S. Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. It is a government-owned corporation with 11 campuses and approximately 58,000 students and 5,3 ...

newspaper, ''Diálogo UPR''. Denis also wrote the screenplay adaptation of his book ''War Against All Puerto Ricans''. According to The Daily News a feature film of ''War Against All Puerto Ricans'' was being planned from this screenplay and several actors, including Luís Guzmán, were strongly interested in the project. In March 2016, ''

,'' the largest newspaper in Puerto Rico, reported on the 25 best-selling books in Puerto Rico over the past year (2015-2016). ''War Against All Puerto Ricans'' topped the entire list.Rosalina Marrero Rodríguez,"Lo que se está leyendo en Puerto Rico," ''El Nuevo Dia,'' March 2, 2016
Retrieved 2015-5-13.

References

External links

Twitter feedVote For Me! (movie)Make America Great Again! (movie)
*
''New York Times'' (Nelson Denis articles)WNYC Radio
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Denis, Nelson Antonio Journalists from New York City Film directors from New York City Screenwriters from New York (state) Democratic Party members of the New York State Assembly Yale Law School alumni Harvard College alumni Taft School alumni Writers from Manhattan New York (state) lawyers Activists from New York (state) American male journalists American editors Puerto Rican non-fiction writers Puerto Rican nationalists American people of Puerto Rican descent American people of Cuban descent American people of French descent People from East Harlem Living people 1955 births 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century American journalists 20th-century American screenwriters 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American politicians 21st-century American lawyers 21st-century American journalists 21st-century American screenwriters 21st-century American male writers