Nelson Antonio Denis is an American attorney, author, film director, and former representative to the New York State Assembly. From 1997 through 2000, Denis represented New York's 68th Assembly district, which includes the East Harlem 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, F ...

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 approxim ...

.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, 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 pro- autonomy, ...

leader

Pedro Albizu Campos Pedro Albizu Campos (September 12, 1891Luis Fortuño Janeiro. ''Album Histórico de Ponce (1692–1963).'' p. 290. Ponce, Puerto Rico: Imprenta Fortuño. 1963. – April 21, 1965) was a Puerto Rican attorney and politician, and the leading fi ...

, 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 A ...

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 year ...

in Government, and then a '' Juris Doctor'' (J.D.) from

Yale Law School Yale Law School (Yale Law or YLS) is the law school of Yale University, a 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.S. News & Worl ...

in 1980. He then went to work as an attorney with the New York law firm of Donovan, Leisure, Newton & Irvine.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. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive programming. Tribeca was f ...

. 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 ...

,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 ...

,
/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 t ...

,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. It covers domestic and international affairs and politica ...

, 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 Yor ...

. 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 ...

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 wat ...

, 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 Truthout is a non-profit news organization which describes itself as "dedicated to providing independent reporting and commentary on a diverse range of social justice issues". Truthout's main areas of focus include mass incarceration, prison a ...

. Denis has also appeared on ABC TV, C-SPAN, New York 1,

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 politi ...

, Al Jazeera TV, and

Democracy Now! ''Democracy Now!'' is an hour-long American TV, radio, and Internet news program hosted by journalists Amy Goodman (who also acts as the show's executive producer), Juan González, and Nermeen Shaikh. The show, which airs live each weekday at ...

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

Worldview A worldview or world-view or ''Weltanschauung'' is the fundamental cognitive orientation of an individual or society encompassing the whole of the individual's or society's knowledge, culture, and point of view. A worldview can include natural ...

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/

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 ...

.''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 East Harlem. Denis majored in Government at Harvard, and was involved in New York 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 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 on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater Ha ...

Community Development Corporation. In 1996 Denis won a seat in the New York State Assembly, 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, 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

Film Festival A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more cinemas or screening venues, usually in a single city or region. Increasingly, film festivals show some films outdoors. Films may be of recent date and, depending upo ...

, and a Feature Film Award at the 2009

Orlando Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures re ...

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, 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 viceroyalties forme ...

Starring Malik Yoba (

New York Undercover ''New York Undercover'' is an American police drama that aired on the Fox television network from September 8, 1994, to February 11, 1999. The series starred Malik Yoba as Detective J.C. Williams and Michael DeLorenzo as Detective Eddie Torre ...

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); Chi Chi Salazar (

Scarface (1983 film) ''Scarface'' is a 1983 American crime film directed by Brian De Palma and written by Oliver Stone. Loosely based on the 1929 novel of the same name and serving as a loose remake of the 1932 film, it tells the story of Cuban refugee Tony Mo ...

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 Pa ...

); Ricardo Barber (

The Feast of the Goat ''The Feast of the Goat'' ( es, La Fiesta del Chivo, 2000) is a novel by the Peruvian Nobel Prize in Literature laureate Mario Vargas Llosa. The book is set in the Dominican Republic and portrays the assassination of Dominican dictator Rafael Tru ...

); ''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 d ...

'' 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,

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 ...

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 network owned by NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises, a division of NBCUniversal, which in turn is owned by Comcast. It provides content nationally with pr ...

, WSKQ 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-Eart ...

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 p ...

, 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, "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 with ...

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 United Palace (originally Loew's 175th Street Theatre) is a theater at 4140 Broadway in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. The theater, occupying a full city block bounded by Broadway, Wadsworth Avenue, and W ...

, the Iwo Jima Memorial, the Morris-Jumel Mansion, the Audubon Ballroom (where Malcolm X was shot), and the

George Washington Bridge The George Washington Bridge is a double-decked suspension bridge spanning the Hudson River, connecting Fort Lee, New Jersey, with Manhattan in New York City. The bridge is named after George Washington, the first president of the United S ...

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 (

." 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 and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, t ...

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

.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 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 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 ''Vibe'' is an American music and entertainment magazine founded by producers David Salzman and Quincy Jones. The publication predominantly features R&B and hip hop music artists, actors and other entertainers. After shutting down production ...

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 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 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

and New York 1. Denis also appeared in radio broadcasts around the US, including the Brian Lehrer Show in New York, WBEZ

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 WGBH/

. Extensive author interviews were also conducted in

, and the largest newspaper in Puerto Rico,

. The New York Daily News 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, to the book's domestic distributor recognizing its significance." A year after its publication,

Rain Taxi ''Rain Taxi'' is a Minneapolis-based book review and literary organization. In addition to publishing its quarterly print edition, ''Rain Taxi'' maintains an online edition with distinct content, sponsors the Twin Cities Book Festival, hosts read ...

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