2nd edition of book on statehood movement’s origins to launch

By THE STAR STAFF

Former House Speaker José Aponte Hernández announced on Sunday the launch of the second edition of the book “From the Plebiscite to the Fortress,” a historical account of Puerto Rican politics from 1956 until the inauguration of the first pro-statehood governor, Luis A. Ferré, in January 1969.

The presentation will be led by the Puerto Rico Governor New Progressive Party President Jenniffer González Colón. The event will be held this Thursday, October 2, at 5 p.m., in rooms 3-7 on the second floor of the Caribe Hilton Hotel in San Juan. The event is part of the New Progressive Party convention, which will be held this weekend.

The first edition of “From Plebiscite to Fortress” was published in 1988.

“We call on every person who holds U.S. citizenship to join us in this recollection of the years that defined modern Puerto Rico,” Aponte Hernández said. “It is the most detailed historical account of the pre-1967 plebiscite era. It also contains extensive information on the Report of the Federal Commission on the Status of Puerto Rico, the plebiscite, and the events of the 1968 general elections. It is a book for all generations and a great opportunity to study our beginnings as a political party.”

“This is a book without parallel in the political history of Puerto Rico, in which the author, journalist, historian and writer, Antonio Quiñones Calderón, details the events that occurred on the island during the 1950s and 1960s, as well as the history of the struggle for equal rights and statehood that took place during those years and culminated in the swearing-in of the first statehood governor, Don Luis A. Ferré, on January 2, 1969,” the veteran lawmaker continued. “This work offers a narrative that will transport the reader to those years in a vivid and real way, as Tony witnessed those moments.”

Aponte Hernández also announced that the author will be available to autograph copies of the new edition, as well as engage in conversation with those present.