I want to thank LHB for having me as a guest blogger. Thank you, Karen Tani, for the kind introduction. As Karen mentioned, the occasion of my turn on LHB is Cambridge University Press’s release of my book, Almost Citizens: Puerto Rico, the U.S. Constitution, and Empire. If you want to learn more about it, reviews
are available at the New Republic and Jotwell.
A big surprise for me was that the book turned out much
better than I had hoped, much less expected.
That’s not to say that the book is perfect – far from it. But as
compared to what I thought possible when I began, the writing was stronger, the
arguments clearer and more consequential, and the characters and narrative more
vivid. In several posts this month, I aim to explain why. As a teaser, my next entry will concern mentorship.
In other posts, I will reflect on other aspects of being a
legal historian. Part of the joy of my job is that it connects me to students, courts, the public sphere, and the institutions that sustain the
study of law and history. I look forward to addressing all of these in the weeks ahead.
I’m thrilled to have this opportunity to share thoughts with a community from which I have gained so much. I hope to hear from
you in the comments.
