{"product_id":"the-taste-of-sugar-9781631497735","title":"The Taste of Sugar","description":"It is 1898, and groups of starving Puerto Ricans, \u003cem\u003elos hambrientos\u003c\/em\u003e, roam the parched countryside and dusty towns begging for food. Under the yoke of Spanish oppression, the Caribbean island is forced to prepare to wage war with the United States. Up in the mountainous coffee region of Utuado, Vicente Vega and Valentina Sanchez labor to keep their small farm from the creditors. When the Spanish-American War and the great San Ciriaco Hurricane of 1899 bring devastating upheaval, the young couple is lured, along with thousands of other \u003cem\u003epuertorriquenos\u003c\/em\u003e, to the sugar plantations of Hawaii--another US territory--where they are confronted by the hollowness of America's promises of prosperity. Writing in the tradition of great Latin American storytelling, Marisel Vera's \u003cem\u003eThe Taste of Sugar\u003c\/em\u003e is an unforgettable novel of love and endurance, and a timeless portrait of the reasons we leave home.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eVera, Marisel:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - A Chicago-born writer based in Pittsburgh, PA, \u003cstrong\u003eMarisel Vera\u003c\/strong\u003e is the author of \u003cem\u003eThe Taste of Sugar\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eIf I Bring You Roses\u003c\/em\u003e. Through her work, Vera explores the particular burdens that Puerto Ricans carry as colonial subjects of the most powerful country in the world.","brand":"Liveright Publishing Corporation","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50368621576466,"sku":"9781631497735","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_a7b68129-62ee-4c61-bbb2-9ff8e13e9ba5.jpg?v=1728510897","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-taste-of-sugar-9781631497735","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}