Caribe — Evangeline Blanco

Lushly, but simply told with the poetry of Martin Espada, the magic realism of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and the meticulous investigation of James Michener, Blanco weaves an intricate tale of love, race and history. Told through the eyes of various characters, and interlaced with folk tales about a latino "Simple Simon", "Juan Bobo", Caribe focuses on Puerto Rico's complex racial history as seen in the lineage of Rodriguez, a dark-skinned doctor and quiet revolutionary, and as the lives of the Cienfuegos, Figueroas, Moyas, Penas and the Arriesgos' mingle and interrelate.

Lauded for its "historical dimension, meticulous investigation and handling of characters," Caribe was the l995 winner of the 21st Annual Chicano/Latino Literary Contest at University of California, Irvine.