Luisa Capetillo, Pioneer Puerto Rican Feminist

Luisa Capetillo (1879-1922) was a pioneer in the struggle for women’s and workers’ rights. A feminist and an anarchist, she earned her living as a labor leader and journalist. She wrote brilliant theoretical essays and published four books, including several plays. Ahead of her time, she espoused vegetarianism, a daily regime of Swedish calisthenics, and was the first woman in the Caribbean to wear pants in public. Her life can be read as a dramatic novel, every day an intense ode to personal and political liberation. This biography, the only in-depth historical account of her life and work, rescued her from oblivion and made her a popular icon throughout Latin America. This edition, the first available in English, brings Capetillo’s inspiring story to a broader audience.