"[A]n important work on many levels. [Hernandez'] writings trace the impact of political upheaval and rural migration on the development of bachata and Dominican music in general [and analyze] issues of sex and gender as expressed by bachata's mostly male interpreters." --New York Latino "Deep in the shadow of the glamorous merengue, the Dominican Republic has nurtured a music called bachata whose history parallels the blues'. With consummate skill, Deborah Pacini Hernandez sorts out the many forces that have shaped this style from the bottom up. This book is an explanatory wonder that integrates music, politics, geography, history, media, global and local culture." --Charles Keil, State University of New York at Buffalo, author of Urban Blues and Polka Happiness "This is a profound contribution to the understanding of contemporary Latin American and Caribbean culture. Pacini uses her study of a dynamic and increasingly popular form of Dominican music to draw a remarkable portrait of a society in transition. Combining the best in modern cultural theory with an intimate familiarity with grassroots culture, Pacini's book provides unique and richly nuanced perspectives on the vicissitudes of modernization and urbanization." --Peter Manuel, City University of New York, author of Caribbean Currents: Caribbean Music from Rumba to Reggae

• Acknowledgments Introduction 1. Defining Bachata 2. Music and Dictatorship 3. The Birth of Bachata 4. Power, Representation, and Identity 5. Love, Sex, and Gender 6. From the Margins to the Mainstream 7. Conclusions Notes Bibliography Discography Index Photo Galleries