The manuscript has recently been edited by his publisher in Hawaii. It is now being prepared for layout and design and, thereafter, it will be submitted to the book printer for publication. He expects the book to be printed and ready for market distribution by the end of July.
Dela Cruz’s book provides a personal perspective on the unique experiences of the natives of the Northern Marianas during the roughly four centuries of colonization by Spain, Germany and Japan.
The book also discusses the 30-year experience of the islanders as wards of the United Nations after World War II, with the United States as the administering authority.
The book touches on several of the important legal and political issues that arose during the trusteeship administration.
It discusses the political status aspirations of the people of the Northern Marianas in the 1960s, the political status talks that took place in the early 1970s, and the eventual decision of the islanders to join the American political family.
The book’s title is “From Colonization to Self-Government — The Northern Marianas Experience.”
Dela Cruz said that his book is not intended to be an exhaustive study of the history and experience of the people of the Northern Marianas.
His goal in writing the book is to give readers, particularly the post-trusteeship generation of islanders and those interested in the Northern Marianas and its people, a good picture of what life was like in the islands during the period of colonization and, later, during the trusteeship era.
One of the most interesting parts of the book is its discussion of the 30-year experience of the Northern Marianas as a “self-governing commonwealth” of the United States.
The book addresses some of the important legal, political and economic issues that arose after commonwealth self-government began in 1978.
Dela Cruz hopes that his book will provide readers with a good understanding of the experience the islanders had during the years of colonization and the years after they began commonwealth self-government.
It is also his hope that the residents of the CNMI, and its leaders in particular, will look back on that experience with a view towards improving their ability to govern themselves and improving the quality of life in the commonwealth.
//
