The creation myth of the United States begins with the plucky English puritans of the Mayflower--but what about the story of its sister ship, the Seaflower. Few people today know the story of the passengers aboard the Seaflower, who in 1630 founded a rival puritan colony on an isolated Caribbean island called Providence. They were convinced that England’s empire would rise not in barren New England, but rather in tropical Central America. However, Providence became a colony in constant crisis: crops failed, slaves revolted . . . and then there were the pirates. And, as Tom Feiling discovers in this surprising history, the same drama was played out by the men and women who re-settled the island one hundred years later. The Island That Disappeared presents Providence as a fascinating microcosm of colonialism--even today. At first glance it is an island of devout churchgoers - but look a little closer, and you see that it is still dependent on its smugglers. At once intimate and global, this story of puritans and pirates goes to the heart of the contradictory nature of the Caribbean and how the Western World took shape.

An appendix documents the many small islands that have dropped entirely from view since the seventeenth century.

Innocence, fear, and intrigue permeate this collection of interrelated stories, which span more than four hundred years, from the time of the fictional Datu Kalantiaw to the postmodern phenomenon of migrant labor. The result is a concatenation of tales, legends, official history, alternative histories, mythic and fairy-tale formulas, and all manner of discourse that the author could pull out of the cornucopia of texts that compose Philippines island life. "The stories are a wonderful weave of history and imagination, showing Rosario Cruz-Lucero's expertise with language and narrative structure. Wit, irony, and humor emanate from her style--a combination of magic realism and surrealism--which renders the reading of the stories a pleasurable experience. There is a pervading linkage between the stories, some invented "historical" relationship of characters and plot, through which a main central narrative emerges." --Dr. Cirilo F. Bautista, poet, fictionist, and professor emeritus of De La Salle University

The creation myth of the US begins with the puritans of the Mayflower who went on to build the most powerful nation on earth. This is the story of the passengers aboard its sister ship, the Seaflower, who in 1630 founded a rival colony on an isolated Caribbean island called Providence. Their crops failed, slaves revolted, and as crisis loomed the settlers turned to piracy. After the colony was wiped out by the Spanish Providence was forgotten in England, but the drama was re-played by those who settled the island 100 years later, now providing a fascinating microcosm of the Atlantic story.

Michael Farrell was forced to grow up quickly after his father disappeared hunting for treasure on the fabled lost island of Inishmananan. Struggling to get by, one evening he and his mother receive a mysterious message from a ragged tramp who stops by their farm. The old man has proof that Michael’s father is alive! Although no one seeking the island has ever returned, Michael and his friend Joe board the first boat they can, only to find out it is run by a treacherous gang of sailors. Braving the unknown seas, they embark in a grand search for Michael’s missing father, the spectacular fortune, and the island’s long-lost secret. Set amid Ireland’s picturesque west coast, plots against Michael and the adventures that befall him make this magical and suspenseful narrative a page-turning, rough and tumble adventure story.