“A well-argued, highly readable account. . . . Highly recommended.”—R. M. Delson, Choice
“Engaging and readable. . . . [The book] offers a good introduction to an unusually diverse range of colonial structures, legalities, and events; is accessibly written; resists traditional national silos; and problematizes issues, such as ‘independence,’ that are often taken for granted in scholarship.”—Caroline Dodds Pennock, H-LatAm
“McEnroe offers a captivating narrative in A Troubled Marriage, one filled with enchanting descriptions of physical landscapes and engaging biographical tellings.”—Jason Dyck, Canadian Journal of History
“McEnroe’s is an arresting voice. Attentive to the perspectives and ingenuities of all kinds of people, to the energy of their meaningful stories and places, and with a hemispheric vision and cross-imperial implications (that are rarely faced), A Troubled Marriage offers a meditation upon the dynamic intercultures at the heart of the emerging Americas.”—Kenneth Mills, author of Idolatry and Its Enemies: Colonial Andean Religion and Extirpation, 1640–1750
“Combining archival sources from three continents with a huge body of scholarship, Sean McEnroe explores boundary crossing throughout the vast early Americas. While mindful of power, he introduces us to dozens of fascinating people who transgressed categories, hierarchies, and identities across the hemisphere. Sweeping in scope yet grounded in the details of individual lives, A Troubled Marriage deserves a wide readership.”—Brian DeLay, author of War of a Thousand Deserts: Indian Raids and the U.S.-Mexican War
