Cuban Death-Lift

Book Description

When Fidel Castro allows thousands of Cubans to depart for America in the Mariel Boatlift, he exports the worst criminals and undesirables of his country along with them. To monitor the situation, the CIA sends infiltrators to Cuba-where they vanish without a trace.

In desperation, the Agency turns to ex-Navy SEAL Dusky MacMorgan to go in and find out what happened.Amid the chaos and deception in Mariel's savage underworld, MacMorgan must keep on his toes and off the radar if he's going to discover the truth without disappearing himself.

Customer Reviews:

Must read for Randy Wayne White fans.......2007-09-10

Even though the names were different (author and hero) the background foundation for Doc Ford is unmistakable and fun to read. Can't wait to read "The Deadlier Sex" as the follow-up to this great begining for Randy (Striker) Wayne White. I also enjoyed White's present day introduction to this book.

Great adventure.......2007-08-23

White proves he has always had a knack for spinning a great story even when he was a relative beginner. Whether writing about Doc Ford or some other Travis McGee type hero his stories always entertain me.

Fun, early White novel.......2007-07-29

There are many ways to categorize fiction. One category I'd like to propose is "disposable" fiction. Disposable fiction is made up of those (relatively) cheap paperbacks filled with stories that are almost pure action; it tends to be brief (rarely more than 250 pages), simply written and usually targeted to a very specific demographic: Harlequin-style romances for women and adventure fiction for men. Many of the writers who produce disposable fiction are borderline hacks, churning out potboilers quickly and with little creativity; they often need to adhere to strict formulas and have little control over the direction of the stories.

Randy Wayne White started out his career as a disposable fiction writer. The difference is that White is a good writer, and even in his early books, his gifts shine through. His Dusky MacMorgan books will never be mistaken for great literature (as even he admits in his introduction), but they are entertaining.

In the third MacMorgan book, Cuban Death-Lift, Dusky is recruited by a federal agent buddy nicknamed Stormin' Norman (this was written, by the way, long before a real Stormin' Norman would come to prominence in the Gulf War of the early 1990s). Norm wants charter captain Dusky to transport a CIA agent to Cuba in the middle of the Mariel Boatlift.

The agent turns out to be beautiful Androsa Santarun, a Cuban-American charged with smuggling a double agent off the island. Two things are certain: there will be lots of killing occurring before the mission is done and Dusky and Androsa will end up in bed together. White knows exactly what his target audience (men) expects: sex and action. He actually has his own nickname for this type of fiction that I will leave to the reader to discover.

I read this book in just a couple of hours, which seems about right. Cuban Death-Lift is not exactly one of those books that needs months to finish. As with the first two books, this is a fun story, and it gives a good glimpse of the better Randy Wayne White that would develop later.

young author .......2007-07-22

This was a fast & furious romp through a very interesting time in our history. Randy was very young so some of the plot moves slow and other elements are a bit hurried. Still his attention to the facts and the twists of plot are brilliant albeit the characters are a tad shallow. A good read in a "potato chip" kind of way. Light, not a full meal, but you can't eat just one!

Randy Wayne White never disappoints!.......2007-05-14

Doc Ford is in fine form in this latest Randy Wayne White. Fans will happily find all their favorite people and places. This book reintroduces an old character, now dying and using Doc to finish his unfinished business. I love these books, I love Randy Wayne White's knowledge of these islands off the coast of Florida, the flora, fauna, and local color. You will not be disappointed in this one, which is exciting, violent and touching.

Havana: An Earl Swagger Novel (Earl Swagger Novels)

Average customer rating:

Earl Swagger Hunts Again!
Earl is back
Politics and bullets do mix
Good read... S. Hunter is better than this
Even Swagger cannot save the weak story

Havana: An Earl Swagger Novel (Earl Swagger Novels)
Stephen Hunter
Manufacturer: Pocket
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0743457978

Amazon.com

The field of male fantasy fiction receives a generous literary boost with the publication of Havana, Stephen Hunter's third novel (following Hot Springs and Pale Horse Coming) to feature straight-shooting ex-Marine and Arkansas state policeman Earl Swagger.

Reluctantly leaving his wife and hero-worshipping son at home, Swagger flies off to Cuba in 1953 to act as a bodyguard for "Boss" Harry Etheridge, a rainmaking Southern congressman who proposes investigating the influence of New York gangsters on the Guantanamo Naval Base. Almost as soon as his lungs fill with the humid Caribbean air, Swagger regrets accepting this assignment. Not only must he contend with posturing, backstabbing U.S. intelligence agents, but Boss Harry proves to be both incautiously lustful (forcing Earl to rescue him from a Havana brothel confrontation) and a big target for mobsters who don't want American politicians or anyone else upsetting the profitable criminal equilibrium of Batista-era Cuba. Swagger exacerbates the risk to his longevity by agreeing to help the U.S. government assassinate Cuba's revolutionary darling of the moment, Fidel Castro--a task that will pit this Arkansas lawman against a disenchanted Russian killer who's been charged with protecting and mentoring the 26-year-old agitator.

Given Swagger's well-established weaponry skills, it's hardly surprising that Havana is peppered with tightly choreographed shootouts, both on dusty country roads and in a Zanja Street porno theater full of moaning patrons. That's the male fantasy part; this novel's literary inclination shows in its portrayal of Havana as a richly decadent city full of shiny-fendered Cadillacs, jaded whores, and casinos flushing money onto Florida-bound boats. While Ernest Hemingway and mob boss Meyer Lansky make cameo appearances here, only Castro leaves much of an impression, whether he's bumbling through an attack on a military barracks or defending himself against a father who thinks him lazy, vain, and "womanly" ("I am between opportunities, but I swear to you, I am a man of destiny"). Although Swagger's climactic gunfight tests the limits of credibility, Havana remains an unusually substantive page-turner, expertly blending hostilities with humor and heart. --J. Kingston Pierce

Book Description

Outgunning all others in the arena of razor-edged action and sheer guts, New york Times bestselling author Stephen Hunter plunges Earl Swagger deep into a steamy underworld of power, politics, and blood...

Cuba 1953: The island is on fire.

The Mafia-run casinos are rolling, and it's just a 30-minute flight from Miami to a world of vice, gambling, sex, and drugs. The money is there for anyone who knows how to get it, including the Cuban government and the police, who want to keep their ally Uncle Sam happy. There's only one threat to this corrupt utopia: a silver-tongued, daring young revolutionary named Fidel Castro. With the Cold War underway, the Soviet Union has sent a sophisticated veteran agent to find and support the young upstart. To counter, the CIA has summoned Medal of Honor-winning ex-marine Sergeant Earl Swagger, whose heroic exploits have earned him the reputation of a man who doesn't know how to lose. But he's not just going to find Castro....

He's going to kill him.

Download Description

"Havana, the sultry spring of 1953: gambling is expensive, sex is cheap, and death is free. A half-hour by air from Miami, it's the world's hottest -- and most dangerous -- city. From the plush mobster casinos in Centro to the backstreet brothels on Zanja Street, you can get anything you want, for a price. The city is the linchpin of many empires: the Mafia's, the CIA's, numerous American corporations', El Presidente's, and even the vice lords' of Old Havana. It must be protected at all costs. But now there's a threat. A young lawyer, a kid named Castro, is giving speeches. He speaks of reform, of change, of self-determination. He speaks of...of revolution even. This danger must be dealt with. So, into the steamy, sunny climate of corruption come two men, both unafraid, both skilled, both tough as ball bearings. They would be friends in a sane world, for they are so similar in their capabilities and experiences. But now they have to be enemies, because the Cold War is at its apogee: one is American, the other Russian. The American is named Earl Swagger. A Medal of Honor winner on Iwo Jima, a toughened gunman from adventures in Hot Springs and the swamps of Mississippi, Earl has been conned by two young Old Boys of the CIA to become Our Gun in Havana. The Russian, Speshnev, also a veteran of tough battles (from Spain in '36 to Berlin in '45, with a few stays in the gulag just for seasoning), has a similar assignment: he too is sent by strategic gamesters to pay attention to that same young orator. But his job is protection, not elimination.

Customer Reviews:

Earl Swagger Hunts Again!.......2007-09-30

I fell in love with Stephen Hunter's Earl Swagger novels this year. Luckily I discovered the first one at the beginning and listened to them on audiobook in order. There are three of them so far. HOT SPRINGS, PALE HORSE COMING, and HAVANA.

The Swagger name may sound familiar to people. Mark Wahlberg just starred in the movie SHOOTER as Earl's son, Bob Lee Swagger. Stephen Hunter has been intermittently writing novels about father and son over the last few years. Earl's adventures are set in the 1940s and 1950s. Bob Lee's are more in present-day, and the latest novel in that series, THE 47th SAMURAI, has just been released.

If you haven't read any of the Swagger novels, I really recommend reading them in order. Both series tell a story that's more mosaic than anything else. Both are pieces of the other. Hunter began with Bob Lee's stories, then told the first of Earl's. Obviously the author has become enamored of both his creations. Unfortunately, Earl's adventures maybe at an end after HAVANA. I'm willing to bet that I'm not the only fan that hopes this isn't so. I do know that THE 47th SAMURAI has chapters in it from Earl's point of view, and that the plot revolves around choices both Swaggers face.

HAVANA ends up being more spy story than either of the two previous books about Earl Swagger. I think Hunter had a hard time fitting Earl into the plot in some ways. The previous two books hit harder and were more driven by Earl's choices. In this book, Earl seems to be reactive more than proactive.

Everything centers around the unrest in Havana in the 1950s. The United States government has a Central Intelligence Agency operation in place on the island and they're carefully monitoring the political backlash surging against Carlos Batista, who is friendly toward the Americans. As long as Batista is in control, American companies will flourish there. At one time, Havana was referred to as the Disneyland for adults, referring to the gambling, prostitution, drinking, and drugs available.

The New York Mafia has bested interest in the island government as well. Meyer Lansky was there overseeing mob-related business throughout those turbulent years. Hunter uses the mob-influenced history to his advantage throughout the novel. There's even a mob hitman working for Lansky who is called Frankie Horse after he gunned down a New York policemen and his mount. The mob bosses didn't like the idea that Frankie had killed the horse. As punishment, he was sent down to Havana.

The story takes a little while to get started. There's a lot of backstory to set up, but it's all important to provide a picture of the political and economic climate of Havana during those years. Hunter obviously did his research well and enjoyed the subject matter.

Earl gets called in by the government to write shotgun for a senator while he's down in Havana. Harry Etheridge is a southern congressman with a taste for prostitutes. Earl doesn't really care for the assignment, but he's tempted when those who hire him point out that he could provide a much different future for his young son and wife. Those two people mean everything to Earl, and that's one of the reasons that I enjoy him so much as a character.

Earl is plainspoken and humble, and his world is black and white. He doesn't drink because he knows he can't handle it. When he fights, he gives everything he's got because he knows nothing less will do. He's one of the most decorated soldiers to ever come out of the Pacific theater in World War II. And he knows what killing's all about.

This story is bigger than the previous two Earl Swagger novels. In the earlier books, the plot remained thin and Earl stayed in the spotlight nearly the whole time through. HAVANA offered up a richly textured series of events and characters that at times eclipsed Earl. I missed having him on the pages, but there was so much else going on that caught my attention.

Hunter also obviously fell in love with Speshnev, a Russian soldier that was freed from a Siberian prison camp. Spesnev became something of a political embarrassment to Moscow and was locked away in spite of his service during World War II. The old Russian is a wily and cunning man gifted with great, dark humor. I found myself wishing that Stephen Hunter would write a book about him at some point just so I can see everywhere Speshnev has been and what he has done.

So Stephen, if you're reading this, know that you already have one fan waiting for that book.

The chemistry between Swagger and Speshnev is electric. I spent much of the book fearing the time they would meet over gun barrels. In the beginning, Speshnev saves Earl's butt twice, but I knew that they were working at cross purposes and that conflict would at some point need to be resolved.

Hunter also seems to have great fun poking at the CIA's presence in Havana. The intelligence agency seems to be primarily a joke as he shows the emergence of the new "laidback" agents the kind of fit the preppy model. But Hunter also gives them one of Earl's oldest foes in the form of Frenchy Short, who betrayed Earl's team in Hot Springs.

After caring for Senator Etheridge, and getting shot up for his trouble, Earl gets pressured by the CIA to become an assassin and kill Fidel Castro. At the same time, the reader knows that Sheshnev has been sent there to educate young Castro and get him ready to take over Cuba as a communist partner.

Although the reader knows that Earl isn't going to kill Castro, a lot of the story still yet remains to play through. Even without the mystery and suspense of how Earl was going to kill Castro, I stayed glued to my radio as the audio book played. I hated getting out at my stops and often found excuses to run errands that could've waited or go buy a Coke so I could get through a particularly exciting sequence. The problem was that most of the sequences in the book are exciting and is difficult to leave Earl in any one place after the action gets going.

Readers of the previous two books will know that this one has been done differently. Some may not like it because Earl is off screen so much, but if they hang around till after everything is set up, they'll get to see Earl in his element: hunting men and struggling to stay alive under harsh circumstances.

I had a great time with this book. I hate to think that this is the end of it. I would love to see another novel of Earl any time in here. I would especially love to see a war novel recounting Earl's adventures in the Pacific. After Earl returns home to his family in Blue Eye, Arkansas, it's not long before he's murdered while carrying out his job as an Arkansas State Trooper, though not in this book. And that gives me hope that another novel may yet be in the offing.

If this is all there is, I appreciate all the great stories. Hunter gives his readers a character that is at once real and ideal. There aren't many like him, not in real life and not in fiction.

Earl is back.......2007-02-10

This guy can write. I like the way he brought in the character of Earl in previous books and how we are now finding out more and more about him and how these facts helped formed the man, which was later reflected in his son. Improbable fiction but who cares. Entertaining and well written, keep on writing them.

Politics and bullets do mix.......2006-11-15

In this,the latest of the Earl Swagger novels, Stephen Hunter uses the backdrop of 1953 Cuba with its' complex mix of American capitalism run amok and emerging Soviet Communism. The ever virtous Swagger is plopped in the middle of this miasma by the CIA in an attempt to assasintate the rebel leader Fidel Castro.

I know a couple of the reviews have complained that you already know the outcome as Fidel was never assasinated, but I felt that this actually added intrigue to the book as the reader wonders how the usually unstoppable Swagger is going to be turned from his course. Although this book was not the testosterone fest that Hunters previous two novels (Hot Springs and especially Pale Horse Coming) were there is still enough bullets and fisticuffs to satisfy.

The greatest strength of this book was Hunter's ability to capture the atmosphere and feel of Cuba of the 1950's. By interjecting several real characters from American history and critically examining the United States involvement and behavior Hunter gives incredible creedence and a sense of reality to this tale. With the mob, CIA, Cuban Freedom Fighters and Soviet spies all involved it becomes almost impossible for Swagger to tell whom he can trust (if anybody).

The supporting characters, as usual with Hunters' recent work,are Portrayed with depth and feeling as well. As one reviewer stated the Soviet agent almost steals the story and provides a wondeful foil for Earl Swagger.

If you are looking for a good action-adventure novel with lots of political intrigue and set in one of the most tumultous locales in history then pick up a copy of Havana from one of the best American authors writing today.

Good read... S. Hunter is better than this.......2006-07-29

It was good but I know S. Hunter can do better. One thing I have to say is that noone writes better about a man fiddling a gun than S. Hunter. His writing is such that reader can feel the trigger on your fingertips and smell the gun powder.

If you already are S. Hunter fan, pick it up. If you haven't read S. Hunter book before, start off with Dirty White Boys or Point of Impact.

Even Swagger cannot save the weak story.......2006-06-25

Cuba in 1953 - a Mafia-run world of vice, gambling, sex and drugs. Of course police and the government all get their share out of it. Only the young revolutionary Fidel Castro might be the next threat to the corrupt Cuban government. Therefore the Soviet Union sends a highly experienced veteran agent to support Castro. To counter the CIA sends in Earl Swagger with a single goal: to kill Castro.

The story development is pretty slow and did not really grip me. Unlike former books I did not want to stay up late to finish it. The reason is obvious: the story is not convincing and has two really big flaws right from the start:
1) We all know that Castro is very much alive today. So you know that the mission will fail (for whatever reason).
2) If you read other Earl Swagger books before then you know that Earl is no cold-blooded killer. Therefore the basic idea does not work at all. The concept of Swagger turning into an assassin is just not "Swagger-like".

There are some Western-style like shootings in the book that are typical for the author and Earl's skills are fun to follow as usual but they cannot make up for the otherwise pencil thin story.
A great quote from Earl Swagger to support my thoughts: "No, I am not planning nothing except to get the hell off this place. It was a mistake ever coming. I have been shot at in too many hard places to die in a gutter in a city I don't know, for reasons I don't understand." Absolutely correct! The author should have followed this thought and should have let Swagger stay home! And I still do not understand why he wrote this story...

Further aspects that kind of spoiled the fun for me:
This time Swagger meets Fidel Castro. And Meyer Lansky! (Who is next? Young J. F. Kennedy?)
In "Hot Springs" Swagger knocked down Ben "Bugsy" Siegel. This time it is Hemmingway who is on the receiving end of of Earl's fist. (Again the same question: who is next?)
It starts to get a bit ridiculous.

Therefore even if this is a Swagger book which (normally) puts it way above the average book almost automatically, it is not one of Hunter's best works. Actually it is by far the only boring book with either Earl or Bob Lee Swagger in it! (So far there are 7.)
With "the day before midnight" (1989) Hunter already proofed that he does not need any Swagger character to write a fantastic page turner. Maybe it is about time for the author to invent a new hero and let Swagger rest in peace?!

After Fidel: Raul Castro and the Future of Cuba's Revolution

Average customer rating:

Not much about Raul
Lots of insight
After Fidel badly written
AFTER FIDEL provides all the historical and psychological analysis needed for an informed consideration of modern Cuba's future.
More Bio of Castro than Discussion of the Aftermath

After Fidel: Raul Castro and the Future of Cuba's Revolution
Brian Latell
Manufacturer: Palgrave Macmillan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1403975078
Release Date: 2007-02-06

Book Description

This is a compelling behind-the-scenes account of the extraordinary Castro brothers and the impending dynastic succession of Fidel's younger brother Raul. Brian Latell, the CIA analyst who has followed Castro since the sixties, gives an unprecedented view into Fidel and Raul's remarkable relationship, revealing how they have collaborated in policy making, divided responsibilities, and resolved disagreements for more than forty years--a challenge to the notion that Fidel always acts alone. Latell has had more access to the brothers than anyone else in this country, and his briefs to the CIA informed much of U.S. policy. Based on his knowledge of Raul Castro, Latell makes projections on what kind of leader Raul would be and how the shift in power might influence U.S.-Cuban relations.

Customer Reviews:

Not much about Raul.......2007-09-09

This book is mostly about Fidel. There are only two chapters that hone in on Raul. Even Latell, who surely knows more than he could reveal in his own book, didn't reveal too much. He avoided the Bay of Pigs. He didn't say much about Cuba's interference in other Central and South American countries.

Still, it's a good read for laymen wanting to know the basics about Castro and Cuba. Who will take over the island once Fidel dies? Even Latell could only speculate, mentioning a few top ministers from the brothers' group (Raulistas).

Although I didn't gain much insight about Raul, I did learn interesting tidbits about Fidel: the entire clan were illigitimate. Fidel himself has his girlfriend (and their children) set aside. That both Fidel and Raul have a deep hidden side should be no surprise. After Fidel gave the reigns over to Raul in August 2006 there were rumors that Raul would be a ruthless dictator worse than his brother. That hasn't occurred.

Lots of insight.......2007-09-08

Excellent book. Well written and full of insight. Few have the depth and breadth of knowledge that Latell demonstrates in this book.

After Fidel badly written.......2007-03-14

After having read a number of books on Fidel, I found Latell's book badly written, and worse than that, full of conjecture. The other reviewers who claim that Latell is not biased are way off base. Latell's distaste for Fidel is evident on every page. He also borrows quotes from other books. If you want to read a good book about Fidel, one which Latell obviously borrowed from heavily but then added his own interpretations, read "Castro's Cuba, Cuba's Fidel".

AFTER FIDEL provides all the historical and psychological analysis needed for an informed consideration of modern Cuba's future........2006-12-11

AFTER FIDEL: THE INSIDE STORY OF CASTRO'S REGIME AND CUBA'S NEXT LEADER is an important assessment given Fidel's recent health issues: it provides both a political history of Fidel's regime, an analysis of his approach and impact, and new information on his brother, their family life, and how Raul is growing more powerful. In analyzing Fidel and Raul Castro's relationship and evolving influence on Cuban history and culture, AFTER FIDEL provides all the historical and psychological analysis needed for an informed consideration of modern Cuba's future.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

More Bio of Castro than Discussion of the Aftermath.......2006-09-04

This is a well written bio. No histronics, no preaching, no selling of a viewpoint. The author is a former CIA officer and current teacher of the Cuban Revolution at Columbia U. He credits his sources by name, noting each person's relation to the events, which is welcome for the layman. While the title implies that the book is about "After Fidel", this topic comprises less than 1/4 of the text. While to predict the future, you need to know the past, the subtitle works better.

Latell defines how Castro, through extraordinary intellect, a sensitivity to competition and a lack of moral restraint was able to take over a small island country and make it his fiefdom. He was a svengali to his brother, Raul, who's unacknowledged skills were necessary to Fidel's rise and continued dominance. Raul, like the rest of Cuba, is compelled for pyschological and practical reasons to cater to Fidel's paranoia.

Raul ascends to head the military by demonstrating his loyalty through leading ruthless prosecutions including that of a good friend and confidant... a popular and successful general... who's crime was to "dis" Fidel in a private conversation. Unlike Fidel, Raul has a modicum of conscience regarding this particular execution. Raul had been known to have shown some humanity at least once before, in visiting his father while the revolution expropriated the family homestead. Raul is not seen in public and the author says he's an alcoholic. If Fidel were to die today, w/could the 75 year old Raul be the Deng Xiaoping of Cuba?

The situation of Lina (Castro's mother) and her children (Fidel, Raul + 5 others) living in a shack while Angel (father) and his legal wife live in the comfortable "big house" is reminiscent of a pre-Civil War US plantation. Eventually the children are recognized by their father but, I presume, the psychological damage had been done.

Latell gives details of some things of which I was only vaguely aware. One was Casto's early obsession with "liberating" Puerto Rico. Another was the group of "non-aligned" nations, which through design Castro leads. Fidel and the entire organization are later sidelined by his necessary statement of alignment with the Soviet Union when it invaded Afganistan.

There are insights on the workings of international information systems. I didn't know that the lack of coordintion of the FBI and CIA was that FBI cases lead to criminal trials and CIA material, witnesses, etc. must be confidential. A Cuban mole, now in prison, provides information to Fidel, and disinformation to us, for 8 years. An anecdote about a mango tree illustrates, not only Fidel's inability to deal with criticism, but also how international information systems keep tabs on each other.

While there is little text on the eventual succession, I recommend this highly readable bio. I don't know how it measures up to the many other Fidel bios, but the author has an interesting and clear style. He is precise in his language and labels what is known and what is speculative.

Average customer rating:

Not literature
Very Familiar
An Inside look at Cuba
A clear voice emerging
Interested in Cuba and its people? . . . read this book.

Adios, Havana: A Memoir
Andrew J. Rodriguez
Manufacturer: Outskirts Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1598000489

Book Description

Havana . . . lilting rumbas, café con leche, sultry sea breezes. Sparkling white beaches by day, scintillating nightclubs after dark. This sophisticated, international capital was the crown jewel of an island paradise-until the idealism that fed the Cuban Revolution yielded a nightmare of soul-crushing dictatorship. Adios, Havana is a true account of romance and peril, adventure and patriotism. Fueled by love-love of family, of country, and of each other-a young couple must face the most wrenching of choices: remain in the country they cherish, lose the wealth and position their families strove for generations to attain, and watch their children grow up impoverished under a terrifying regime; or risk escaping with no money or possessions and leave behind all they have ever known to begin a new life in a strange land. A legacy to future generations, this memoir is intended to remind readers of the fragility of freedom . . . to describe the disintegration of a prosperous civilized society and offer counsel on how to prevent a similar catastrophe from happening in America . . . and to show how and why penniless refugees flourish in the land of the free-why anyone who resists oppression would be driven to tell his beloved homeland, Adios.

Customer Reviews:

Not literature.......2007-10-02

This book was recommended based on my Amazon reading and buying habits. Not sure why, though. It appears to be a self-published book...nice for the author's relatives or for people who fled Cuba. As literature, though, it just doesn't stack up. I'm disappointed that it was recommended via Amazon and will be more skeptical of those recommendations in the future.

Very Familiar.......2007-08-09

This book is a joy. Mr. Rodriguez' voice is loud and clear Cuban. In this book I reheard my mother's story. Thank You!!

An Inside look at Cuba.......2006-05-12

Before he and his wife flee Communist Cuba in the 60's for American freedom, the author paints vivid pictures of his beloved land and lifestye before and at the beginning of Castro's dictatorship.
Arriving in Miami, FL, they're eventually "adopted" by a Colorado church where they relocate to find housing and jobs. Because of their skills and eagerness to work hard, they become contributors to American society and earn US citizenship.
While the US is not perfect, this book helps me appreciate our various freedoms, and God's love expressed through good people. I recommend this book to those who take our democracy for granted.
~ Brenda Nixon, M.A.
Parenting Author, Expert, Speaker

A clear voice emerging.......2006-05-07

At a time when the Latin immigration experience is on everyone's mind and newspaper page, Andrew Rodriguez tells the story of his flight from Cuba in a clear, undecorated voice that rings true to the story. Immigrants come to America for many reasons, and Rodriguez tells a very personal story that might serve to educate a lot of people about why America is such a beacon.

Interested in Cuba and its people? . . . read this book........2006-02-26

Adios, Havana
Andrew J. Rodriguez
Outskirts Press
10940 S. Parker Rd - 515, Denver, CO USA
www.outskirtspress.com
ISBN: 1598000489, $14.95, 262 pp. 2005

I specialize in reviewing Print-On-Demand (POD) published books, primarily because many reviewers in the "traditional book reviewing community" are not interested in them-regardless of how well-written or engaging. There is a strong resistance within this community, and a POD author would be fortunate, indeed, to receive any acknowledgment to his/her query-they simply ignore you. This, I'm certain, will change in time . . . helped along by quality, well-written, and touching memoirs such as this one.

I quote from the back cover: "Adios, Havana is a true account of romance and peril, adventure and patriotism. Fueled by love-love of family, of country, and of each other-a young couple must face the most wrenching of choices: remain in the country they cherish, lose the wealth and position their families strove for generations to attain, and watch their children grow up impoverished under a terrifying regime; or risk escaping with no money or possessions and leave behind all they have ever know to begin a new life in a strange land.

A legacy to future generations, this memoir is intended to remind readers of the fragility of freedom . . . to describe the disintegration of a prosperous civilized society and offer counsel on how to prevent a similar catastrophe from happening in America . . . and to show how and why penniless refugees flourish in the land of the free-why anyone who resists oppression would be driven to tell his beloved homeland, Adios." I could not have said it better.

The extraordinary beauty of Cuba and the Cuban culture, prior to Castro, come to life through this book, as do the difficult decisions these successful families had to make and the realities of being Cuban refugees in Little Havana, USA. The generosity of the American people to help . . . also comes to life. Andy and Margarita's beautiful love story weaves its way through history and binds it all together.

This book is well-written, well-edited, compelling and sensitive. The author has an educated vocabulary, uses unique similes and metaphors, and is so kind as to translate the Spanish phrases he uses throughout. In addition to this memoir, Andrew J. Rodriquez has authored The Teleportation of an American Teenager.

Reviewer: Kaye Trout of Kaye Trout Book Reviews - Copyright 2006

Average customer rating:

Fidel Castro, el comandante
Neatly presented case for the defence.

Fidel Castro Handbook
George Galloway
Manufacturer: M Q Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1840726881
Release Date: 2006-10-15

Book Description

In the year that Fidel Castro turns eighty, this is a fresh look at his life from childhood, through his dramatic conquest of power, and his extraordinary, charismatic leadership of Cuba over forty-seven years?including sharply focused ?takes? on the guerrilla struggle in the Sierra Maestra, life with the Soviet Union, involvement in Third World politics, and survival in the face of the hostility of the United States just ninety miles away. The author has researched archives from Havana, London, Washington, and Madrid and conducted original interviews with Fidel Castro's contemporaries, in Cuba and throughout the world, that provide fascinating insights into his personality and achievements.

Customer Reviews:

Fidel Castro, el comandante.......2007-02-13

Dear John, believe it or not, Mr Castro is a brave man who will be in the history books forever. He's not an ordinary man and he made something happen. He's fighting against the U.S. empire, an admirable act in itself. On the other hand, Bush will be remembered but because of the bad decisions he made, both as president and as a person. Heck, Mr Hussein was better than Bush and will always be remembered, now as a martyr. Another person that comes to mind is President Hugo Chavez. Lastly, dictators? How do you call a "president" that goes against his own congress and imposes his will on his people? Perhaps you'd check the latest polls.

Neatly presented case for the defence........2007-02-09

In a bibliographical note at the end of his life in pictures of the `Maximum Leader' the controversial MP for London's Bethnal Green & Bow constituency notes the wealth of material on Fidel Castro and the Cuban Revolution. As to why a further contribution to the already vast literature should be thought necessary, George Galloway states openly in his preface that he is `a partisan for Cuba, for its revolution, for its leadership, for its role in the world'. So in proclaiming his partisanship Galloway makes it clear that in this case there will be none of the biographer's customary distancing and objectivity. He describes briefly his own youthful political awakening and lifelong commitment to the socialist cause, and admits that his is no dispassionate `either-or' account of the Great Revolutionary's life. Fidel - the familiar first name is used throughout - is the living embodiment, his policies the practical realisation, of what the author holds sacred. By foregoing objectivity Galloway attempts to portray the man of flesh and blood, his human qualities, something on which he presumably feels previous biographers have laid insufficient emphasis.

The book's magazine-supplement style of layout and presentation distinguishes it from other more detailed accounts. Several quotations from Castro and other leading figures are highlighted in bold print, sometimes filling entire pages, while the many photographs, some previously unpublished, complement the various phases of a life of heroics and high drama told with a nice sense of pacing and proportion. The main points of an extraordinary epic are sketched from his childhood and family background through the first stirrings of revolutionary zeal, the assault on the Moncada Barracks, the meeting with Guevara and the consolidation of the 26th of July Movement before the final taking of power, the restructuring of Cuba against a background of US-instigated terror and assassination plots, the Missile Crisis, and Castro's role on the international stage as a champion of the Third World's cause. Aside from the main narrative are the contributions of six interviewees who are summoned, effectively, as witnesses for the defence.

Leader of the Cuban Parliament Ricardo Alarcon notes how under Batista's rule the population as a whole had little trust in politicians, and the success of the revolution was down to Fidel's `uniting the people'. It was also down to his formidable skills as a military commander which Galloway prompts Ramiro Valdes, former Minister of the Interior, to elaborate on, while in the sphere of the arts Culture Minister Abel Prieto insists that their leader has no prejudices, not even against `decadent' western popular music! Some observations on the ever-present threat from the colossus of the north are made by Washington-based immigration lawyer Jose Pertierra and former US diplomat Wayne S Smith, the latter of whom resigned his post in protest at Reagan's deranged anti-Cuba policy. Pertierra, representing the Venezuelan Government, discusses the case of the vile Posada Carriles whose extradition to Venezuela from the US is currently sought in connection with the 1976 bombing of a Cuban passenger plane off Barbados. According to Pertierra declassified CIA documents show that the US Government ignored the Agency's warnings about the known terrorist's intentions. On a more encouraging note those of us who support the cause may take some comfort from the lawyer's statement that Miami's extreme right-wing émigré clique do not wield as much power as they like to think, and that ultimately the US Government will negotiate with Cuba however noisy and hysterical the objections raised.

Cuba's offer of doctors and medical supplies following the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina was predictably refused. Pulitzer Prize-winning author Alice (`Color Purple') Walker, the final interviewee, condemns the childish attitude of a US Administration that would rather bear old grudges than actually save lives. In fact throughout the book examples of Castro's magnanimity and forbearance are described which cast the enemy in a poor light. Despite the Bay of Pigs fiasco he acknowledged Kennedy's potential as an enlightened human being and politician, and thirty years later Clinton's hob-nobbing with some of Miami's worst elements provoked a similarly calm reaction. The routine demonisation omits to mention such details and nor does it explain why, even during the desperate economic slough of the early `90s, there was no `Ceausescu moment' for the supposed tyrant. (That there was no `Allende moment' either is explained by Castro's appointment of himself, post-'59, as Military Commander-in-Chief of the Rebel Armed Forces and the bringing to trial of the hard-core Batista remnant. On a visit to Chile in 1971 he is said to have had serious doubts about the newly elected president's naïve, ultimately fatal, belief in the army's neutrality.)

It will be said, with some justification, that Galloway stands so in awe of his subject that he inclines towards hagiolatry and therefore underplays some of the less palatable aspects of Castro's rule. For example, the proclamation in support of the Soviet clampdown during Czechoslovakia's `Prague Spring' is not mentioned, and the Stalinist persecution in 1970/71 of dissident poet Heberto Padilla, whose enforced, televised auto-denunciation was condemned at the time by Sartre and other prominent intellectuals, is passed over rather lightly. There are several sources which Galloway himself cites containing more information on these and other issues, for example Robert E Quirke's 800-odd page biography, an out-and-out hatchet job but of some value if read between the lines. Much preferred is ex-British ambassador to Cuba Leycester Coltman's balanced and generally sympathetic `The Real Fidel Castro'. I would personally also recommend Sheldon B. Liss' `Fidel Castro's Political and Social Thought' (Latin American Perspectives Series, No 13), a useful adjunct to Galloway's `Handbook' as it follows a similar partisan line although it does refer to the Czech events of '68 (and, incidentally, rules out of order Cuban `dissident' Armando Valladares whose fictions Quirke has swallowed hook, line and sinker.)

It is Galloway's contention, in effect, that history has indeed absolved Fidel Castro and is doing so once again with the `Axis of Good' partnership alongside President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela and Bolivia's Evo Morales. A recent piece in the conservative London `Spectator' (20/01/07) takes a very different view, but for those unacquainted with the facts of an extraordinary life and career this affectionate portrayal of the great survivor is as readable and engaging an introduction as any.

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Cuba through Fidel Castro's eyes
Fidel , por delante y por los costados
Un libro muy completo...
Fascinating, Revelatory, Highly Enjoyable.
Fidel Castro Biografia a dos voces

Fidel Castro: Biografía a dos voces
Ignacio Ramonet
Manufacturer: Debate
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0307376532
Release Date: 2006-07-04

Book Description

El 13 de agosto el enigmatico dictador cumplirá sus 80 años en esta tierra. En Fidel Castro: Biografía a dos voces, Igancio Ramonet, sociòlogo, teórico de cultura, periodista y una de las voces más representativas del movimiento altermundista, ha logrado desvelar —tras semanas de intensas conversaciones- las claves de la Revolución cubana a través de la biografía humana y política del último «monstruo sagrado» de la política internacional: el polémico Fidel Castro. Testimonio excepcional y análisis histórico, este libro es una auténtica «biografía a dos voces»: la memoria oral del comandante.

¿Cómo fue su infancia? ¿Dónde y cuándo se forjó el rebelde? ¿Cómo eran sus relaciones con Che Guevara? ¿Estuvo el mundo al borde de una guerra nuclear durante la llamada «crisis de los misiles»? ¿Cuántas veces han querido asesinarlo? ¿Qué impresión le causó el papa Juan Pablo II cuando visitó la isla en 1998? ¿Por qué crtica tanto a Felipe González y a José María Aznar mientras alaba la figura del rey Juan Carlos? ¿Qué piensa de la globalización neoliberal, de la guerra de Irak y del presidente Bush? ¿Por qué las autoridades cubanas arrestaron a unos setenta opositores no violentos en marzo de 2003 y aplicaron, ese mismo año la pena de muerte a los secuestrados de una lancha? ¿Existe corrupción en el régimen? ¿Es el socialismo en Cuba realmente «irreversible»? ¿Hacia dónde camina la política y la economía de la isal? ¿Que ocurrirá despues de Fidel Castro?

El exhaustivo cuestionario de Ignacio Ramonet —más de cien horas de entrevistas y de inéditas revelaciones- es al tiempo un recorrido apasionante por la controvertida figura de Fidel Castro y un formidable relato sobre el pasado, el presente y el provenir de la Revolución.

Customer Reviews:

Cuba through Fidel Castro's eyes.......2007-07-16

I appreciate very much the book, in original language. It gives the backstage of a big part of Cusa's hystory. The parts that I believed where the one's where Fidel Castro is remembering his life. When he was a children, in an ancient and poor country, where he had the oportunity to make bigger his natural instinct deploring the acts against the human right.
From this pages comes out a incredible part of Castro, made of sensibility, believe in equality, friendship. A complete different look on what we are used to know him.
Also all the Cuban's Revolucion comes out like a big and strong believe that peoples had to help the cubans to grow up and take his own identity.

Fidel , por delante y por los costados.......2007-03-11

Exhaustive and perhaps exhausting interview of Fidel. Fascinating questions in relation to salient issues of human rights and wrongs in Cuba. A rather astonishing intellectual dexterity in response to salient political concerns.
A truly remarkable work that allows for discerning skills and capacities of a knowledgeable and persistent political figure.
The accompanying DVD and what it reveals about childhood of Fidel and contemporary Cuba...so intriguing!

Un libro muy completo..........2007-02-20

"Fidel Castro:Biografia a dos voces" es un excelente libro que merece traduccion en ingles para aclarar dudas y prejuicios del publico americano sobre este controversial lider. A pesar de su avanzada edad y estado de salud, Fidel Castro presenta muy claramente todo evento desde la Revolucion Cubana, su relacion con el Che Guevara, y el presente y futuro de su pais. La conversacion entre el autor y Castro es presentada de manera que uno se siente que esta en el mismo cuarto con ellos durante la entrevista. Un libro muy entretenido.

Fascinating, Revelatory, Highly Enjoyable........2007-02-16

Let us hope that one day, even under the burning climate of the Bush regime, we will see "Fidel Castro: Biografia A Dos Voces," published in an English translation for those who do not speak Spanish. But for bilengual readers like myself, this is the best book available in a long time on the life and times of Fidel Castro and the Cuban Revolution. Ignacio Ramonet has done an amazing service by documenting in great detail through many hours of interviews the life, ideas and dreams of one of the most controversial, influential world leaders of the past century and the early years of this one. This should be the definitive book for anyone wanting a detailed analysis of what exactly are the ideas behind Fidel Castro and the revolution he ignited a half century ago. This is also a valuable book because it is the only real book on Castro that goes into Cuba's influence on today's Latin America and leaders such as Hugo Chavez and Evo Morales. Castro recounts in stunning detail Cuba's role in helping bring Chavez back to power after an illegal, U.S.-backed coup sponsored by Venezuela's rich elites and radical right ousted Chavez for 48 hours. Castro recounts how Chavez's daughter called Havana to report that her father had not resigned as the coup plotters reported, but was overthrown and held prisoner. It was Cuba that relayed the information to major media outlets so the world could know of the crime that had occurred in Venezuela against her elected government. Ramonet takes us through Castro's childhood to his days as a passionate law student beginning to join the liberation movement to free Cuba from foreign domination of it's resources, market and culture. There are wonderful moments of memory dealing with the Revolution and Castro's friendship with icon Che Guevara. For those suckered by Fox News propaganda, Castro here reminds us that Cuba was the first nation to condemn the September 11 terrorist attacks, and eventhough Castro is opposed to the war in Iraq, he concedes that Saddam Hussein was a thug and much of his attitudes contributed to opening the door for Bush's imperialist war. The picture we get here is not of some vicious tyrant as the radical right likes to paint anyone with different views, instead we get the thoughts and ideas of a world leader who has changed much of Latin American history forever. There is little the current Bush regime will be able to do to curve the rise of socialism in the Americas, "Fidel Castro: Biografia A Dos Voces" is a perfect information tool to know how those roots were planted and what socialism really means. Castro's mastery of language is impressive and his careful, detailed analysis of world leaders, events and policies is impressive. His words are worth reading, especially in these times when blind imperial rage threatens to distabalize the Middle East if not the world. Here is one of the best books to come out of the Spanish market in a long time.

Fidel Castro Biografia a dos voces.......2007-01-12

Excellent. I read the Spanish version. Is a book that you have to keep for future references!!

The Mystique of Conspiracy: Oswald, Castro, and the CIA

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Worth reading
interesting

The Mystique of Conspiracy: Oswald, Castro, and the CIA
Brian Bugge
Manufacturer: Provocative Ideas
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0960170812

Book Description

The Mystique of Conspiracy delves into the mystery surrounding the JFK assassination. It focuses mainly on anti-Castro Cuban exiles and their relationship with the CIA, but it also offers an excellent framework to gauge the "plausibility" of any conspiracy theory. Unique to this work is the offer included at the back of the book to involve the reader in an online exchange with the author. The author, an online Professor of criminal justice at the University of Phoenix, will guide the reader/student into formulating his or her own credible approach to solving the nagging mystery behind the JFK assassination (or any conspiracy theory they are interested in). Also compelling is the Foreword and personal letters included in the Appendix written to the author in 1978 by David Atlee Phillips, former CIA Western Hemisphere Division Chief. Mr. Phillips passed away in 1988, but many have tried to link him directly to a CIA plot to assassinate JFK utilizing anti-Castro Cuban exiles. A new name in the annals of the JFK assassination is CIA covert operative George Joannides. Mr. Joannides passed away in 1999, but his role in directing a group of anti-Castro Cuban exiles who had contact with the assassin in New Orleans several months before the assassination has never been made public up until now. As recent as 2005 the CIA went to court and blocked the release of any documents on George Joannides. David Atlee Phillips was Mr. Joannides' supervisor in the CIA. This book will be of interest to anyone interested in the "mystique" surrounding conspiracy theories, whether it is JFK, RFK, MLK, Princess Diana, 9/11 or Russian defector Alexander Litvinenko, killed in London by radioactive polonium 210. There is a common thread that runs through them all. The author will reveal what that is.

Customer Reviews:

Worth reading.......2007-08-02

Actually this essentially "no conspiracy" book is rather good in that the author especially given his background, shares useful insights into the minds of the intelligence agencies and indicates how unlikely it would have been that Oswald was part of a plot. The author is open minded enough to accept possible conspiracy. A rare level headed book on a subject that invariable gets clouded by myth, blurred fact and fiction and heated passionate but frequently ill informed debate.

interesting.......2007-02-21

As the leading civilian authority on the U.S. Secret Service (and President Kennedy's interaction with the agency), I was much interested in this book by Brian Bugge; his pedigree speaks for itself. If you are at all interested in the anti-Castro Cuban connection to the case, as well as the CIA's responsibilities in this area, you will not go wrong in purchasing this work. Vince Palamara

Alina: memorias de la hija rebelde de Fidel Castro

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Alina: memorias de la hija rebelde de Fidel Castro
Alina Fernández
Manufacturer: Plaza & Janes Editores
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Book Description

La hija de Fidel en sus propias palabras. Un documento extraordinario, un testimonio de la vida compleja y llena de una mujer cubana de la era de la revolución.

The Man Who Invented Fidel: Castro, Cuba, and Herbert L. Matthews of The New York Times

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"Where exactly does the myth end, and truth begin?"
A Timely Look Back at Castro's Beginnings
the man who invented fidel
Fidelity to Truth
Another example of dishonest reporting at the NYTimes

The Man Who Invented Fidel: Castro, Cuba, and Herbert L. Matthews of The New York Times
Anthony Depalma
Manufacturer: PublicAffairs
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1586483323

Book Description

This dramatic story of how a New York Times reporter helped Castro come to power offers illuminating insight into the fraught history of Cuban-American relations and the precarious balance between truth and myth

In 1957, Herbert L. Matthews of the New York Times, then considered one of the premiere foreign correspondents of his time, tracked down Fidel Castro in Cuba's Sierra Maestra mountains and returned with what was considered the scoop of the century. His heroic portrayal of Castro, who was then believed dead, had a powerful effect on American perceptions of Cuba, both in and out of the government, and profoundly influenced the fall of the Batista regime. When Castro emerged as a Soviet-backed dictator, Matthews became a scapegoat; his paper turned on him, his career foundered, and he was accused of betraying his country.

In this fascinating book, New York Times reporter DePalma investigates the Matthews case to reveal how it contains the story not just of one newspaperman but of an age, not just how Castro came to power but how America determines who its enemies are. He re-creates the atmosphere of revolutionary Cuba and Cold War America, and clarifies the facts of Castro's ascension and political evolution from the many myths that have sprung up around them. Through a dramatic, ironic, in ways tragic story, The Man Who Invented Fidel offers provocative insights into Cuban politics, the Cuban-American relationship, and the many difficult balancing acts of responsible journalism.

Customer Reviews:

"Where exactly does the myth end, and truth begin?".......2007-09-25

It takes a lot of fortitude for a New York Times writer to tackle this subject, one certain to cast the Times in a less than shimmering light. Author Anthony DePalma notes that in his acknowledgments when he says that "Bill Keller, executive editor,...winced when he heard that I was writing about [Herbert L.] Matthews after so many unflattering books about the newspaper were being published but encouraged me anyway." What DePalma reveals - through some magnificent research and writing - is a situation far more complex than one reporter's "self-confessed passion for underdogs," which made him "easily won over by those he covered, regardless of their politics."

Matthews is pegged as the first of a long line of individuals taken in by Fidel Castro, who - as DePalma perfectly notes - "was capable of constantly reinventing himself and creating myths about his persona and his beliefs...he had become a political chameleon who could bedevil both friends and enemies."

DePalma's tour de force chapter is the penultimate one entitled "A Cordial Witness." I have passages flagged on almost every other page. One standout is this one: "Che understood the value of Matthews' bias from the outset, as had Castro, because both men were masters of propaganda and manipulators of image. They were far more perceptive in this regard than Matthews. They exploited Matthews' bias while he never accepted the notion that his writing had created a skewed picture of reality that, for a time, had become reality itself."

Mr. DePalma does a fantastic job synthesizing original material from the Matthews Library at Columbia University (Matthews kept every scrap of paper he had ever scribbled on), the New York Times files (which reveal deep concerns about Matthews' partisanship throughout his long career), FBI files about Matthews (DePalma filed a request under the Freedom of Information act), and recollections from Matthews' son and daughter which included the big surprise of a last unpublished manuscript - in longhand - in the possession of Priscilla Matthews.

This is an excellent book, surely the best I've read this year.

A Timely Look Back at Castro's Beginnings.......2007-03-20

Now that it seems likely Castro's regime is finally waltzing through its twilight years in Cuba, this book provides a timely look back at how it all started. It seems reports of his death were greatly exaggerated - back in 1957. That's the year he returned to the Oriente District of Cuba with the ragtag band of revolutionaries he had rallied to the cause of Cuban liberation. For months, everyone in Cuba assumed that he and his entire little brigade had been wiped out by Batista's soldiers as they patrolled that densely wooded part of Cuba's southern coast.

However this book isn't really about Castro. It's about Herbert Matthews, the New York Times reporter who hiked into those woods, got an interview with Castro, and brought out the news that Castro was actually alive and well. It's about how Castro made such an impression on Matthews during that brief interview, that Matthews forever after championed and defended Castro to the American public, denying all the growing suspicions that Castro might turn out to be, not a liberator, but a Communist dictator.

I had hoped that this book might shed some light on how Castro's presumed idealism (if indeed it ever existed) morphed into just another raw exercise of power. But there is no psychological analysis here. There isn't much insight into how yet another revolution turned into tyranny - other than DePalma's observations that Castro was always flexible, looking for the better chance to consolidate his power. You'll have to look to other books for deeper answers to why so many revolutions fail, if in fact such answers exist anywhere.

This book stays more exclusively with Matthews. It tracks his dogged belief in Castro's overall good intentions. And it follows the public's reaction to Matthews' reporting - from initial enthusiastic acceptance of Matthew's heroic view of Castro, to repudiation and even revilement.

DePalma's writing tends to be plain and reportorial, although he does get in the occasional telling turn-of-phrase - as for example when he compares Matthews to a piñata that so many delighted in bashing for America's failed forecasting of Castro's intentions. Generally though, DePalma just writes good clear sentences that make for easy reading. In a relatively short time, this book will arc you the whole way from Castro's rebel retreat, through the Bay of Pigs, and on to the more recent stand-off between the U.S. and Cuba.

the man who invented fidel.......2007-01-28

Found it to be a light and enjoyable read of Cuba of the Fifties and Sixties and the United States reactions to what was taking place there. Specifically Batista, Fidel, Revolution and Communism. The story about NY Times journalist Herbert Matthews and his relationship with Fidel, who Anthony DePalma uses to help you relive that experience make the story much more real then your normal run of the mill book on Fidel and his rise to power.

Fidelity to Truth.......2006-07-17

While many will buy this book to learn about Cuba and Castro, I think its greater value will be for those interested in journalism. How close can a reporter be to his or her source before bias surely intrudes? When does a reporter's decided notions of what ought to happen, prevent even-handed and clear reporting? How much backing--or control-- should be given an experienced reporter by a newspaper's editors?

To me, the story of Herbert L. Matthews is of current interest not because of what happened with Castro over fifty years ago--but of how it informs today's debate over current journalistic standards at The New York Times and other major media outlets.

Another example of dishonest reporting at the NYTimes .......2006-07-13

This is some good reporting about the facts associated with what Herb Matthews did to paint a phony picture of Castro for consumption in the USA during the height of the Cold War. There are many good details that show that Matthews really followed in the tradition of Walter Duranty who mislead the world about Stalin's mass murder of Ukrainians which was on an even greater scale than Hitler's treatment of Jews, Roma, and others during his attempt to conquer the world and rid it of non-Aryans.
The problem with this book is that Depalma gives Matthews way too much the benefit of the doubt when it comes to whether he was just naive, or if his political agenda, in a newsroom full of Communist sympathizers at the Times, led him to write fiction instead of honest reporting of Castro.
Matthews is one of many whose dishonest reporting should have made the Times fall by the wayside as many papers did all over the country, but when you have such deep pockets, and a politically driven leadership in a very liberal town, you don't need honest reporting when preaching to the liberal choir.
But in any event this is a good read as long as you recognize the editorializing vs. the reporting.

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Not all liberals are stupid
Ask a Cuban!
Hooray for Humberto for having the guts to write this book
Even more Miami lies
Correct? Maybe, but poorly written.

Fidel: Hollywood's Favorite Tyrant
Humberto Fontova
Manufacturer: Regnery Publishing, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0895260433

Book Description

Fidel exposes the hypocrisy of Castro's liberal fan club, delivering the brutal truth about the tyrant the Fidelistas call the first and greatest hero to appear in the world.

Customer Reviews:

Not all liberals are stupid .......2007-09-09

Just wanted to weigh in here as a liberal who also teaches Spanish.
I loved both books, the one on Che and this one. I teach my advanced students not to buy into the mythology of Motorcycle Diaries. We study Cuba and Latin America, and the history of dictators such as Peron and Pinochet. We study the Dirty War and students come away with a much better idea about these two men who somehow have become symbols of freedom or revolution instead of the oppressors they are.

So be careful of buying into the propoganda that all liberals love Che and Fidel.

Ask a Cuban!.......2007-05-15

Back in the early 80's I was a stupid liberal who believed the propaganda in the media (agitprop) regarding Fidel being a "benevolent" dictator after reading a glowing book extolling his many virtues and painting a picture of a utopian Cuba. When my Nicarguan and El Salvadoran immigrant friends vociferously disagreed with me, I read "Against All Hope" by Armando Valladeros, my first book on Communist dictatorsip, which shook me to the core. I began to question my preconceived notions and embarked on a journey through the rich genre of anti-Communist literature by those who actually LIVED under the brutal regimes--Nien Cheng, Haing Ngor and Alexander Solzhenitsyn, among others. Their stories are distressingly similar, harrowing and painful to read, about the malignant ideology which crushes the human spirit and justifies beatings, murder, incarceration, and all manner of evil while masquerading as good, just and humane. I also read books by American authors who had been Communists, had second thoughts and left the "progressive" faith: Collier and Horowitz, Whittaker Chambers, etc. These wonderful authors turned me around politically and philosophically, and helped me to start thinking critically. I now apologize to the Cuban people (and all the victims of Communist repression and genocide in the 20th Century) for my previous naivete, but in my defense I was young, Democrat and had tried hallucinogens and marijuana, all of which clouded my judgement back then. Plus, I used to believe Mike Wallace and the liberal media. Big mistake! For some reason they are vested in their "progressive" fantasies and do not let the truth disturb them...and they all seem to hate this country which has given them so much. Very sad.

"Fidel, Hollywood's Favorite Tyrant" by Herbert Fontova is a very important addition to this genre because it offers history, facts, and story after story by witness after witness, about Cuba, Che, Fidel, and many of the prominent American sycophants who toady up to this corrupt, murderous, barbaric dictator. Did you know Fidel is one of the world's richest men (Forbe's magazine) and a master of propaganda, having learned from the masters (Soviets). This is a bitingly funny, touching and comprehenive book. Fontova is clearly passionate about this subject, which to me makes this book even more enjoyable. It is sorely needed because Fidel is finally going to his just reward in the netherworld--and the Cuban people may finally get a reprieve after 50 years (a half century!) of suffering and countless deaths. What happens next--in the very near future--is history in the making. I will be watching closely, hoping and praying for Cuban freedom, for the USA and the rest of the free world, and to see how the liberals in Hollywood and the media react. Will they hysterically mourn his passing or finally TELL THE TRUTH about this monster? Their reactions will say more about them than Fidel. Who do you believe--a rich American who flies to Cuba on a private jet and has a "personal audience," with Fidel, sumptuous food and living accommodations for a few days--or the average Cuban who has actually lived the nightmare? It will be very illuminating, especially when the obituaries and books are written and hidden stories emerge, as they always do after the death of a tyrant...Can anyone now alive remember how sweet life was before the revolution?

Hooray for Humberto for having the guts to write this book.......2007-02-27

I love this book and cannot wait for Humberto's next book on Che. I find his information very well researched and reflective of his extensive and informed studies in Latin American History in which he has his Masters degree from Tulane University.

I am a first generation American. My mother left Cuba in 1960 at age 15 and she, like so many other Cuban exiles,have in fact been back to visit Cuba recently, and we have had several family members in Cuba visit and keep in touch.

Before Castro, Cuba was a very enlightened country. As indicated in Humberto's book, the per-capita income was high and the standards of living were high also. This was because Batista encouraged unionization and established a minimum wage in Cuba.

This did not go over well with the wealthy property owners or business owners. When Castro came about and promised reform, it was primarily the upper classes that supported him. They wanted to do away with the unions and minimum wage for their own economic gain.

The people that supported Castro were not the poor farm workers or laborors. The poor people opposed Castro as indicated in Humberto's book. They had more to gain by keeping Batista then they did by having Castro take over the country.

The Cuban people that backed Castro and Che were expecting socio-economic reform, not the political reform that was the end result.

I think more people should read this book. Hollywood glamorizes Che and Castro as heros that liberated the poor people of Cuba. Reading this book may help people to the realization that Castro and Che took this beautiful, tourist magnet of a country and turned it into a third world country that "not even Hatians" (per Humberto) ant to immigrate to.

Even more Miami lies.......2007-02-26

This author is incredibly biased and left Cuba when he was a child- too young to remember or understand anything. I don't know his family's story, but the truth is that most of the Miamians have never even been to Cuba and are 2nd and 3rd generation, and that the first wave of Cubans was not poor people on rafts- it was fascists who supported Batista, rich brothel and casino owners, mobsters, etc. Not a great crowd, to say the least. People love Fidel Castro throughout the world for a reason... check out "Fidel, the Untold Story" for a good documentary that gives the other side. I'm not saying Fidel hasn't done some bad things, but he's not even close to the Stalin that the liars in Miami paint him as. For all my anti-Communist sentiment, I have to say, this book is ridiculous. Anyone who actually believes that Cuba was better under Batista had better think twice about the sources they are hearing.

Correct? Maybe, but poorly written........2007-02-22

This is called a book, but written in the form of a blog. I was reading Fidel and instead of facts about the dictator or his rule, I was bombarded with a rant about the evil of the left and hollywood in America. Instead of true history this is a partisan rant.

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