Trujillo : The Life and Times of a Caribbean Dictator

by Robert D. Crassweller

Softcover Trade Paperback

Genres: History

First published January 1, 1966

Reviews

[Mark Desrosiers · Rating 4 out of 5]

This reads almost like a how-to manual on how to be an effective and long-lasting dictator. Clearly Crasweller has no admiration for Trujillo, but he does note his achievements (such as they were), and he adopts a tone of cynical mirth when describing in detail the various games he played to keep his "honeycomb" of cronies submissive and obedient.

[Trish · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's extremely well researched and organized. It's written in a 70s-era academic style that hides the subject of the sentence (or paragraph), and there were times when the sequence of events got confusing. It's a piece of its time, which is to say that I raised my eyebrows a few times at certain statements.

That being said, it's meticulous in its detail and he got some great personal anecdotes that lightened up what could have been a really dense book. It's a good resource for anyone who is interested in Latin American Politics during the 1900s and the Dominican Republic in particular.

[Lorenz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Informative and easy to read.

[Katherine Moss · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the clearest biographies of one of the cruelest people in history. I have to say...I think that the cruelty of Rafael Leonidas Trujillo closely rivals that of Adolf Hitler.

[Rafa Pina · Rating 4 out of 5]

By far best biographical work on Trujillo that I've read.

[J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

All the story of a US Marine Corp graduated soldier to the rank of 2 Lieutenant and his raise to power for almost 31 years in the Dominican Republic.