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Cuba Confidential: Love and Vengeance in Miami and Havana
From America’s number one Cuba reporter, PEN award–winning investigative journalist Ann Louise Bardach, comes the big book on Cuba we’ve all been waiting for. An incisive and spirited portrait of the twentieth century’s wiliest political survivor and his fiefdom, Cuba Confidential is the gripping story of the shattered families and warring personalities that lie at the heart of the forty-three-year standoff between Miami and Havana.
Famous to many Americans for her cover stories and media appearances, Ann Louise Bardach has been covering Cuba for a decade. She’s talked to the crooks, spooks and politicians who have made history, and to their hired assassins and confidants. Based on exclusive interviews with Fidel Castro, his sister Juanita, his former brother-in-law Rafael Díaz-Balart, the family of Elián González, the friends and family of the legendary American fugitive Robert Vesco, the intrepid terrorist Luis Posada Carriles, and the inner circles of Jeb Bush and the late exile leader Jorge Mas Canosa, Cuba Confidential exposes the hardball take-no-prisoners tactics of the Cuban exile leadership, and its manipulation and exploitation by ten American presidents.
Bardach homes in on Fidel Castro and his cronies, taking us closer than we’ve ever been—and on the militant exiles who have devoted their lives, with CIA connivance, to trying to eliminate him. From Calle Ocho to Juan Miguel González’s kitchen table in Cárdenas, from Guantánamo Bay to Union City to Washington, D.C., Ann Louise Bardach serves up an unforgettable portrait of Cuba and its exiles.
Famous to many Americans for her cover stories and media appearances, Ann Louise Bardach has been covering Cuba for a decade. She’s talked to the crooks, spooks and politicians who have made history, and to their hired assassins and confidants. Based on exclusive interviews with Fidel Castro, his sister Juanita, his former brother-in-law Rafael Díaz-Balart, the family of Elián González, the friends and family of the legendary American fugitive Robert Vesco, the intrepid terrorist Luis Posada Carriles, and the inner circles of Jeb Bush and the late exile leader Jorge Mas Canosa, Cuba Confidential exposes the hardball take-no-prisoners tactics of the Cuban exile leadership, and its manipulation and exploitation by ten American presidents.
Bardach homes in on Fidel Castro and his cronies, taking us closer than we’ve ever been—and on the militant exiles who have devoted their lives, with CIA connivance, to trying to eliminate him. From Calle Ocho to Juan Miguel González’s kitchen table in Cárdenas, from Guantánamo Bay to Union City to Washington, D.C., Ann Louise Bardach serves up an unforgettable portrait of Cuba and its exiles.
464 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2002
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December 28, 2013
This meticulously-researched book makes two things abundantly clear: first, that Fidel Castro may very well be a sociopath; and second, that the leaders of the Cuban exile community in Miami are all unquestionably sociopaths.
I think the author did a wonderful job of showing how Castro always operated from a love of his country and a desire to end America's exploitation of his land and people, while at the same time not sugar-coating the fact that he has done terrible things to lots of people in order to reach his goals. She points out how his actions over the past 50 years have catapulted a tiny and little-known country into one of the world's major players. She makes clear that the American government's policies and actions have played right into Castro's rhetoric of a David and Goliath relationship.
The parts about Castro and Cuba were wonderful, but the parts about the Miami exile community were jaw-dropping. The author provides ample evidence that shows the exile leadership has created its own little fiefdom in the city of Miami, where Cubans and non-Cubans alike must conform to the exile leadership's opinions and follow its orders, lest they be blacklisted or even killed. In the case of Elian Gonzalez, the author shows how the Miami exile community would gladly sacrifice the life of a six-year-old child in order to score points against Fidel Castro. Truly, they are disgusting.
I think the author did a wonderful job of showing how Castro always operated from a love of his country and a desire to end America's exploitation of his land and people, while at the same time not sugar-coating the fact that he has done terrible things to lots of people in order to reach his goals. She points out how his actions over the past 50 years have catapulted a tiny and little-known country into one of the world's major players. She makes clear that the American government's policies and actions have played right into Castro's rhetoric of a David and Goliath relationship.
The parts about Castro and Cuba were wonderful, but the parts about the Miami exile community were jaw-dropping. The author provides ample evidence that shows the exile leadership has created its own little fiefdom in the city of Miami, where Cubans and non-Cubans alike must conform to the exile leadership's opinions and follow its orders, lest they be blacklisted or even killed. In the case of Elian Gonzalez, the author shows how the Miami exile community would gladly sacrifice the life of a six-year-old child in order to score points against Fidel Castro. Truly, they are disgusting.
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March 16, 2018A lot of research went into this book!
March 29, 2014
Published in 2002, this book does not provide information on the recent developments (thaw?) in the Cuba-U.S. relationship. If it were to be republished, an epilogue by the author would be very desirable.
I came across this book on a website I was looking at about travel to Cuba. I've wanted to travel to Cuba for a long time; only recently has this been possible, although still on a somewhat restricted level. My attraction to Cuba, by and large, was stimulated by Hemingway, even though I have long since fallen out of love with Hemingway. But that's another story. This book is not about Hemingway's Cuba or about the history of Cuba; not even too much about the revolution that brought Castro to power in Cuba. It's really about a family feud. And, perhaps, there is no feud so bitter and so long lasting and so unforgiving as a family feud. And so it is in this family feud. Divided and broken families.
Havana vs. Miami/Fidelistas vs. Cuban exiles and the central personalities and struggles on each side of the family. Befittingly, the opening and closing chapters are about the divided family of Elian Gonzales - his fiercely anti-Castro relatives in Miami vs. his father in Cuba. Although the story of the tug-of-war between the Miami relatives and their supporters versus Elian's father, Juan Miguel, and seemingly all of Cuba is very familiar, Bardach's account clearly details how little Elian became the cause celebre for both sides and the lengths to which each side was willing to go to claim victory. By the time, Elian was returned to his father and to Cuba, it was clear not only that Cuba and Castro had scored a pretty big victory but that the Miami exiles had vastly over-played their hand.
And that's kind of the over-arching theme of this book. Not that Castro gets a white wash. He's in for his fair share of criticism. But that the Cuban exile community (or should I say Mafia), out-of-control, has over-played its hand and is losing. Although Bardach does not make the comparison, it seemed to me after reading her book that, in proportion to their numbers, the Cuban exiles have exerted more influence on Washington D.C. than has AIPAC (America's pro-Israel lobby)and that's going some! Much of the book details the central power players among the Cuban American community in Miami-Dade County and their enormous influence and intimidation - over the judicial system, the press("Miami Herald,") and local and national politicians, to say nothing of the various members of the Bush family. It's an enlightening but not an edifying picture.
Bardach's subtitle is "Love and Vengeance . . ." but it's mostly a story of vengeance. Another subtitle might be "Everything You've Always Wanted to Know About Cuba and Now Know Who to Ask"! At times, the detail was exhausting, especially if you didn't know the players in the exile community, and it was kind of a slog to get though those chapters; but, at other times, the story was riveting. Bardach is an award-wining journalist who has been described as America's number one Cuban reporter. She's interviewed almost everyone of any importance in Little Havana and in Cuba, including two long interviews with Castro himself. She asks the question all ask - what will happen when Fidel Castro dies. He's lasted for more than half a century - longer than any other leader in the Western hemisphere, despite many attempts on his life; but he's not immortal. Her tentative speculations in 2002 probably are not very relevant now in 2014. We only know that if reconciliation comes in the family, it will come with the newer generations.
I came across this book on a website I was looking at about travel to Cuba. I've wanted to travel to Cuba for a long time; only recently has this been possible, although still on a somewhat restricted level. My attraction to Cuba, by and large, was stimulated by Hemingway, even though I have long since fallen out of love with Hemingway. But that's another story. This book is not about Hemingway's Cuba or about the history of Cuba; not even too much about the revolution that brought Castro to power in Cuba. It's really about a family feud. And, perhaps, there is no feud so bitter and so long lasting and so unforgiving as a family feud. And so it is in this family feud. Divided and broken families.
Havana vs. Miami/Fidelistas vs. Cuban exiles and the central personalities and struggles on each side of the family. Befittingly, the opening and closing chapters are about the divided family of Elian Gonzales - his fiercely anti-Castro relatives in Miami vs. his father in Cuba. Although the story of the tug-of-war between the Miami relatives and their supporters versus Elian's father, Juan Miguel, and seemingly all of Cuba is very familiar, Bardach's account clearly details how little Elian became the cause celebre for both sides and the lengths to which each side was willing to go to claim victory. By the time, Elian was returned to his father and to Cuba, it was clear not only that Cuba and Castro had scored a pretty big victory but that the Miami exiles had vastly over-played their hand.
And that's kind of the over-arching theme of this book. Not that Castro gets a white wash. He's in for his fair share of criticism. But that the Cuban exile community (or should I say Mafia), out-of-control, has over-played its hand and is losing. Although Bardach does not make the comparison, it seemed to me after reading her book that, in proportion to their numbers, the Cuban exiles have exerted more influence on Washington D.C. than has AIPAC (America's pro-Israel lobby)and that's going some! Much of the book details the central power players among the Cuban American community in Miami-Dade County and their enormous influence and intimidation - over the judicial system, the press("Miami Herald,") and local and national politicians, to say nothing of the various members of the Bush family. It's an enlightening but not an edifying picture.
Bardach's subtitle is "Love and Vengeance . . ." but it's mostly a story of vengeance. Another subtitle might be "Everything You've Always Wanted to Know About Cuba and Now Know Who to Ask"! At times, the detail was exhausting, especially if you didn't know the players in the exile community, and it was kind of a slog to get though those chapters; but, at other times, the story was riveting. Bardach is an award-wining journalist who has been described as America's number one Cuban reporter. She's interviewed almost everyone of any importance in Little Havana and in Cuba, including two long interviews with Castro himself. She asks the question all ask - what will happen when Fidel Castro dies. He's lasted for more than half a century - longer than any other leader in the Western hemisphere, despite many attempts on his life; but he's not immortal. Her tentative speculations in 2002 probably are not very relevant now in 2014. We only know that if reconciliation comes in the family, it will come with the newer generations.
December 28, 2017
This incredibly detailed and well researched portrait of the history between the Cuban exile community in Miami and Castro’s inner circle offered me ¬¬¬¬a perspective on more recent Cuban history that at times had been developing and happening right around me without me having the slightest clue. I grew up in Miami and was there to experience the 24 hour news coverage of the Elian Gonzalez saga. I thought that the 24 hour a day coverage that went on for months was enough for me to know all there possibly was to know about the events surrounding what for the most part is now just an interesting footnote in Cuban-American history. I was so wrong. This book provides an interesting analysis of the significance of then 5 year old Elian’s custody. The author provides background information on Fidel’s own custody battle decades earlier and how that experience played in role in his personal involvement in this case.
Bardach uses the Elian Gonzalez saga to highlight the continuing strife between the Cuban exile community in Miami and the old guard remnants of the revolutionary government in Cuba. She interestingly points out one of the greatest ironies of this schism, repeatedly showing how those who dare to speak against the political machine created by the exile community that fled Cuba to escape tyranny and censorship, ostracizes and silences anyone who dares to go against them. The actions of the exile community range from slander to murder and have been decried by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. Also teased apart are the tense relationships between the varying waves of Cuban immigrants. The first wave whose motivations for fleeing the island were mostly political, brought with them their money and clout and continue to exercise it today, and the second and third waves, who were more motivated by economic hardship. It was these two groups who bitterly opposed each other in the struggle for Elian. Bardach uses her extensive interviews of key figured in the Miami and New Jersey Cuban communities, exiles in hiding in different countries, as well as Fidel himself to detail this decades long, contentious history. I can’t believe how much there still was and is for me to learn.
My only complaint is that I wish there was a more recent edition of this book, as it was published before Fidel’s stepped down from power.
Bardach uses the Elian Gonzalez saga to highlight the continuing strife between the Cuban exile community in Miami and the old guard remnants of the revolutionary government in Cuba. She interestingly points out one of the greatest ironies of this schism, repeatedly showing how those who dare to speak against the political machine created by the exile community that fled Cuba to escape tyranny and censorship, ostracizes and silences anyone who dares to go against them. The actions of the exile community range from slander to murder and have been decried by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. Also teased apart are the tense relationships between the varying waves of Cuban immigrants. The first wave whose motivations for fleeing the island were mostly political, brought with them their money and clout and continue to exercise it today, and the second and third waves, who were more motivated by economic hardship. It was these two groups who bitterly opposed each other in the struggle for Elian. Bardach uses her extensive interviews of key figured in the Miami and New Jersey Cuban communities, exiles in hiding in different countries, as well as Fidel himself to detail this decades long, contentious history. I can’t believe how much there still was and is for me to learn.
My only complaint is that I wish there was a more recent edition of this book, as it was published before Fidel’s stepped down from power.
January 16, 2022
There were some interesting elements to this book, but Tragedy of Cuba [the original subtitle when this review was written in December 2008] is misleading. Really more a rehash of the Elian Gonzalez story with linkage to the corruption of the Cuban exile community in Miami and the US government officials who needed their voting bloc
As a story, Cuba Confidential lacked consistency and continuity. Not a worthwhile read, unless you need an Elian refresher 10 years later, or otherwise haven't had enough of the Elian story to last a lifetime.
As a story, Cuba Confidential lacked consistency and continuity. Not a worthwhile read, unless you need an Elian refresher 10 years later, or otherwise haven't had enough of the Elian story to last a lifetime.
June 21, 2017
A lot of names, a very few places. Not fond of the writing style and the insertion of the author in several places. That said, quite educational, particularly about the personalities and power behind the resident exile community in Miami. Irony must not be a strong suit there, coming here to escape oppression yet supporting assassinations, murder, and shutting down or putting the arm on community members who don't share their views.
June 28, 2017
A comprehensive look at Cuban/American relations with the Elian Gonzalez saga as the backdrop that helps explain the complicated relationship the U.S. has with Cuba. If you want to stay blissfully unaware of political machinations, don't read this book. If you want to know why we have kept an embargo against Cuba for 50 years, read this book.
February 11, 2014
**Review in Spanish**
Allá por el 2003 salió este revelador y a la vez apasionante libro sobre los cubanos huidos a Miami, poco después de que el famoso caso de Elián González y su madre ahogada tratando de llegar a la libertad de Estados Unidos levantara una gran polémica. El libro es altamente recomendable si se quiere obtener un fiel retrato de los sufrimientos y situaciones por los que pasan estas personas esclavas de la dictadura cubana, para ver y comprender lo que les mueve a arriesgar sus vidas buscando la libertad que les niegan en Cuba, libertad que los progres apesebrados españoles no conciben. La autora realiza un trabajo de investigación periodístico muy detallado, pero sin perder el hilo del interés, de la vida de sus protagonistas, por lo que no es un libro político ni de ideologías. Tampoco entra a valorar si la extradición del niño Elián a su padre, el lame-traseros de los Castro, fue correcta o no, cosa que particularmente me parece mal, pues está claro qué parte es la primida y cual la opresora. Ninguna feminista-progre -por cierto- salió en defensa de la madre ahogada, cuyo propósito era el llevar a su hijo a Estados Unidos. El que la fiscal americana, la demócrata de turno, hubiera raptado al niño para devolverlo a su padre en Cuba les parece a todas esas hipócritas feministas muy bien. Si la violencia machista es en Cuba, entonces no es violencia, es justicia, claro. Hipocritonas.
De hecho la autora, se le nota, es una progre americana (nada que ver con la izquierda de nazionalista española) en su intento de ser imparcial ante los bandos opuestos: de ahí el “vengeance” del título. Pero hecha esa salvedad el libro es un excelente mosaico de vidas y de historias, dolorosas, y apasionantes de leer. No es un libro sobre el caso Elián González, cuidado. Éste sólo es un caso más.
Es un libro sobre las personas que forman la comunidad cubana en Miami. Sobre individuos y familias separadas. No sobre países, ni pueblos, ni capitalismo ni comunismo, ni otros tonterismos propios de embaucadores. Periodismo puro como la vida misma.
Allá por el 2003 salió este revelador y a la vez apasionante libro sobre los cubanos huidos a Miami, poco después de que el famoso caso de Elián González y su madre ahogada tratando de llegar a la libertad de Estados Unidos levantara una gran polémica. El libro es altamente recomendable si se quiere obtener un fiel retrato de los sufrimientos y situaciones por los que pasan estas personas esclavas de la dictadura cubana, para ver y comprender lo que les mueve a arriesgar sus vidas buscando la libertad que les niegan en Cuba, libertad que los progres apesebrados españoles no conciben. La autora realiza un trabajo de investigación periodístico muy detallado, pero sin perder el hilo del interés, de la vida de sus protagonistas, por lo que no es un libro político ni de ideologías. Tampoco entra a valorar si la extradición del niño Elián a su padre, el lame-traseros de los Castro, fue correcta o no, cosa que particularmente me parece mal, pues está claro qué parte es la primida y cual la opresora. Ninguna feminista-progre -por cierto- salió en defensa de la madre ahogada, cuyo propósito era el llevar a su hijo a Estados Unidos. El que la fiscal americana, la demócrata de turno, hubiera raptado al niño para devolverlo a su padre en Cuba les parece a todas esas hipócritas feministas muy bien. Si la violencia machista es en Cuba, entonces no es violencia, es justicia, claro. Hipocritonas.
De hecho la autora, se le nota, es una progre americana (nada que ver con la izquierda de nazionalista española) en su intento de ser imparcial ante los bandos opuestos: de ahí el “vengeance” del título. Pero hecha esa salvedad el libro es un excelente mosaico de vidas y de historias, dolorosas, y apasionantes de leer. No es un libro sobre el caso Elián González, cuidado. Éste sólo es un caso más.
Es un libro sobre las personas que forman la comunidad cubana en Miami. Sobre individuos y familias separadas. No sobre países, ni pueblos, ni capitalismo ni comunismo, ni otros tonterismos propios de embaucadores. Periodismo puro como la vida misma.
July 27, 2010
This book is subtitled "Love and Vengeance in Miami and Cuba" but it is less about love than it is about vengeance. Since the 1959 revolution that brought Castro to power over one million exiles have left Cuba. Most of them have taken residency in Miami where they have amassed great political and financial power working for over 40 years to end Fidel's rule. Bardach's exhaustive research uncovers the emotional and often violent tactics used by both sides in this historical battle. From the Bay of Pigs to the Cuban missile crisis to the Elian Gonzalas debacle she unmasks the aggression, the opportunism, the raw ambition and the self-interests at play. Her portrayal of the Miami cubans is especially unflattering. Thoroughly illuminating, if disheartening, this book is professionally crafted and filled with the kind of first hand reporting that brings history to life. It leaves you dumbfounded to realize what has been going on right under your nose, right in your own back yard. Bardach gathers her information from hundreds and hundreds of interviews and spells out a sordid story of strong arm politics that reaches from the near tyrannical leadership of the Miami Cuban American Foundation to the governor of Miami to the presidency (not all that great a span at the moment). It makes you a little less proud to be an American.
March 22, 2010
Ann Louise Bardach has clearly done her homework. Every meaningful player in the history of Cuba in the last 40 years, from Fidel and Jorge Mas Canosa on down, is represented in this comprehensive tome. Certainly, she's written enough articles for Vanity Fair and other publications on the subject that it was well worth the extra effort to tie them together into a complete personal history of Cuban politics and society.
But a series of articles fleshed out is not a book, and there are times where she loses herself in little facts and extended unverifiable hearsay, and begins to lose the larger picture of how these people -- the power mongers, the mobsters, the exiles, the government operatives, the campesinos, the U.S. government representatives, the Central and South American businessmen -- all affected (or tried to affect) the fascinating history of Cuba.
She could have cut this book by one-third without losing any detail, and it would have added focus to a story that's only going to become more important as Cuba changes in the next decade or two. But don't let that discourage you from picking it up if your interested in modern Cuban history.
But a series of articles fleshed out is not a book, and there are times where she loses herself in little facts and extended unverifiable hearsay, and begins to lose the larger picture of how these people -- the power mongers, the mobsters, the exiles, the government operatives, the campesinos, the U.S. government representatives, the Central and South American businessmen -- all affected (or tried to affect) the fascinating history of Cuba.
She could have cut this book by one-third without losing any detail, and it would have added focus to a story that's only going to become more important as Cuba changes in the next decade or two. But don't let that discourage you from picking it up if your interested in modern Cuban history.
March 2, 2013
What type of government supports terrorism? North Korea? Iran? Israel? What about the US government? If I said that a terrorist blew up a fully loaded airliner full of civilians and he was celebrated in a major American city, saved from justice in another country, brought to America, given asylum, and put on the government payroll, would you believe me? Orlando Bosch is the name of the murderer who has a day named after him in Miami where they apparently don't care that he killed women and children. The Bush family's hands were all over this case and due to their diligence Bosch escaped justice. Who did he kill? The only reason this has not gone viral is that they were only Cubans. This is just a sliver of the inhumanity that has driven American bullying, murder, and alienation of an entire country. We are taught at an early age that the Cuban government-an in Miami they are taught that they people themselves in Cuba-are evil. This work spoke volumes on the hypocrisy of this sham of a country. disgrace!
February 24, 2011
"Cuba Confidential," published in 2003, is essentially piece of journalism and so parts of it seem a little dated in 2111. Bardach presents the book as the history of internal conflict within various Cuban "families" in Miami and Havana, the three most notable being the Elian Gonzalez family, the Fidel Castro family and the larger "family" of the Cuban exile community in South Florida. It is the story of this latter family that make this book intriguing and, in my opinion, makes it worth reading in 2011. It is a story of patriotism, infighting, manipulation and raw politics that is fascinating.
The title of the book suggests a tabloid approach to the subject and that is what Bardach delivers. The book is suffused with the hint of scandal and more than a few rumors. This is not to say, however, that the scandals are not relevant or that the rumors do not shed light on a fascinating and important sub-culture.
The title of the book suggests a tabloid approach to the subject and that is what Bardach delivers. The book is suffused with the hint of scandal and more than a few rumors. This is not to say, however, that the scandals are not relevant or that the rumors do not shed light on a fascinating and important sub-culture.
March 26, 2012
For Castro's foes in Miami and his supporters in Havana and other parts of Latin America, there is no middle ground: "El Lider Maximo" is either a tyrant on par with Hitler or the bold leader of a revolution that has freed Cubans from the oppression of U.S. imperialism. The truth is that both sides are guilty of extreme exaggeration, violence, and self-serving manipulation of innocent people (Cubans on Castro's part, American voters on the part of the Miami Cubans.) It takes a hard-hitting, fearless investigative journalist like Bardach to illuminate the absurdity of what is essentially a family feud that has helped to perpetuate a pocket of the Cold War more than two decades since the fall of the Berlin Wall. Cuba Confidential should be required reading for anyone trying to understand how American policy to Cuba has been so royally screwed up for so long.
August 30, 2012
I won't say this wasn't extremely informative and extremely detailed. Bardach gives you an in depth study of the Elian Gonzalez saga as it relates to the politics as they took place in Havana and Miami during the time of Elian's 6 months in the States. I learned a lot... in fact I had to take copious notes just to keep up with the names and events. That said, I found the book somewhat disjointed and confusing. I finished reading it with some difficulty, but I was learning too much to return it without reading Bardach's final take on the Cuban situation. The book ended while Fidel was still president and, as we now know, even though Raul took over, Fidel is still alive, kicking, and causing lots of trouble for all!
January 10, 2014
Fascinating! I fancy myself a well-informed American, yet I had no idea how much the US-Cuba relationship affected not only the international political landscape, but also domestic life.
The book follows the Eliàn Gonzalez case as it dissects Fidel Castro's fortunes over the years. The tales of intrigue, conniving, strategy, and politicking both in the US and Cuba seem worthy of an Aaron Sorkin film.
Bardach writes as the reporter she is: clearly, informatively, and with a hint of emotion that ensures the reader is invested and thinking without causing him or her to feel like s/he is reading an Op-Ed peace.
I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in international politics, US-Cuba relations, Castro, or how the US has been shaped by Cuba.
The book follows the Eliàn Gonzalez case as it dissects Fidel Castro's fortunes over the years. The tales of intrigue, conniving, strategy, and politicking both in the US and Cuba seem worthy of an Aaron Sorkin film.
Bardach writes as the reporter she is: clearly, informatively, and with a hint of emotion that ensures the reader is invested and thinking without causing him or her to feel like s/he is reading an Op-Ed peace.
I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in international politics, US-Cuba relations, Castro, or how the US has been shaped by Cuba.
March 14, 2008
A must-read examination of the Miami exile community and some good post-Revolution Cuban history. I thought there was something really deeply wrong with Cuban exile politics during the Elian Gonzalez debacle, etc., but I didn't know the half of it.
I read this book in Cuba and Fidel's, scratch that, Raul's security guard at the airport almost didn't let me bring it in until I explained that it was a "travel book."
I read this book in Cuba and Fidel's, scratch that, Raul's security guard at the airport almost didn't let me bring it in until I explained that it was a "travel book."
May 19, 2012
I felt a little misled by the title and the cover copy. It sounded more like a travel memoir, something more personal than what the book turned out to be. It wasn't bad, but it really wasn't what I wanted at this point either. I also had a very hard time keeping some of the people in the book straight, especially when she would go several chapters without talking about them and then bring them up again without any reminders.
January 9, 2021
The author tries to be balanced, but could not get over her bias, and it seems her distaste of Cubans, The book makes me a little upset and I feel sorry for the Author. Cuban Exiles like anyone Make Mistakes, But this book seems like a Mouthpiece for Castroites,Lefties. It has biased sources, The book reads a Little like A SuperMarket Tabloid. It's up the reader to decide, but My Honest Opinion is that it's only book to check out at a library and not take very serious.
June 1, 2007
This is a fantastic journalistic account of the history between the U.S. and Cuban governments, mainly from the time Castro took control in the 1960s. It focuses a lot also on the Elian Gonzalez case, and how it impacted both sides of this relationship, both personally and politically. It also details the CIA's involvement during the 1970s and 1980s in attempting to destabilize Cuba.
June 10, 2008
I read this book in my Global Journalism class. The author of this book was a visiting professor at my school. She is the first and only person I met to have had a face-to-face interview with Fidel Castro twice before he passed away. She was a White House correspondent and columnist for Vanity Fair.
May 27, 2016
The book begins and ends with Elian Gonzales landing on a beach in Florida and eventually returning to Cuba. In between is a detailed account of the people, politicians, and other players in Cuban history, politics, and Cuba-US relations, with the author traveling to and talking with them where they are located in Cuba, Miami, D.C. and elsewhere. Complex and fascinating.
November 26, 2007
I loved learning more about Cuba, Cuban Americans, and Miami politics from this book, and I say that as the wife of a Cuban American, a scholar of Latin America and a former Miami resident. Very educational; a fascinating read.
September 10, 2009
A good commuter book because I could read it in bits and pieces. Very interesting and well written without any bias to either side. The only thing I wish is that I had an updated version of it as this was written in 2002.
May 9, 2012
I'm almost done and this book has been fascinating. All the political maelstrom surrounding this young boy and the tentacles that reached back to the Bay of Pigs, Iran-contra involvement, the 2000 debacle of an election process in Florida, the corruption...wow.
May 7, 2014
This is a riveting and amazing expose of the Cuban exiles power and stranglehold on US relations with Cuba. It's a combination of a rigid ideology that has the flavor of a fanatical religious movement and gangsterism. There is some hope that as the older generation dies off things will improve.
October 10, 2007
What I found most fascinating was the influence and power of the exile community in the US. Eye opening.
March 20, 2008
Very objective account of the dysfunctional relationship between the U.S. and Cuba, pointing fingers equally at both sides...
Want to read
August 21, 2008a pop exploded all over this book in my bag the day i started reading it. so it has been put on the back burner.
Read
March 22, 2008Amazing revelations about the connection of Mafia, CIA, assasins and hoodlums in government all connected to Miami Cubans
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August 16, 2008Fascinating. and fucked-up. written like a thriller it details the history of the U.S policy with Cuba and the powerful Miami exiles who dictate it. this one will make you mad.
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