Castro's Daughter : An Exile's Memoir of Cuba

by Dolores M. Koch

"Mommy, mommy, call him. Tell him to come here right away. I have so many things to tell him!"

I had a ton of things to tell him. I wanted him to find a solution to all the shortages clothes; of meat, so it would again be distributed through the ration books.

I also wanted to ask him to give our Christmas back. And to come live with us. I wanted to let him know how much we really needed him...

Fidel didn't answer my letter. I kept writing him letters from a sweet and well-behaved child, a brave but sad girl. Letters resembling those of a secret, spurned lover...

Genres: Biography, Memoir, Nonfiction, Book Club

272 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1997

Reviews

[Batya · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was published in 1997. I traveled to Cuba in 1996 (when they were feeling the pinch of the Special Period) and in 2006 for the Havana Bienal, which put Havana on display at its best. In 2006, much had been or was in the process of being renovated, supported by foreign investors, and tourism was up, at least in La Habana Vieja. The people I met in Havana spoke surprisingly candidly about their hopes for their country and for themselves, but I never heard any of these horror stories. Some continued to believe the Revolution had been a good thing without which they would never have had the educational and professional opportunities they experienced. I did hear about the existence of racism in Cuba today, along with efforts being made to alleviate it, though not a word about government-sponsored racist programs (e.g. Angola) since the Revolution; the policies against homosexual Cubans described in this book was also not readily apparent to me when I was there, where I met a few openly gay, co-habitating couples. Haitian-Cubans are mentioned a couple of times in this book, in each case in derogatory terms that reinforce the mythology of Blackness as an oversexed subclass powered by Vodou...although the author herself clearly has similar interests. This book does not get into the changes in Cuba's attitudes toward religion. Some of the references are oblique (e.g. allusion to Cuba's role in the creation of Lumumba as a hero) and could use some elucidation. There needs to be an epilogue--where is Mumin today? Above all, this is Castro as seen through the pained eyes of his often-neglected illegitimate daughter.

[Jenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know if a lot was lost in translation, but this was a little confusing and not really all that well written. That being said it was very interesting. She's definitively got an agenda, but I'm convinced that communist dictatorship is a really bad idea. Even if you call the dictator Dad.

[Ashlee Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about Alina Fernandez, one of Fidel Castro's illegitimate children, and her life growing up in Cuba during her fathers regime. To be completely honest this book wasn't that great or super interesting. I respect Alina for the struggles that she endured in her life, but in general the book was hard to follow and didn't have a strong sense of any timeline. It was like she was a baby and then bam she was talking about something else and you didn't know if she was now a toddler or a teenager. I guess that I wanted to learn more about Cuba during the 50s, 60s, and 70s and I should have read something more specific to that than a memoir. There was a lot of information about what was going on in Cuba during that time period but it wasn't in depth. Again, I respect Alina's story, but the way that it was written wasn't a style that I enjoyed.

[Katy Branson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this with my book club and found it very erratic. Fernandez paints a vivid picture of the horrors of Cuba under the narcissistic and brutal Castro. However, she falls short in weaving her own story in with that of her country. Her own narrative is bizarre, disjointed and confusing making her an unreliable narrator. An easy read and interesting for its portrait of Cuban life but not fantastic.

[Jose Cintron · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the original version in spanish and found it surprisingly well written. You can almost taste the author's bitterness. The spanish version contains material excluded from the american edition due to a settlement reached in the courts of Spain between the author and her aunt Juanita Castro, who wrote extensively about this in her own memoirs.

[David Harrington · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found the subject matter very interesting, however I did find it confusing to read. I'm not sure if it was lost in translation or editing, but there were a lot of jumps that made it difficult to follow at times.

[Cindy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was without a doubt the strangest written I have read. The similes she uses are simply weird. Speaking of her new husband and their vacation she writes, " Yoyi and I tried to make up for our failed honeymoon with a trip to Varadero: a week of lying in the sun like two harbor seals, and as bored as two alligators in a flower vase." Two alligators in a flower vase? She has strange pet names for some of those she loves. Troll/elf for her daughter. Also I find her writing disjointed and difficult to follow. That said, the insight into Cuba in the time of Castro's revolution is interesting. Generally I found this book difficult to read, and for that reason can't truly recommend it to anyone else; but I see about half and half as a book others found interesting. I guess it would be more interesting to me if the writing were more cohesive.

[Elena S. Gomez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reveltory

This memoir filled in the spaces missing information about Cuba that reading newspapers and magazines articles left. As a child and young person I read about Castro, Che, the Marielitos, the Cuban exodus but didn't have any background information on those topics. This memoir gives a personal experience about the deprivation experienced by the common people affected by revolution. Their resilience and creativity to survive the ordeal is admirable. There seem to be no winners in this story but those escaping the catastrophe.

[AmaliaLuz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok so I’m glad I’m not the only one that thought this book was written really weird. It was all over the place, and used some off the wall descriptors. It was hard to follow along. I really did not like it.

[Littlem7 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Weirdly written and/or translated but very interesting.

[Lynsie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating look at the rise of communism in Cuba through the eyes of one girl who happens to be the illegitimate daughter of Fidel Castro.

[Jennilee Garcia Green · Rating 3 out of 5]

She has an extense knowledge of words and writes eloquent but the timeline was hard to follow.
Since the book is written by her and her own experiences, it is quite one sided and full of emotions. It must not be easy having a father that treated you that way or a mother that cared more about the Revolution than you. In a way she repeats her stories with her own daughter, maybe not to the full extent as her parents but it is there. Alina has to fight her tangible and intangible demons and she takes you on that journey. I like how much of the writing besides eloquent could be raw.
I would love to read a book where we see her mom or Fidel's side. The truth should be in between.

[Kathleen McRae · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was written by Alina Fidel Castro's daughter.She has written a damning account highlighting her fathers selfish glory and the horrors of paternalism and the women who feel compelled to alienate their own daughters because of it.It is fairly obvious during the writing that Alina has suffered some depressive episodes and psychosomatic illnesses as well.The book is written in a rather narcistic way and Alina refers to her own daughter throughout the book as the Troll

[Jaynie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting memoir from Fidel Castro's daughter. Even if only half of what she has written is true I can only wonder how people can survive and grow up in a country (with a leader) so bent on destruction.

[Helen Noorkõiv · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was interesting to read about Cuba from dictators daughters perspective as she seemed to be quite opposed to her fathers politics and worldviews. I respect Alina for not attempting to tell the story as if she would be perfect person or a hero in the middle of all the horrible events.

[Susie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good especially with all the news about Fidel Castro right now. The author relates a personal history with Fidel which is something we never really get to hear about. Good book. Short.

[J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The life and times of the number one illegal child of the regimen. Lucky to be the daughter.Other will be in the prison.

[Bridgette · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book provides amazing insight to living conditions in Cuba and to the pain any child feels when not embraced with love by their Father.

[Kelly · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn't get in to this book. Never finished it.

[Millicent · Rating 3 out of 5]

agree with other comments - not particularly well written, however, very descriptive as a personal memoir - a backstory of a revolutionary....
if you have an interest in cuba - this is interesting.

[Waika Ivelisse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mirando la Revolucion desde adentro. Desde el ojo de los privilegiados de la revolucion. Muy valiente la muchachita.

[Alicia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disjointed and hard to follow. Do not recommend.