Fidel Castro: My Life

by Fidel Castro

Hardcover. 1st printing, 1st edition in unclipped dust jacket, very good condition. Jacket lightly scuffed along upper edges and spine ends. Page clean and unmarked throughout. Illustrated with photos.

Genres: Biography, History, Nonfiction, Politics, Autobiography, Memoir, Biography Memoir

724 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2006

About the author

Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro overthrew the regime of Fulgencio Batista y Zaldívar in 1959, established a Communist state, served as prime minister until 1976 and then as president of the government and first secretary of the party, in declining health passed control de facto in 2006 to Raúl Castro, his younger brother, and officially retired in 2008.

Fidel Castro led a revolutionary movement that overthrew corrupt authoritarian regime of Fulgencio Batista y Zaldívar on New Year's Day, 1 January 1959.

Raúl Castro assisted Fidel Castro, his brother, in overthrowing the regime of Fulgencio Batista y Zaldívar in 1959.

United States in an attempt to overthrow the government of Fidel Castro trained a force of 1,500 guerrilla troops, who landed at Bay of Pigs, the site, in an ill-fated invasion on 17 April 1961.

Castro, the illegitimate son of a wealthy farmer, adopted leftist anti-imperialist politics and meanwhile studied law at the University of Havana. He participated in rebellions against right wing in the Dominican Republic and Colombia, afterward failed in an attack on the barracks of Moncada, planned against the military junta, which the United States of America backed, and served imprisonment for a year in 1953. On release, he went to Mexico, formed the movement of 26 July as a group with Ernesto Guevara, his friend and doctor.

Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz, a politician, also served as the commander in chief of the armed forces. This politically Marxist-Leninist administered the socialist republic. People nationalized industry and businesses and implemented socialist reforms in all parts of society. Castro returned, ousted rivals in 1959, and brought his own assumption of military and political power.

Credentials of Castro and cordial relations with the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics alarmed the Administrations of Dwight David Eisenhower and John Fitzgerald Kennedy, who unsuccessfully attempted economic blockade, assassination, and even the invasion at Bay of Pigs of 1961 to remove him. In 1961, Castro proclaimed the socialist nature of his administration under rule of its kind in the Western Hemisphere. The press and suppression of internal dissent accompanied socialist reforms that introduced central economic planning and expanded care and education.

Castro countered these threats, formed an economic and military alliance with the Soviets, allowed them to place nuclear weapons on the island, and thus sparked sparking the missile crisis in 1962.

Internationally, Castro also served as general of the nonaligned movement from 1979 to 1983.

Abroad, Castro supported foreign groups in the expectation of toppling world capitalism, sent troops to fight in the wars of Yom Kippur, Ogaden, and Angola.

Following the dissolution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in 1991, Castro went into economic "special period" and afterward forged alliances in the Latin American pink tide, namely with Venezuela of Hugo Chávez, and joined the Bolivarian alliance in 2006.

Due to failing, Castro in 2006 transferred his responsibilities to his vice, who assumed in 2008.

Supporters lauded Castro, a controversial and divisive world figure, as a champion of socialism, humanitarianism, and environmentalism against imperialism; critics viewed him as a dictator, who oversaw multiple rights abuses, an exodus of more than a million persons, and the impoverishment of the economy of the country. Through actions and writings, he significantly influenced the politics of various individuals and groups across the world.

Reviews

[Eddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have the utmost respect for Fidel. His memory is fantastic and the way he describes various battles and the strategies the 26th of July utilized in the revolution. His memories of Che and Fidel's discussion of ethics both in war and in peace are exemplary. This book was completed in 2005 and many things have changed since then but the interviews can stand alone at any age.

[Tanya Hurst · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book. I definitely recommend it as an interesting read about one of the most fascinating leaders in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. And shame on the United States government. Even before I heard what Fidel's perspective as Cuba's leader of the Revolution had to say, I was disgusted by what we, as the American people backing our government, have perpetrated against Cuba. And I still don't understand why we allow the Ex-pats in Florida to still run the show when it comes to our policies regarding this island country. It's abhorrent. But anyway, I encourage folks who don't know a lot about Cuba's history, and its relationship with the US, to just crack the pages and see the situation through Castro's eyes. Or read other books on the subject. If you don't know a lot about it, you will truly find it eye opening...

[Greg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Contents

Map of Cuba

A Hundred Hours with Fidel

1 The Childhood of a Leader 
Childhood in Birán - Don Angel - The batey - Fidel's mother - Living in the teacher's house - Colegio de la Salle - Echoes of the war in Spain - The Jesuits of the Colegio de Dolores

2  The Forging of a Rebel
The first rebellions - The 'house of hunger' - The political atmosphere - The dictatorships of Machado and Batista - In trouble - Havana - The Colegio de Belén

3  Entering Politics
The University - Eduardo Chibás - Cayo Confites - 'El Bogotazo' - Thinking about Moncada

4  The Assault on the Moncada Barracks
Preparation - The men - The weapons - The stratergy - The farm in Siboney - The attack - The retreat

5 The Backdrop of the Revolution
Bolívar - Slavery and independence - Autonomists and pro-Americans - The two wars of Independence - Carlos Manuel de Céspedes - Maximo Gómez - Antonio Maceo - José Martí

6  'History Will Absolve Me'
The Capture - Lieutenant Sarría - 'Ideas can't be killed' - The trial - The allocution - Prison

7  Che Guevara
Mexico - Meeting Che - Seeing eye to eye politically - Personality and determination - Preparations for a guerrilla war - Training

8  In the Sierra Maestra
The Granma - Alegría de Pio - First victories - Che in combat - Raúl and Camilo - War strategies - The defeat of Batista - The triumph of the Revolution

9  Lessons from a Guerrilla War
Violence and revolution - Ethics with the campesinos - Treatment of prisoners - Wartime justice in the Sierra

10  Revolution: First Steps, First Problems
Transition - Sectarianism - Public trials of torturers - The Revolution and homosexuals - The Revolution and blacks - The Revolution and women - The Revolution and machismo - The Revolution and the Catholic Church

11  The Conspiracies Begin
The Revolution's first laws - Che and the administration - The agrarian reform - Che Guevara and revolutionary labour - First acts of sabotage - Ruptures with the US - Terrorism - Attempts on Fidel Castro's life

12  The Bay of Pigs / Playa Girón
The attack - Mercenaries - US intervention - The military victory - Treatment of the defeated combatants - The prisoner exchange - The dirty war - The role of President Kennedy

13  The 'Cuban Missile Crisis' of October 1962
The world on the brink of nuclear war - The Soviets' 'betrayal' - Failed negotiations - Letters between Castro and Khrushchev - Khrushchev, Gorbachev, Putin - The Kennedy assassination

14  The Death of Che Guevara
Che and the anti-imperialist movement - The farewell letter - In the guerrilla conflicts in Africa - Return to Cuba - Preparing the mission to the Andes - Régis Debray - The last battle - Che's legacy

15  Cuba and Africa
Algeria - Ahmed Ben Bella - Che in the Congo - Guinea-Bissau - South Africa invades Angola - 'Operation Carlota' - A decisive victory - New aggression - The battle of Cuito Cuanavale - A 'forgotten' deed of valour - Lessons of war

16  The Emigration Crises
Agreements with Reagan - Camarioca - Mariel - The 'balseros' - The sinking of the tugboat on 13 July 1994 - Riots in Havana on 5 August 1994 - The Cuban Adjustment Act - Emigrants and 'refugees'
 
17  The Collapse of the Soviet Union
The ecological disaster - The infrastructure - Computer mediocrity - The reign of the mafias - Living without the USSR

18  The Ochoa Case and the Death Penalty
A revelation by Navarro Wolf - The MC businesses - Drugs and dollars - The Columbian connection - The execution of Ochoa - The Cuban Revolution and the death penalty - A de facto moratorium

19  Cuba and Neoliberal Globalization
The new capitalism - What is Socialism today? - Ideological confusion - The tragedy of the environment - Preserving the environment - 'The battle of ideas' - Towards a general education

20  President Jimmy Carter's Visit
Torrijos and the Panama Canal Issue - Carter and the Mariel crisis - First encounters - Presidents of the United States - The Varela Project - Change the constitution? - The response

21  The Arrest of the Dissidents in March 2003
James Cason in Havana - Meetings in the Cuban Interests Office in Washington - War against Cuba? - The Raúl Rivero case - The Valladares affair - The death penalty

22  The Hijackings in April 2003
Air piracy - Heading for a new migration explosion? - The hijacking of the boat in Regla - The negotiations - The attitude of the American authorities - Revolution, Socialism and crime - Execution of three hijackers - A statement by José Saramago

23  Cuba and Spain
Felipe González - José María Aznar - The Spanish Socialists and the Cuban Revolution - The Spanish Left - The break with Felipe González - Franco and Aznar - King Juan Carlos I - Prince Felipe of Spain - Manuel Fraga

24  Fidel and France
A French education - The French Revolution - Victor Hugo an Les Misérables - Balzac and La Comédie Humane - Jean-Paul Sartre - General Charles de Gaulle - Régis Debray - François and Danielle Mitterand - Georges Marchais - Gérard Depardieu

25  Latin America
Subcomandante Marcos - The indigenous peoples's struggle - Evo Morales - Hugo Chávez and Venezuela - The coup against Chávez - Progressive military leaders - Kirchner and the symbol of Argentina - Lula and Brazil

26  Cuba Today
Human rights - The economic embargo -  The press and information - The terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 - President Bush's agressiveness - The Iraq War - A 'preventive war' against Cuba? - On terrorism

27  Summing Up a Life and a Revolution
Eloquence and speeches - Love and hate - On treason - A dictator? - Attachment to the uniform - Regrets - The end of the sugar monoculture - The Revolution's successes - The judgement of history - Memorable personalities

28  After Fidel, What?
'Critic Number One' - Corruption - The single party - Fidel's salary - Socialism: no turning back? - The succession - Raúl Castro - Can the Revolution be brought down? - The future of the Revolution

A Note on the Text and the Translation

Some Key Dates in the Life of Fidel Castro and the Cuban Revolution (1926 - 2007)

Notes
Index

[Praveen SR · Rating 5 out of 5]

Other than the Paris Review interviews and a few others, I am generally not a fan of interviews in the question and answer format. I would rather read a well-rounded profile or a piece where the quotes are weaved in with other details or insights, which is how I try to write too after interviewing someone. So, a book of more than 700 pages, consisting of a long interview in the question and answer format, is not something I would readily pick up.

But, here the person facing the question happens to be one Mr.Castro, who speaks at length about the many historical events about which a majority's understanding have been formed through US media propaganda. Ignacio Ramonet, the interviewer, is not a Castro apologist, as evident in his sharp, relentless questioning, covering almost every aspect of Castro's life and politics. In Ramonet's own words, Castro never asked for a list of questions, all through the hours of interviews, spread over different periods.

The interview begins from his rather privileged family background. His father Don Angel Castro, who immigrated from Galicia in Spain, was initially a soldier and then a labourer for the United Fruit Company, but later grew to own 900 hectares of land. His mother Lina belonged to a family with origins from the Canary islands. While the young Castro lived in considerable comfort, the majority in the village were not so and also were illiterate. He speaks of his memories as a ten year old in Biran, of reading from the newspaper reports about the Spanish civil war to the house cook Manuel Garcia, who was illiterate. These readings about a war in which many from around the world participated to resist the fascists, probably sowed the seeds of an internationalist outlook in him.

One of his first acts of rebellion was against his school vice principal, who slapped him several times without much of a reason. The young Castro punched and kicked him in return in front of the whole school. He was 11 years old then. By the time he was studying law at University, he had become a Marxist-Leninist. Castro's memory and attention to detail comes to the fore in his recounting of the failed attack on the Moncada Barracks on July 26, 1953. He speaks about the meticulous planning, the arrival in different groups during a carnival to avoid suspicion and the plan was to seize the army's weapons. They all wore the uniforms of the army under dictator Batista, but recognised each other using low cut street shoes. The training was done at shooting ranges. Among the 140 men, 40 were kept guarding the highway against a counter-attack.
Yet, for all the planning, the move failed and Castro and his comrades captured. His life could have ended there, but for the intervention of Lieutenant Pedro Sarria who saved him from being shot by his subordinates and refused to hand him over to his superior. The background to his 'History will absolve me' speech, made as part of his defense in court, is also recounted. Considerable space is set aside for the guerilla campaign centred on Sierra Maestra, from where the revolution triumphed with just 3000 fighters in less than two years on January 1, 1959. Castro says even Hemingway's 'For whom the bell tolls' helped in strategising the irregular war.

To a question on their long beards, he says - "The story of our beards is very simple. It arose out of the difficult conditions we were living and fighting under as guerrillas. We didn't have any razor blades, everybody just let their beards and hair grow, and that turned into a kind of badge of identity. For the campesinos and everybody else, for the press, for the reporters we were "los barbudos" - the bearded ones. It had its positive side: in order for a spy to infiltrate us, he had to start preparing months ahead of time - he'd have had to have six-months' growth of beard, you see. Later, with the triumph of the Revolution, we kept our beards to preserve the symbolism."
Castro says that none of the soldiers who were captured were tortured, because the aim was to win them over to this side, when the revolutionaries come into power. Among those who treated the injured soldiers were Dr.Che Guevara. He talks about the lies spread by catholic clergy and the US, the most notorious one being that the revolution will take away the children. Using this as a pretext, 14000 children were virtually kidnapped to the US. The enactment of the land reform act was predictably opposed by the US corporates and their agents.

The initial years of Castro's Government were marked by acts of sabotage, mostly engineered by the US. The period from 1961 to 63, the country witnessed 5780 terrorist actions, 717 serious attacks on industrial faciliities and even plane hijackings. The US went to great lengths to protect the terrorist Luis Posada Carriles, a Cuban exile and CIA agent, who who was involved in the bombing of a Cuban airliner in 1976, killing 73 people, as well as organised the bombing of tourist hotels in Cuba. Protected till the end of his life, the terrorist died in US in 2018, at the age of 90, more than 13 years after this book came out. The terrorist was a hero for the Cuban exiles whom the Western media so love to quote to run down Cuba. Then there is the case of the "poet" Armando valladares, who faked paralysis, and was released from prison after serving sentence for terrorist activity.

In the extended talk on the 'Bay of Pigs' invasion of 1961, Castro says that 1200 of the 1500 mercenaries who landed from the US were captured, but none of them were ill-treated and all of them were returned to the US. He even challenges the interviewer to find people to counter this claim. Now, compare this conduct with that of the US, which kept in jail men captured on allegations of spying for years and years.

One of the less discussed aspects of the Cuban model is the help extended by the country to the liberation struggles in many colonised countries, a large number of them being African countries, despite its own struggles. Among the countries which got Cuban help in this respect include Algeria, Mozambique, East Timor, Guinea Bissau, Angola, Congo and Bolivia. As many as 50,000 Cuban soldiers were sent to Angola to fight against the racist South African army in the Battle of Cuito Cuanavale in 1987. Not to forget, US was an ally of the apartheid regime. Cuba also played a significant contribution to the toppling of the apartheid regime in South Africa, the liberation of Zimbabwe and the independence to Namibia and Angola. The country regularly sends doctors and other support to disaster-hit countries. But, the US refused aid after Hurricane Katrina.

One of the most memorable parts of the book is the part where he talks about the call that he made to Hugo Chavez during the US-engineered coup of April 11,2002, when Chavez was stranded inside the presidential palace with few of his most trusted officers. "Fidel's call was decisive in preventing mass self sacrifice. It was the determining factor. His advice allowed is to see better through the obscurity," Chavez would later say. The message that he hadn't resigned , and is a prisoner president, was announced to the world through Castro, to whom Chavez's daughter passed the message, contradicting the claims by the corporate media. Thus, for a time, he became a reporter for the counter coup relaying messages from the Venezuelan armed forces, who stood with Chavez, to the outside world.

This should be a recommended read for anyone anywhere in the world, for there is hardly any country free of the impact of the policies of the US Government. And, no one exposes their true intent and hypocrisy like Castro does. An entire life resisting imperial designs and surviving hundreds of attempts on his life has certainly equipped him for it.

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a historical materialist, I don’t believe in Great Man Theory. No single person can drive history forward, and like everyone else Fidel Castro was born into particular circumstances outside of his control. Cuba’s achievements over the last 60 years are due to the masses of Cuban people making history together, not just because of one man.
With that being said, while he’s still just a guy, Fidel is absolute legend and one of the greatest humans of the 20th century. Cuba now stands for all the best qualities and aspirations of our species: cooperation, education and the right of all human beings to live a dignified life.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely astounding to hear Castro's story. Sadly, this brilliant man has been portrayed as a monster for decades. Brilliant, engaged and completely self-aware, it is refreshing to hear his own voice in this fascinating interview style biography.

[Ed · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book at the request of a friend who thought it might be good for a me since, in his opinion, my perspective was too pro-US. Whatever, but I thought it might be interesting. Whatever one thinks about Castro, he certainly was present for some interesting things in history. And I knew very little about Cuban history, so what the hey?

In several ways the book is really fascinating. I do have a bit more sympathy for Castro having read this. It seems that, for all his wrong ideas, he probably was trying to do what he thought was best for Cuba. Anyway, the book...

First of all - it's long and reads like a long book. The bulk of the book is just the transcript of a several day-long interview between Ramonet and Castro. At several points in the book they pat themselves on the back for having the stamina to keep going and I felt like they should be also patting me on the back for the same reason. I can understand why some people were so eager to leave Cuba - it was probably to avoid having to listen to Castro drone on about stuff.

But seriously, there were some riveting parts. For example, the description of the Cuban missile crisis. Castro, it turns out, was very much in disagreement with Kruschev about how to handle that. Who knew? Also, it was really cool to hear about the defense of the bay of pigs invasion from the Cuban perspective. And the whole episode of Jimmy Carter's visit was fascinating. Between these interesting parts, though, there is a ton of Castro showing off how much detail he holds in his head about sugar production, how many doctors they educate, and a gazillion other minutiae that are quite boring to read.

The most valuable thing I took away from this book is a deeper understanding of what's wrong with Castro and his perspective. My image of him before was as a self-indulgent, radical, oppressive dictator. Now I view him as a self-indulgent, semi-radical oppressive dictator who was misguidedly trying to do the right thing for his people.

Perhaps the crux of his misguided view of the US was revealed when he described Kennedy's creation of the Peace Corps. He called this an "anti-revolutionary" group, designed to gain sympathy for the US amongst people of the third world. I was in the Peace Corps. Nobody, myself included, was motivated at all by their feelings about communist revolution, pro or con. Castro's otherwise impressive mind seems to live within some constrains where everything is either for or against the movement.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an autobiography of Fidel Castro. In this book, he talks about his life and how he became the leader of Cuba. I used this book as research for my school project. It had pretty usefull info.

[ZaRi]

اجازه ندادم هیچ خیابان، میدان، مدرسه و بیمارستان به اسم من نامگذاری شود. درآمد سالیانه ی من و اموالم هر ساله به صورت رسمی اعلام می شود. قسمتی از حقوقم را به دولت و مراکزی می بخشم. هیچ کتاب آموزشی حق ندارد از من بنویسد و یا تصویری از من چاپ کند. بهترین رفیق دوران مبارزه را که وزیر هم بود به علت فساد مالی و ثابت شدنشان در دادگاه، حکم اعدامش را تایید کردم و برایش گریه کردم. مبارز و انقلابی که فساد کند، باید فاتحه ی کشور را خواند.

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book took me forever to get through. SOmetimes I read pages and realized I spent the whole time actually thinking about dinner and I had no idea what happened. It read more like Castro's tidy record keeping than a thrilling life story. He remembers every insignificant detail which is good but also really bad if you want to be entertained.

[Shaqer Rasheed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Castro is one of the epic figures of 20th century. The REAL HERO of cuban independence, for to me pre-1959 Cuba was not truly an independent country. He restored dignity and self respect to his country and defied he posturing of an imperialist super power only 90 miles away. Ignacio Ramonet has the requisite left wing credentials to present the account of this larger than life figure for posterity.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel this book is a must-read, especially for those who like to know their history and want to possess accurate and fair judgments of our world’s past and present leaders.

Of course, growing up in the US, such as I have, you’ve mostly - if not solely - heard one side of Fidel Castro’s story. That is, the one of the “ruthless dictator” who imprisons and tortures political dissidents, allows his people to starve, children to drown, etc. I will always read two sides to an argument when and if possible. If anyone reading this review is fiercely anti-Castro, please don’t just insult me. Rather, recommend to me a book to counter this one, one in which I may see a different side to him. However, if you do, please make sure it’s not from a completely biased or unconfirmed source.

Fidel Castro ruled Cuba for 50 years. He allowed it to remain sovereign and fought for its independence his entire life - not just in the 1959 Cuban Revolution. Keeping Cuba from being colonized and its people subjugated to foreign rulers is a colossal accomplishment in and of itself, no matter what your knowledge or opinion may be on the rest of his policies and ideals.

This book is no quick read, that’s for certain. But Fidel does prove to have the memory of an elephant when it comes to recalling dates, names - even military techniques employed during different struggles. He comes off as a very humble and moralistic leader. I’ve seen other reviews that complain of his ramblings, and/or bragging, but I really didn’t view him in that light. Sure, he may have exaggerated some things - who doesn’t? - or recalled things a bit more optimistically than history might have painted them - but he’s the only human being alive (well, at the time) who knows the full, true story of his life and therefore the best one to answer questions about his policies and the progress he made throughout his 50 year rule in Cuba.

It’s such a lengthy interview (over one hundred hours) that I believe it’s hard NOT to be able to form a pretty accurate opinion of him. Things he mentions that have been accomplished since the Revolution overthrew Batista - such as: 99% of Cuba is literate, the average lifespan increased about 17 years, every citizen had at least a ninth grade education - also, Cuba is the only nation on earth to actually declare pursuing higher education as a form of employment. Meaning not only do citizens get to study their occupation of choice for free, but they get paid to do it!

It’s not as if you can’t easily look this assertions up to see if he’s lying (which I found no indication of). The fact that Cuba has more doctors per capita than any country in the world (the country in second place, it still has twice as many!), free healthcare and public health initiatives (Castro himself giving up his beloved Cuban cigars over 30 years ago to lead by example for the people), the infant mortality rate dropped from 60 per 1,000 live births (when Castro took power) to merely 6-6.5 per 1000 births (today) - second in the region only to Canada - those are some pretty impressive statistics.

No commercial advertising, environmental awareness, 85% of the population owning homes free of taxes - sounds a lot more ideal than the US. Speaking of, he really hits back hard at US critique of his “censorship of the press.” The following (him speaking about the mass media in the Bush Jr. era) quotes couldn’t be more chillingly prophetic as we are now in the post-Trump era, and still dealing with much of its insanity and wreckage of our democratic institutions. For example:

“I say to those organs of information that call themselves free and critical but depend on advertising and never criticize their advertisers: why does the political and social system you defend spend so many billions of dollars on advertising? So much could be done with just one billion of the dollars that are wasted on advertising? Here [Cuba] you have a country in whose GDP you won’t find one penny for advertising - in Cuba not one cent is spent on commercial advertising.”

“We hold no brief for hypocrisies of any kind when people talk about that European ‘freedom of the press.’ Our dream is another freedom of the press, of a country that is educated and informed, of a country that has a holistic general culture and can communicate with the world. Because those who fear free thought don’t educate their people, don’t give them anything, don’t try to encourage them to acquire the highest possible level of culture, the broadest and deepest possible knowledge of history and politics, and to value things for their intrinsic value, and to encourage them to use their own heads, to reach their own conclusions. In order to do that, to use their own heads, they need the facts on which to reach those conclusions.”

And thus we arrive at the awful state of affairs in our country today:
“When the mass media first emerged, they took over people’s minds, and they govern on the basis not just of lies, but also of conditioned reflexes. A lie is not the same thing as a conditioned reflex. Lies have a negative effect on knowledge; a conditioned reflex has a negative effect on the ability to think. And it’s not the same thing to be uninformed, or disinformed, as to have lost the ability to think because your mind is full of reflexes: ‘This is bad! This is evil! Socialism is bad! Socialism is evil!’ ...and all of the ignorant people in the world, all the illiterates, all the poor people, all the exploited people repeat in chorus, ‘Socialism is bad; Socialism is evil.’ That is the way parrots are taught to speak, and bears are taught to dance, and lions to crouch down respectfully.”

Can anyone that’s truly an avid thinker, anyone who claims they listen to both sides, actually read that statement and not agree that we are seeing this at disturbingly higher, increasing levels throughout the US? That people will literally believe anything, or deny everything, based on the person or group who said it, whether the person/group is credible and professional or not? Yeah, it’s very troubling.

There is so much to be said about this book, but really, it’s best to just read it for yourself when you get the chance. Try to push aside any preconceived notions and form your own opinion based upon what you are reading. The reason I gave it four stars instead of five, is because I really would have liked to hear at least a little more about his personal life and his hobbies, things like that, given his attitudes toward the importance of truth, morality, ethics, friendship, etc. A little less military operations and more personal background.

Other than that, a phenomenal book on one of the world’s most captivating, most talked about, and most feared leaders throughout history. I wish every great leader had a book like this published about them, because I would read every single one. Also, let me clarify that by “great“, I do not mean good/ethical. Obviously, Adolf Hitler or Kim Jong-Un, for example, are not “great” by the standards in which they torture and murder people, especially their own citizens. Still, it is fascinating to have such a huge, long look behind the curtains on leaders as big as Castro and the others I named, and many, many more.

If anyone is reading this and knows of a great autobiography or even biography that is mostly (or at least tries to be) objective about an extremely powerful, well-known world leader (through any point in history) - recommendations would be highly appreciated! Just as I highly recommend this, no matter how much you may believe you loathe Castro.

[JwW White · Rating 3 out of 5]

Could use less of the author/interviewer's voice and more of Castro's (then again, Castro can be very long-winded and is, in his own word and his own eyes, never wrong).

[Jonathan-David Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has a lot to teach you. If you're interested in socialism, capitalism, imperialism, revolution, or global politics, I think you should give it a shot. I had previously read Che Guevara's biography which got me interested in Cuba, and this book goes into a lot more detail, as well as covering everything after Che's death. It's more like a book about Cuba than about Fidel, and it doesn't have much about his personal life. The early chapters do tell about his childhood, but they were boring. It's a long book, with a smallish font, so it reads more like 1,000 pages than 700 pages.

I'm not going to go over everything, because the book is huge, but here are some very interesting things I learned, which can be easily verified:

Cuba twice sent soldiers to fight for Angola against apartheid South Africa, and twice helped Angola to victory. Nelson Mandela called it a deciding factory in the collapse of the apartheid government, and called Fidel Castro a source of inspiration to all freedom-loving people.

Cuba's 'Operation Miracle' has restored sight to hundreds of thousands of people all over the world, using Cuban doctors.

Cuba offered to pay for the assets of American companies seized after the Cuban Revolution based on their declared value. The offer was refused, because American companies the value of property to be much lower than it was (often 90% lower) to avoid taxes.

The US government supported the previous Cuban government under the dictator Batista, giving weapons and financial aid.

Hundreds of thousands of Cubans have left for America since the revolution. This is because America offers guaranteed citizenship to any Cuban who makes it to America - a tremendous incentive to anyone in a poor country. America also closed off legal Cuban immigration by only granting a few hundred immigration visas to Cubans a year, even though they agreed with the Cuba government that they would grant more than 10,000 a year.

America tried many times to assassinate Fidel Castro. Cuba says more than 600 times, and that may be, but even the CIA admits it to several times, in a release of previously-secret papers called 'The Family Jewels.' The US offered the Mafia hundreds of thousands of dollars to assassinate Fidel.

There is no commercial advertisement in Cuba, nor is there political campaigning. Would-be politicians are limited to a single sheet of A4 paper for their biography and platform, and it's posted up in a public area.

Cuba has a lower infant mortality rate than the US.

Every year for the past 2 decades, the United Nations has passed a resolution calling for the US to end the trade embargo against Cuba.

[chad chrysanthemum · Rating 5 out of 5]

wow... really enjoyed that (in case you couldn't tell from my updates...). one of the best books i've read in a good while. will think on it and write my actual review when it's not 3am, oops!

This book is an absolute fucking doorstop. The page count really underestimates it, because on top of the content of the third edition, there's the sections cut from the first edition, introduction, translator's note, full chronology of Castro's life, picture pages, and approximately 1 million footnotes. Plus, the text is genuinely tiny. All of this conspired to make me feel like I'd never finish the book, but after hitting my reading challenge to finish out last year, I thought I deserved to read something really long without worrying about "efficiency" even one bit (which I begin to do as the year draws to a close). I was totally hooked from the start, and could easily keep devouring more and more of the story Castro spools out to Ignacio Ramonet.

The majority of this book is an (edited) interview that took place over hundreds of hours between Ramonet and Castro, and it keeps the question and answer format, as well as Castro's conversational tone. I really loved this choice -- first, it made it really engaging to me. Everything feels casual and alive in a way it wouldn't have if it was a much neater, more edited, drier book. Second, it really makes you feel like you're getting to spend time with one of the greatest and most influential world leaders of the past century. I not only got to hear Castro's thoughts and experiences, but get a deeper understanding of how he saw things, how he talked about things, etc. I felt really privileged to get to read something with this much insight.

We begin with Castro telling the story of his childhood, how he first gained political conscience and the makings of a revolutionary. Me and him clearly had pretty different university experiences seeing as my dealings with the students' union never resulted in me taking part in revolutionary wars in neighboring countries. Past that, we get in to his initial attack on the Moncada barracks, the makings of the 26th of July Movement, the Cuban Revolution, and the beginnings of governance of the country. A lot of this I was familiar with through Che Guevara's eyes, and I really enjoyed seeing it from a different perspective. The later chapters are slightly less organised chronologically, but explore Cuba's internationalism and relationships with countries across the globe, public perception, and notable events. I learned a lot that I wasn't aware of, especially Cuba's staunch support for Algeria, the Congo, Namibia, Angola etc., in a fight against colonialism and apartheid. Finally, Castro reflects on the decisions of his life, what he's most proud of and his greatest regrets, and the future of Cuba. It's incredible that despite this book being so long, I still felt like I only got a whistle-stop tour of his life and the history of Cuba!

One of the best parts of this book is that, as Ramonet says in the introduction, he was never required to pre-approve questions, and is able to ask a wide range of often-difficult questions to Castro. He is very frank, and often willing to discuss the mistakes he's made or errors in judgement he sees in others. On the flip-side, I was somewhat impressed by how often he praises the actions and philosophy of his 'enemies', such as Kennedy and Clinton. You also really feel like you're getting an honest portrayal of him -- I'm sure there's still sections where he's judicious with the truth and possibly sections, too, where Ramonet may have been asked to remove information. However, the fact that in some chapters I felt like he came off pretty bad was to me a good litmus test for the fact I wasn't just getting a filtered perfect view of him. Sometimes I disagree with his arguments, sometimes I think he's overly proud of questionable or downright-bad choices. As I said to Imaan once, show me a world leader and I'll show you a war criminal. So while I do respect him immensely I thought it was very important to get a balanced perspective that doesn't shy from these flaws.

Another incredible part of this book is how many insane world events Castro has been inside of. He has an incredible memory and can effectively paint a picture of situations and how he made the decisions that he did. The Bay of Pigs (Playa Girón), Cuban Missile Crisis (October Crisis) and the 2002 failed coup of Hugo Chávez are ones that stand out in my memory particularly. He describes his tactics, both militarily and politically, the fears and hopes he had, why he felt like the outcome occurred, what he might have changed... What an awesome way to read about history!

I could keep going on and on about this book (a lot happened!!) but it's not of particular use to a review, just kind of me discussing my thoughts on the Cuban Revolution and associated figures, so. However, I will mention that as a major Che Guevara fan, I really really loved seeing him through Castro's eyes. He respected Che so, so much, and loved him too. Che comes up throughout the book as a brilliant tactician, selfless, smart and caring man who was the ideal of a revolutionary. He was stubborn, and too much of a risk-taker, and an idealist. Reading about Cuban medical internationalism, their incredible efforts to reduce child mortality from 60 in 1,000 to below 6, to train hundreds of thousands of doctors including students from across Latin American for free, to save the sight of people across Latin America who can't afford to otherwise, to increase life expectancy in Cuba by more than 15 years... I couldn't help but think about how so much of what Cuba and Castro does is still honoring Che right through the fabric of the country, rippling through history. He joined the movement as a doctor who thought it was unfair that people died when they didn't have to, and because of him millions of lives have surely been saved and many more improved. Additionally, Castro writes about how immediately following the success of the revolutionary war, Che began converting military barracks into schools, eager to continue the work he'd already been doing in the Sierra Maestra of educating his comrades. The Cuban Literacy Campaign was his baby, and now Cuba has one of the lowest illiteracy globally, free education through to PhD level, has developed programs to combat illiteracy and teach language acquisition in many languages to be used across Latin America, and continues to promote education and the acquisition of culture across the country. It's so, so incredible. If that's not a proof of love conquering all I don't know what is, and yes it made me cry.

PS: there's a bit where Castro discusses Bush Jr and it was so funny I couldn't stop laughing out loud.
"In the middle of their supposed 'war against international terrorism' they've given asylum to one of the biggest international terrorists! Are there two terrorisms? A good one and a bad one? Many times, we've asked President Bush, the younger one, 'Shrub', a very simple straightforward question: where did Posada Carriles enter the United States? [...] Which of the heirs to the throne authorised it? Might it have been the chubby little brother in Florida? [...] And the shameless little 'Shrub' hasn't deigned to answer so far."

[Onyango Makagutu · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a marvelous read.
Say what you will of Fidel, in this book he comes out as passionate, eloquent, idealistic, visionary and also very human.
At the end of the book one wants to take the next flight to Havana to see for themselves what they have read in the book.
It's a nice read. One that I would recommend to Americans and Europeans whose media has made it a business to paint Cuba as the devil's workshop on earth.
Having said that, one would want to ask Ramonet how he felt about the man, his stay in Cuba and whether he had an opportunity to visit some of these places they talk about in the book.
Once again, I say, it is a great read.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got through 3/4's of this book before I lost it, and I really enjoyed reading about Fidel's life. The author did not hold back during his interviews (because he is supposedly Anti-Castro), and a lot of his questions opened up many discussion topics throughout the book. I ended up admiring Castro a lot more after reading the book because I think Castro is what Cuba needed (which is a Latin-American country that was not "controlled" by foreign interests).

[Bettie · Rating 3 out of 5]

My Life (Fidel Castro autobiography)
21CDs - 26.5 Hours UNABRIDGED
ISBN 13: 978-1-4001-0592-2
ISBN 10: 1-4001-0592-7

My Life - BLURB: A Spoken Autobiography by Fidel Castro and Ignacio Ramonet was published in Spanish in 2006 (Fidel Castro: biografía a dos voces), and English in 2007. The book was written by Ramonet based on more than 100 hours of interviews with Castro, and the final text was edited and approved by Castro himself before publication.

[TJ · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a lover of history who grew up in South Florida, I was excited to read this. Unfortunately, from the interminable Castro-apologist introduction to the repetitive questions answered in pedantic detail, this book was a serious letdown. There were some fascinating parts and to see the story told from Fidel's point of view was definitely unique. But for every page of interesting content, there were twenty pages of painfully slow ramblings.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was hoping to like this book but I found the style of writing - a interview written up was not particularly helpful. I found that there was a lot of repetition and then gaps and lack of depth to some of the answers. I found Fidel's insistence on denying any wrong doing by his regime at best naive. I also wished to know better what his ideals of society but found he went briefly oversituations without discussing ideas or politics in detail.

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every American with even a passing interest in Cuba should read this book.

[Reilly Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Banger

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Big old book, bloke loves talking about himself, semi refusal to accept the downfalls of socialism / Cuba but fair dos, great read

[NON · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Some people think that we aren’t what we are. Only we know what we are–we’re the only ones who can judge ourselves and you can believe me when I tell you that I’m very hard on myself, self-critical with myself. When I say too much or something comes out of my mouth that might sound a little vain, listen, you can believe I’m hard on myself, really hard. You have to keep a watch on yourself. I like actions; I’m not interested in glory.”-Fidel Castro

Have you ever read something that unexpectedly blew you away? My Life: A Spoken Autobiography is definitely one of these books which when I picked up, I haven't presumed that I would be this fascinated by it. I'm the kind of reader that reads two-three books at a time for diversity purposes but I couldn't read nothing but Fidel Castro's conversations. I was completely absorbed.

My Life: A Spoken Autobiography is Fidel Castro's historical testimony. This book could be considered one of the most important documents of our time; this is Fidel Castro's uncensored truth. The historical revelations are concrete and one can totally sense his sincerity; he is not afraid to share the faults as well as the rights. My Life: A Spoken Autobiography could also be read as some sort of an exposé to the world's governments, and how the MSM, to this day, obscure the truth from the people by misguiding the public with fake news, and turning them away from certain figures by character assassinations.

This is a well-researched book and heavily referenced–many thanks to Ignacio Ramonet for asking the right questions and gifting us with the closest thing that we'd ever get of an autobiography by one of the most powerful and fascinating figures of the 20th & 21st centuries.

Without a doubt My Life: A Spoken Autobiography is a mind-opening and an explanatory read that could be devoured by anyone who wants to comprehend Fidel Castro* beyond the misrepresentation and the constant character attacks also it describes the history of the Cuban revolution before, in-between, and after fluently, and most importantly it gives the reader a first-hand information from the man who survived through it all.

I've learned a lot about various vital topics but what I've learned the most was about Fidel Castro himself, the man and the leader we barely knew beyond the media's vilification. Between the pages of this spoken autobiography his wisdom glows so brightly, and I couldn't help but absorb a bit from enlightening philosophy which revolutionized me to a good degree.

*However, if you're seeking to know about his private life put in mind that is not mentioned.

[Carol · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oral autobiography was an interesting format to follow. The author asked the questions and Castro responded. However, Castro also edited; therefore the book is one long propaganda piece about the most perfect country in the world as told by the biggest ego. Socialist, Marxist, Leninist. Castro described himself with these three words, and I would agree with those descriptors. However, everything Castro did turned out perfect, he made no mistakes and has no regrets. The book includes his growing up years and education but that is it as far personal information. There is no information on his wives or children. The book focuses on the revolution and Cuba's subsequent role on the world stage which according to Castro is prominent. Castro does a good job putting today's Cuba in the context of history of which he is well versed. His disdain for the United States was echoed repeatedly on almost every issue. The reader detects a bit of paranoia Castro complained so often about the "evil empire" or "imperialist empire" and on occasion "those that shall not be named." His favorite leaders are those of other countries with dictators or revolutionaries, save Nelson Mandela. Castro was well connected around the globe and could share information on many of the world's leaders. The examples and stories he used to support his positions were repetitive. Did learn that Eisenhower was the architect of the Bay of Pigs, not Kennedy, Kennedy inherited the plan and apparently could not stop it. Learned that South Africa once upon a time had a nuclear bomb program that has since been disbanded. Did also learn that Cuba has sent soldiers to other countries fighting imperialism, i.e., Angola. However, to hear there are no problems within the country and that they are positioned to be greater than ever, one has to wonder if Castro's feet were fully grounded at the time of the writing.

[Kevin · Rating 2 out of 5]

After 26 hours of audiobooking, this audobiography is about three times as long as normal audiobooks. One might think that it would be excessively detailed and completely comprehensive. And yet, a simple Wikipedia glimpse taught me several things about Castro that were not covered anywhere in this book; for instance that he's on his second wife, and even that he was ever married. This is a pretty substantial thing to leave out of a biography.

The flow of the book was also pretty dismal. The author was compelled for unknown reasons to leave this formatted in a disjointed interview-style. I doubt the actual interviews were as haphazard, but when the editing happened, the placement of the questions this guy would ask was all goofy. He would repeat questions frequently, as well as repeating things that Castro just finished saying. This is the kind of thing that should have been left on the cutting room floor.

On a good note, there were many things about Castro that I learned. He covered his history, his childhood and raising, parents, his political beginnings, the thoughts on rebellion, fairness, problems with the U.S., and much more. I liked his personal accounts, in his own style. Made many of the sections and statements made seem more believable and real, versus if it were solely done by an outside perspective.

[Dan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed the first three quarters of this book, as it was historical in nature, and I was fascinated by Castro's dream and the action he took to see it through. But as the last quarter of the book progressed, Castro's self-aggrandizing built to a ridiculous crescendo, and he came off delusional and embittered. Ignacio Ramonet, who asked no tough questions in the first three fourths of the book, asked only a few in the last quarter, and when it was clear that Castro was providing delusional answers, there was zero follow up. This was not an interview. It was a carefully-contrived list of questions that Castro clearly reworked to put himself in the best light. Any self-criticism he offers is qualified. While Cuba has made some remarkable progress in realizing Castro's dream of socialism, Castro has held his people back from being a free people, which is indisputable, and for that, he has no remorse. He blames all of Cuba's woes on the US, and refuses to accept that he could have changed Cuba for the better if he had really cared about his people as much as his ideals and his legacy. He stopped being relevant decades ago, as did The Revolution, and there was no one willing to confront him in his own country.

[The Conspiracy is Capitalism · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have avoided biographies; the format seems to lack the space for the individual to thoroughly detail their ideas. I find biographies serve as a supplement, adding some insights on how the individual thinks.
Having said that, few modern individuals are more deserving of a life account than Fidel Castro.
A real test of truth and propaganda, how does one distinguish the two? A fundamental technique of propaganda is to strip a situation of context before injecting the lie, often with fragments of visceral facts to gain an emotional response. Like a parasite entering a host, it first numbs and then asserts itself.
If all you've been exposed to is Western mass media’s depictions, consider how much context you were provided of Cuba's history and of the European colonialism/American terrorism there (and the entire hemisphere).
I find a critical overview of postcolonial struggles, such as Vijay's Prashad's "The Darker Nations", to be most helpful.

[Carlota Garabito · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me leí este libro por primera vez el año pasado para un trabajo de clase, y lo empecé este año de nuevo para leerlo con más calma, sin las prisas de llegar a una fecha de entrega.
Tengo que decir que me ha encantado. Me ha parecido increíble poder ver desde la perspectiva del líder todo un fenómeno como es el de la revolución cubana y la Cuba de Castro.
El formato, es una entrevista, entre periodista y comandante, se hace mucho más amena que si fuese un ensayo y es muy fácil de seguir.
La crítica principal que he visto de la gente, es que es muy pro castrista. Me parece que si empiezas este libro, lo tienes que hacer siendo consciente de que es una autobiografía, y que por tanto, siempre va a ser desde la perspectiva de Castro, obviamente es pro castrista. Aún así, el autor hace muchísimas notas al pie, dando aclaraciones, poniendo datos correctos cuando lo que se ha dicho es inexacto, etc etc.
A nivel general: 10/10. Me ha parecido súper interesante ☺️

[Pausonious · Rating 2 out of 5]

Extremely tough to wade through. There were periods where I was loath to touch it again because I knew I was on a portion of the book that would bore me to death after a page or two. Be warned before you pick it up of what it is - a fairly one-sided (politically/ideologically speaking) duologue transcript between a couple of people who broadly agree with each other, the one doing the interview being pretty much always non-critical and a crusty socialist of the same school as Fidel, bordering on sycophantic. I don't care much about this personally as I've the capability of being critical of it myself and taking things with a good measure of salt, the boring aspects of reading so many of the transcripts of multiple conversations were fairly overwhelming though as I've said, which is a fault on my part perhaps because I should've know what I was getting in to.