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Lights Out: A Cuban Memoir of Betrayal and Survival
Dania was eleven the first time she meets a Judas Goat, a chivato. Likened to the goats that lead animals to the slaughter, the informants of communist Cuba would do anything to please the authorities. This one has his ear almost pressed against her neighbor’s door. As an adult, Dania reflects on the chivato who terrified her. The incident sticks in her mind, and it isn’t the only danger she encounters under communist rule. Suspicion and fear will follow. Dania chronicles Fidel Castro’s rise to power and the truth behind the dictator. His fascination with Hitler, Mussolini, and other fascists lead to a totalitarian state of sorrow and pain. At the same time, she shows a deep love and respect for the history and culture of Cuba. Lights Out combines the childhood intimacy of Eire’s Waiting for Snow in Havana with the hard-hitting historical accuracy and relevance of Demick’s Nothing to Envy Castro is determined to erase the past, but Lights Out is a monument to the Cuba before Castro.
272 pages, Paperback
Published October 16, 2016
30 people are currently reading
307 people want to read
About the author
Dania Rosa Nasca
2 books15 followersDania Rosa Nasca (Herrera) was born in 1958 in Holguín, the City of Parks, Oriente, Cuba, the year the Cuban Revolution drove Batista from power.
She was given a front-row seat to Fidel Castro's takeover of the government and all private enterprise. She lived the implementation of communism at all levels from 1960-1970. When she was twelve, she and her family immigrated to the US through a US-sponsored Freedom Flight. She believes it is eye-opening to read memoirs from totalitarian regimes such as Cuba and North Korea.
She works as a financial counselor for the University of Rochester's Strong Memorial Hospital. She is active in her parish and closely follows world affairs, especially events in Cuba and other communist countries.
A proud Cuban American who hates snow, she lives in Rochester , New York, with her husband, Tony.
***
" I loved Cuba then, I love Cuba now"
EXCERPT
"I couldn’t help but enjoy the tropical night. Oh, those Cuban nights! The grace of sundown in burning climates brings an incomparable peace and a deep sigh of relief. The penetrating heat on the street was chastened by nightfall, although the air was still close and moist, like an embrace around my bare arms. The night—humid, clammy, and familiar—held in it the reassurance that tomorrow would be sunny again, and the next day, and the next. There were few people out at this time, and the nocturnal insects were just beginning to tune their instruments for the serenade I fell asleep to each night. They rattled and buzzed like tiny gourd instruments and tambourines. It was my Cuba still, in spite of everything"
She was given a front-row seat to Fidel Castro's takeover of the government and all private enterprise. She lived the implementation of communism at all levels from 1960-1970. When she was twelve, she and her family immigrated to the US through a US-sponsored Freedom Flight. She believes it is eye-opening to read memoirs from totalitarian regimes such as Cuba and North Korea.
She works as a financial counselor for the University of Rochester's Strong Memorial Hospital. She is active in her parish and closely follows world affairs, especially events in Cuba and other communist countries.
A proud Cuban American who hates snow, she lives in Rochester , New York, with her husband, Tony.
***
" I loved Cuba then, I love Cuba now"
EXCERPT
"I couldn’t help but enjoy the tropical night. Oh, those Cuban nights! The grace of sundown in burning climates brings an incomparable peace and a deep sigh of relief. The penetrating heat on the street was chastened by nightfall, although the air was still close and moist, like an embrace around my bare arms. The night—humid, clammy, and familiar—held in it the reassurance that tomorrow would be sunny again, and the next day, and the next. There were few people out at this time, and the nocturnal insects were just beginning to tune their instruments for the serenade I fell asleep to each night. They rattled and buzzed like tiny gourd instruments and tambourines. It was my Cuba still, in spite of everything"
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
September 12, 2024
It was fascinating read this memoir after reading Yoss' this planet for sale. This is the first Cuban memoir I have read.
Want to read
February 23, 2020"Cubans were wealthy in spirit. They didn't put anyone down because they were poor or had less or because they lived in a humble neighborhood. That is really an American thing." 15% in to the Kindle Book. Not exactly sure what this means here, but as an American, I was not thrilled to read this.
February 16, 2021
Dania Rosa Nasca shares her personal experience living in communist controlled Cuba in her exciting and touching autobiography Lights Out! Dania walks us through what life was really like living under communist rule, from dealing with government informants to attempting to preserve Cuba’s rich history. Nasca’s narrative was beautiful and touching, and really gave an intimate view of day to day life, of struggles and triumphs in communist Cuba! It was fascinating seeing the very human struggle, but the tribute to Cuba’s history was also fantastic and engrossing! If you love history or even political thrillers, definitely come view life through Dania’s eyes in Lights Out!
May 16, 2017
Although the subject matter is important, I did not enjoy this book, and had difficulty completing it. I was unable to connect with the character even though she is sharing the struggle of Cuba through her perspective. I do think that memories are short, and society has forgotten how Castro treated the citizens of Cuba. So for this reason, it does show what it was like living under Castro. I'm not sure I would recommend this book for middle school. I don't anticipate putting it on my 8th grade shelf. I will share this book with a friend at the high school.
January 11, 2025
This is a memoir, not a scientific report, so it's natural that is more emotional at times. Yet it still backs its claims with a bibliography which is very welcome.
Some of the fragments, especially in the beginning, were lacking because of the bombastic writing style, an error that seemed to be corrected as the book went on and the writer gained more practice and experience.
Cuba libre
Some of the fragments, especially in the beginning, were lacking because of the bombastic writing style, an error that seemed to be corrected as the book went on and the writer gained more practice and experience.
Cuba libre
May 24, 2021
This was an eye-opening read about what was happening in Cuba under Fidel's reign.
July 21, 2018
A wonderful life story of a girl growing up in Cuba during the early Castro years before she and her family left their homeland and emigrated to the US. A sad and inspiring account of everyday life in the communist dictatorship. The writing style is engaging and places you on the beautiful island midst the warm relationships among people. If you ever wanted to know what it is like to live in Cuba, this is the book to read.
July 12, 2021
I haven’t read this, but the author spammed me by PM. I have no interest in self-published junk and I resent having an author misuse the GR system and cluttering up my email with a self-promotional message. I’d block her if I could, but it doesn’t seem to be an option for GR authors and why not? I certainly never want to hear from her again.
May 18, 2017
This was a difficult book for me to connect to the characters and progress through. In my opinion I think it would not be a book that the average middle schooler would choose to read.
It did explain (through the eyes of a child) life before Fidel Castro became the dictator and how life changed for the citizens of Cuba.
It did explain (through the eyes of a child) life before Fidel Castro became the dictator and how life changed for the citizens of Cuba.
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August 20, 2021I couldn’t finish it.
April 3, 2019
I read this book after I went to Cuba. It is very informative with regards to Cuba before and after Fidel. It shows the other side of Cuba they don't tell you about while you're there.
December 4, 2016
With Fidel's passing, this memoir feels even more relevant and pertinent to the reader. The writer includes a well-developed history of Cuba before and after Fidel seizes his position as a leader. The memoir portions are placed perfectly throughout the text as a sprinkling of the demise of Cuba. There are stories of sadness and loss, struggles and pain; yet, it also shows the intense faith and hope of a people. Dania opens her own heart and shares the journey of her family, a family that lives through the changes of Cuba.
I found it most interesting to read a text that delivers a clear picture of the life-altering move into communism. It is a slow decay of a culture and people. Fidel is a cruel thief who to some seemed intoxicating, the perfect recipe of a monster. It is written from the perspective of a young girl with the grown experience and reflection of a woman. A must read.
I found it most interesting to read a text that delivers a clear picture of the life-altering move into communism. It is a slow decay of a culture and people. Fidel is a cruel thief who to some seemed intoxicating, the perfect recipe of a monster. It is written from the perspective of a young girl with the grown experience and reflection of a woman. A must read.
September 17, 2024
DNF Having visited Cuba with a group of educators I love the country and I loved learning about the many experiences the people shared with me during my educational tour. It is both beautiful and sad at the same time. I love reading about Cuba, the good and the bad, but this author's anger and distrust of all things Cuban weigh heavy making the book feel like a long list of grievances. I understand the resentment and anger, but to make the book readable, she needed to make me believe she loved Cuba as much as she hated what happened to her family. It was just too heavy and lacking connection with the people.
March 1, 2017
I wanted to read Lights Out because I didn’t know much about Cuba, and the country is in the news these days. The author spent her childhood in Cuba under Castro, her parents supported his revolution to depose Fulgencio Batista and end dictatorship. Castro instead imposed his own dictatorship and communism, betraying the people who supported his revolution. Nasca’s mother never recovered from leaving her mother and other older family members to suffer while she escaped in 1970 with her husband and children for a better life in the US.
Ms. Nasca details how a diverse population and thriving economy spiraled downhill under Castro, while he touted healthcare improvements and racial harmony. She says the healthcare improvements were for the elite followers while already good healthcare for the masses disintegrated. Racial harmony had existed before, but now “Judas goats” were spying on others regardless of race.
Lights Out was a fast read for me, fascinating and unpleasant to learn how Castro fooled his followers and how communism works—or doesn’t. Dania combines her own childhood experiences with stories from her family and friends and with lots of research (sources documented in the end notes). She is definitely bitter at the loss of what Cuba once was, before Castro’s takeover in 1959. I did a little research of my own to find Cuba was complicated and not all rosy before, but Castro definitely turned things dark.
“Soon there will be no one to remember the character of our street or of Cuba before Castro.” With her memoir, Lights Out, Dania has done her part to capture the lived history and culture of a country she and her family loved long ago. I highly recommend reading this book.
Ms. Nasca details how a diverse population and thriving economy spiraled downhill under Castro, while he touted healthcare improvements and racial harmony. She says the healthcare improvements were for the elite followers while already good healthcare for the masses disintegrated. Racial harmony had existed before, but now “Judas goats” were spying on others regardless of race.
Lights Out was a fast read for me, fascinating and unpleasant to learn how Castro fooled his followers and how communism works—or doesn’t. Dania combines her own childhood experiences with stories from her family and friends and with lots of research (sources documented in the end notes). She is definitely bitter at the loss of what Cuba once was, before Castro’s takeover in 1959. I did a little research of my own to find Cuba was complicated and not all rosy before, but Castro definitely turned things dark.
“Soon there will be no one to remember the character of our street or of Cuba before Castro.” With her memoir, Lights Out, Dania has done her part to capture the lived history and culture of a country she and her family loved long ago. I highly recommend reading this book.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews