Who Was Fidel Castro?

Who Was . . . ? Series

by Sarah Fabiny, Ted Hammond (Illustrations)

When Fidel Castro died on November 25, 2016, many people around the world responded with mixed emotions. Learn all about the man who shaped Cuba for more than half a decade.

After overthrowing Fulgencio Batista in 1959, Fidel Castro became the leader of an island country only ninety miles away from Florida. While in power, Castro outlasted ten US presidents and turned the small nation into a one-party state with influence over the entire world. Called a leader by some and a dictator by others, Castro defined not one but several eras in world politics.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, Childrens, History

112 pages, Paperback

Published August 22, 2017

Reviews

[Bri Little · Rating 2 out of 5]

Literally no mention of slavery in Cuba (though Castro’s family owned a plantation). While this wasn’t as virulently anti-communist as it could’ve been, the writer definitely undermined Cuba’s success as a country that fought to rid itself of imperialist interference. Americans, sheesh!
Still, I learned something.

[celestine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I stumbled upon this kids book on Overdrive and decided to check it out on account of the one-star anti-Communist reviews it has on Amazon. I was expecting some hella dope kids propaganda. Instead it’s a pretty tame biography of Castro. It does paint his early revolutionary days in a positive light, and does blame America for the Bay of Pigs, but it inaccurately describes Communism in a negative way only Neoliberal Capitalists would, not to mention it condemns Castro for being a dictator and failing his people besides giving more health care to them. So clearly those guys on Amazon didn’t actually read it.

[Amin Bachari · Rating 5 out of 5]

چقدر دلم برای مردم کوبا سوخت. یه دیکتاتور انقلابی چقدر زندگی رو براشون سخت تر کرد

به امید نابودی کمونیسم و آزادی مردم کوبا

[Grazie Mille · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars baby, i have no regrets

How the actual heck did Fidel become a leader?! his revolution attempts were so pathetic they actually made me do some serious LOL-ing.

attempt #1 - Fidel and his followers "storm" the Cuban military, oh wait jk no one has google maps yet so all the cars get lost, end up at a barbershop instead of an actual military base, and everyone gets arrested. yeah, sounds like someone planned that one real well. (nice leadership, buddy)

attempt #2 - Fidel's all like, "yeah, man! fresh outta prison and ready for another go! let's do this revolution, baby! november 30, sound good? yeah ok so everyone clear your calendars for the 30th and uh, when i arrive we can blow this sucky government outta the water!"
what actually happens: Fidel, genius man that he was, crammed 80 peeps into his 12-passenger boat (bc it's safe) and was like "yeah, lets start this thing!" but the boat just falls apart from being too heavy and they arrive at Cuba days late to discover the "revolution" has started without them, it failed, and Batista's army is waiting for them. and everyone's arrested again. 😁🤪

"attempt" #3 somehow Fidel gains followers, (i mean, if you're tall, sexy, are a relatively good speaker and the government is already corrupt, i guess it can happen) and then Batista's like, "oh crap! uh... peace out you guys, i resign ✌️✌️✌️" and proceeds to flee the country. and then fidel's all like, "wait... so that was it? that's literally all i have to do? wait no, i mean, show that guy who's boss! let's go! who's the greatest? me! a little louder folks we can do better: WHO'S THE ACTUAL GREATEST??? ME OF COURSE!!!" meanwhile he did literally nothing but chill while Batista left. what a spicy thrilling revolution.


then, of course, he makes the lovely decision to make Cuba a communist country, improving nothing and being a dictator just as Batista before him. yay.😛🤗🥳

my fave (and maybe kind of edited) chat Fidel had with his people:
people: 👁️👄👁️
fidel: what
people: so uh... where are these revolutionary changes that make the country better? this is like the same crappy leadership from when Batista was in charge...
fidel: well, i personally am living the life, but uh, oh... i mean you don't like this? well, uh, then FINE! just... leave! i don't care!
people: k thx ***all proceed to leave***
fidel: HEY WAIT I DIDNT MEAN IT LIKE THAT JKJKJKJK, EVERYONE COME BACK NO ONE CAN LEAVE ANYMORE

aaah, don't you just love communism

[malayna · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short nonfiction read.

[Leila Najari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who was collactions are very good and interesting ,they have simple prose and beside that give more general information 😉

[Luke Ewell · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book made him seems even though he was a bad man.

[Amy Mancini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really, a good little biography for kids. I like the side bars of historical events, the definitions for unknown words, and the generally balanced, factual approach. I would recommend this book and series to any student grade 4-6 who likes to learn about people’s lives.

[Aidan Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book that I'm reviewing is Who was Fidel Castro by Sarah Fabiny. Fidel Castro was a Cuban citizen for his entire life being born in Biran, Cuba. Fidel Castro had a major impact on the Cold War and the relationship between the United States and the communist Soviet Union.

Cuba in 1953 was under the rule of Fulgencio Batista, a brutal and aggressive dictator. However, in 1953 Fidel Castro led a rebellion against Batista. After a lot of hardship for Castro's rebels, they finally won and Castro was the prime minister of Cuba. Almost instantly after Castro rose to power, the relationship between Cuba and the United States deteriorated. In the 1950s the United States was engulfed in the Red Scare/ the fear of communism spreading. Castro began talking with the USSR and finally obtained missiles from them. Obviously, this started a mass panic in the United States. This stretch of nuclear tension was referred to as the Cuban Missile Crisis. The Cuban Missile Crisis only lasted 13 days, however, those thirteen days were incredibly scary and dangerous for the United States. Thankfully, the U.S. and USSR reached an agreement and the missiles were removed. As you can see, Fidel Castro played a large role in the Cold War. If the United States and USSR wouldn't have talked and settled the beef, the United States was in serious trouble of being missiled.

I would highly recommend this book to anybody interested in U.S history, or history in general. This book does an incredible job of displaying information without boring you to death. I really enjoyed learning about Fidel Castro's place in the Cold War and how catastrophic it could've been if he wasn't treated properly.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had this book on my list for a while but put off reading because I wasn't sure if it would present a balanced view of Fidel Castro's life or present him as a hero despite all of the murders and suffering he brought to the Cuban people. After finally reading Who Was Fidel Castro? by Sarah Fabiny I feel the author did a good job of presenting facts and developing his character based on his experiences growing up. She actually helps the reader understand the influences that drove Fidel Castro in the directions he went. She does point out all of the lofty promises he made about improvements in conditions for the poor that were broken once he had power. It doesn't say much about the people imprisoned, tortured, and executed under his government, with help from his co-murderer in chief Che Guevara who has become a T-Shirt dynasty on campuses among students who don't even know who was or all of the deaths he and Fidel were responsible for. She does cover his decision to distance Cuba from the United States choosing to align himself with the Communist Soviet Union instead. On balance I think this author gave a fair assessment of Fidel Castro.

[Tim Baumgartner · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't know much about Fidel Castro, honestly, before reading this book. I just knew he was the long-standing, recently-deceased communist leader of Cuba.

As I read this biography, I was impressed by how he seemed to have a heart for those who didn't have much.

He seemed to want to try and do the right things, and was obviously fed up with previous leader, Batista.

I didn't like the way this book described how Castro came to power. It was SO abrupt. He had 20 people, retreated to the mountains, convinced some poor people there to join him for his guerrilla warfare, and held the 10,000 troops off for half a year, and then Batista resigns abruptly. It seemed too simplistic for me. I know it's a children's book, but I thought a few more details were needed.

But when he became leader, he did the same things Batista did--eliminated freedom of speech, press, challenging him politically, etc. Communism emerged, but the primary crop of the country was sugar cane, which made them dependent on others to provide EVERYTHING ELSE for the masses. He seemed too concerned with his power trip than REALLY helping the people. Hopefully, Miguel Diaz-Canel can do better.

[Valerie McEnroe · Rating 3 out of 5]

My 4th through 6th graders read more Who Was biographies than any others. I like to provide biographies about all people, both good and bad, so they will understand the entire picture of history. But honestly, I don't expect this one to be checked out much. It's a rare upper elementary student who would take an interest in Fidel Castro. They aren't exposed to Cuban history at that age, so unless they are determined to read every Who Was book ever written, this one won't make the cut. I kind of regret purchasing this one.

As for the content, I don't think it goes far enough to condemn Castro's policies. When thousands of people risk their lives to leave a country, something is very wrong. But I have to remember this is easy reading, it's read by 3rd and 4th graders, maybe even some 2nd graders, so it's only going to go so far into deep waters. My advice: unless you're purchasing the entire series, skip this one.

[B · Rating 2 out of 5]

A quick biography on Fidel. Although Fidel thought the world of himself, this book depicts him more as a loser, making so many mistakes during his early fighting years which cost the lives of his compatriots. As the leader of his country he made plenty more, resulting in a country that is poverty stricken. He reminds me of our current President: not prepared to lead while thinking that he is, making many, many mistakes and yet people still admire him.

I wish this series used photographs instead of very average drawings and did not use cartoony, large-headed pictures on the covers.

[Gemma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well-balanced look at the life and rule of Fidel Castro. Provides the facts in an accessible manner, supplemented with definitions of harder key terms and brief explanations of key concepts at that time in history. Also invites the reader to consider whether Castro was a hero or a villain ("The answer is: It depends on who you ask. And whether you think he was a hero or a villain, his influence on Cuba, Latin America, and the world was huge" pg. 102).

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an interesting read. I learned a lot about the life of Castro. He started out as a freedom seeker for his country which was ruled by a corrupt government. He took power, tried to make changes that kept failing and eventually he was replaced by his brother. It is helpful to know the history of our neighboring countries so we can better understand our own standing as a nation of the world.

[Justin Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m really enjoying this series. I’m a few years past the target age. Half of the reviews of this particular title think the author was too sympathetic to Castro and half feel she was too critical, so I guess it’s pretty balanced. And I think I finally understand the Bay of Pigs and the Cuban Missile Crisis!

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aimed at kids, Who Was Fidel Castro? gives a good overview of the life of the Cuban dictator. It’s pretty neutral as far as whether he was a good or bad person (as the book says, it depends on who you ask). There are lots of illustrations and several asides to explain things like guerrilla warfare and communism. I highly recommend this book to kids learning about Castro or Cuba.

[Quinesia Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always like reading Children/YA Non-Fiction. It's easy to get general, fuss-free information. It gives a brief childhood, political life, incarceration, political life/ guerillas, presidency, and death. All in a digestible manner. It was what I was looking for, I'm glad this book provided.

I would recommend as young as 6th grade for this book.

[Hemanth Jamithi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was such a quick read but gives you everything you need to know to explain about Fidel Castro to your kids educating them about neighboring country Cuba, About dictatorship, Communism, USSR and its history and relationship with Cuba, Guerrilla war and more. I loved little explanations about Manifesto, full form of USSR.

[Natalie Bronchetti · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, I liked the illustrations and how informative it was. I thought it told the story of Fidel's life and career really well. I hated that it was over. This book kept me wanting to learn more.

[Laurel Pate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Makes me sad when people swear they are different and then do almost worse than what they were trying to overthrow in the first place. Men in power just let it go to their heads instead of their hearts.

[Nathaniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

i liked it

[Caleb · Rating 4 out of 5]

it was fine

[Kaylin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short read, good book.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too much power and cockiness eventually destroys and corrupts.

[Krystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty interesting to see where he started to where he ended up.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick read about an incredibly fascinating life.

[Paul F · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good history on Castro. Had good ideas early, then turned into a dictator.

[North Landesman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything about this man is entertaining. The story of his life is more interesting and exciting than any possible fictional story.

[Joanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great kids book on a world leader.