Marita: The Spy Who Loved Castro

by Marita Lorenz

Few people can say they’ve seen some of the most significant moments of the twentieth century unravel before their eyes. Marita Lorenz is one of them.


Born in Germany at the outbreak of WWII, Marita was incarcerated in a Nazi concentration camp as a child. In 1959, she travelled to Cuba where she met and fell in love with Fidel Castro. Yet upon fleeing to America, she was recruited by the CIA to assassinate the Fidel. Torn by love and loyalty, she couldn’t bring herself to slip him the lethal pills.


Her life would take many more twists and turns—including having a child with ex-dictator of Venezuela, Marcos Pérez Jiménez; testifying about the John F. Kennedy assassination; and becoming a party girl with close ties the New York mafia (and then a police informant).


Caught up in Cold War intrigue, espionage, and conspiracy—this is Marita’s incredible autobiography of a young woman who became a spy for the CIA.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Memoir, Autobiography, Biography, Romance, Germany

320 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2015

Reviews

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marita Lorenz dramatic's life began in 1939 in Germany as the child of an American mother and German father. I was riveted to her memoir which will left me exhausted in the end. As I read this book, I kept asking myself two questions: How much of this is true? How could she do this?

How much is true? She is very specific with names and places. I presume a lot of this can be backed up with documents and court records, but the book is not footnoted. Marita claims she gave the photo of herself with Lee Harvey Oswald and Frank Sturgis (at the, presumably, CIA training camp where she saw Jack Ruby) was given to Sen. Howard Baker and the photo of her son with Fidel Castro is held by Oliver Stone. Witnesses may be deceased, but could someone have told someone still living who can corroborate the rescue from the Amazon rain forest? The trip to Dallas? The way she was taken out of Spain? etc.

How could she do this? As a toddler she was separated from her parents, sent to Bergen-Belsen and rescued after 8 months; She was raped at age 7. She received concentration camp survivor’s benefits and she names the rapist who was brought to trial for this and other rapes. These events should be documentable, but again, no footnotes. Is her impulsive behavior result from PTSD? Are victims of child abuse prone to promiscuity? Was this the result of an adventurous spirit (similar to her mother before her) in a time of limited roles for women?

Her life and life-style shed light on what her mother would call a “kept woman” of this era. I lost track of the many men who kept her. The first was Fidel Castro with whom she fell in love with at age 19. He kept her in a hotel room and visited her from time to time. (By age 21, still in love, she joins a group dedicated to killing him.) With the deposed President of Venezuela Marcos Perez Jimemez one day she receives a $36,000 bracelet, not long after she is on food stamps. Her second child (or maybe it's her third) had four paternal claimants; 3 were “waiting” at the hospital, and the (believed to be) real father was in jail. As her two US kids grow, they are moved around a lot, often sent to live with others.

From time to time Marita has a job, but they do not last long. She does not have a high school diploma and has no training. While she mentions education for her two kids, it is a minimal factor in their lives.

If the parts about Sturgis, Oswald, Ruby and are true, it is amazing that she is still alive. This book: Hit List: An In-Depth Investigation into the Mysterious Deaths of Witnesses to the JFK Assassination covers all those who knew or could have known who killed Kennedy and how, and how they were disposed of.

The book adds to the record on the Kennedy Assassination, showing additional links for the CIA and the Mafia. It also shows the life of a mistress to the powerful and corrupt in this era.

[J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

The entire time I read this, I got the feeling this was an unreliable person. I finally looked her up and found out she is widely known as a fabricator and there are tons of holes in her stories. I am inclined to agree. That being said, if you consider her memoir a work of fiction, it's pretty entertaining.

[Francisco · Rating 1 out of 5]

Floja. Incoherente. Y poco más.

[LiteraryMarie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little bit of history? True life scandal? Spy story featuring well-known people? CIA? A party girl with Mafia ties? This is too much! But count me in for the advanced copy of Marita: The Spy Who Loved Castro. I love a good espionage memoir.

Ilona Marita Lorenz was born in Germany just days before WWII started. It could have been an indication of her rough life to come. She was incarcerated in a Nazi concentration camp as a child. Her father was often on the sea. When Marita got older, she was allowed to join him. It was on one of those voyages that she met and fell in love with thee Fidel Castro at first sight. Fast forward and she fled to the United States, where she was recruited to help assassinate Castro and later testified about JFK's assassination.

"Unreliable witness." ~ pg. 4

Have you ever got the sense that the narrator isn't the most credible? Or that there are mayjah parts of the story that are unsaid? Hmmm, I am not sure if I believe everything Marita "reveals" in this book. At best, I understand there are two sides to every story and hers needs more people for me to believe it all. Too many side-eyes, holes, and outlandish memories.

On the other hand, I was gripped from the first lines. Marita has a way of weaving a tale that will grab readers from the beginning. My jaw permanently dropped by end of chapter two. Whether it was embellished truth or not is not my call. But a page-turner this is!

Happy Early Pub Day! Marita will be available Tuesday, September 5, 2017.

LiteraryMarie

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so unbelievable that I had to remind myself that it was Memoir. Marita was born in Germany at as World War II broke out. She was raised in a Nazi concentration camp during her childhood. She travelled to Cuba in 1959 and fell in love with Fidel Castro . She moved to America and was recruited by the CIA to assassinate to kill Castro, but she refused. This was the last time she refused anything as she moved to Venezuela and had an affair and a child with the ex-dictator. She testified about the John F. Kennedy assassination, and became a party girl with close ties to the New York Mafia. She certainly lived an adventurous life. One good thing about the book was that it was in large print and easy to read.

[Solodchi Andreea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cartea ne vorbește cu nonșalanță despre viața unei spioane, cu episoade relatate din război și lagăre de concentrare, cu peregrinări pe mările lumii și relații sentimentale cu Fidel Castro, Pedro Jimenez (fostul dictator venezuelean), plus alte zeci de aventuri cu membri ai mafiei și poliției.
Povești cu CIA și FBI, povești de amor și spionaj, însă cât adevăr și câtă fantezie se găsesc în această carte...doar autoarea poate ști. Cert e că ea e rodul unei imaginații/ experiențe duse la extrem, cu circumstanțe dincolo de orice fantezie, plină de incertitudini și pericol. Marita Lorenz e o supraviețuitoare într-o lume coruptă, cu reguli nescrise, cu o viață plină de zbucium și frământări, umbre și aventuri riscante.

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

At first I thought this would be a book about an adventurous woman and her daring escapades. Unfortunately, by the end of the book I had lost all respect for her. For someone who supposedly came in contact with all kinds of influential people and saw alot of action, she seems to have not learned a thing by the end of her life, and made it to old age by mere dumb luck. The final stage of her life is very sad, especially since she squandered any opportunity to earn repect from her family and friends, including her mother and children. Disappointing.

[Mariana Cajina Rojas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lo más interesante del libro fue el título. Sin embargo, no se dejen engañar, de Fidel casi no se habla. El centro de atención siempre es ella y el montón (porque son un montón) de peripecias por las que pasa. Además, las circunstancias de vida son alocadas. No dudo que le puedan pasar a cualquiera, pero ya es un extremo que le pasen todas a ella.
Encontré la escritura poco ordenada o más bien acelerada. Tiene tantos eventos que contar que los resume demasiado.

[Daniel Esquivel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting recount of Marita's relationship with Castro and all the ramification that this produced and how she was used by the CIA and other organisms in many ways.

It is scandalous how the spying underworld develops and how they decide other people's fate...not talking about Castro or her....but any other person who they think is against their interests or get's in their way.

I had heard of her before but didn't have the chance to read about her until now...I am glad I did.

[Drew Blake · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably half true

[Clara A. Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating

This book was fascinating. Amazing that Marita survived the many trials in her life. It's a live story wrapped around espionage. I couldn't stop reading it.

[Bubex Sis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Complicata viață. Alegeri in general greșite, ale unui om care parca a uitat că imbatranim cu toții. Interesant totuși cum a supraviețuit atâtor amanți cu nume grele.

[Mary Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read. She definitely had an interesting life. Some of it is hard to believe that she made it out of some of these situations alive.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

the seven husbands of evelyn hugo was more believable

[Diane Gladstone · Rating 3 out of 5]

Learned so much about the cold war activities that tied Cuba, US and other South American countries in a private war of power and control. Familiar world figures played a prominent part in this war.

[Socrate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Singurul lucru cert este că mama s-a născut în Wilmington, statul Delaware, în estul Statelor Unite, și acolo a și crescut. Cei din familia ei cultivau pământul, dar ea s-a simțit întotdeauna diferită, chiar și atunci când era doar o fetiță, iar când a ajuns la adolescență, părinții ei au trimis-o la New York, la o școală privată de pe Park Avenue, “cea mai bună”, din câte spunea ea. A început să danseze și a intrat în lumea spectacolului, ajungând să joace piese pe Broadway, sub numele artistic June Paget. Poate că atunci a început să-și descopere abilitatea și talentul de a face parte dintr-o lume de măști și de personaje pe care n-a mai putut, n-a mai vrut sau n-a mai știut să o părăsească.

În acea primă etapă a vieții sale trebuie să fi avut vreo aventură care nu a funcționat, deși, judecând după scrisorile și hârtiile pe care le-am găsit de-a lungul anilor în familie, poate că ar fi mai indicat să ne gândim la mai multe aventuri. Unul dintre bărbații despre care știm că s-a îndrăgostit nebunește de acea tânără blondă, cu ochi albaștri, frumoasă și hotărâtă, a fost William Pyle Philips, un important om de afaceri. Însă mama voia să aibă copii, iar acel bărbat nu numai că era cu mult mai în vârstă, dar era și vărul ei, așa că în ochii mamei mele acea aventură nu avea nici o șansă. În plus, ea voia să ducă o viață independentă și să lucreze în cinematografie și n-a contat deloc faptul că Philips a implorat-o să nu-l părăsească și s-a oferit să aranjeze totul pentru ca ea să poată fi protagonista propriului film și chiar să deschidă un cinematograf doar pentru ea. Mama, care vorbea fluent franceza, a hotărât să plece la Paris, unde începuseră să se turneze filme cu sunet. Avea optsprezece sau nouăsprezece ani și cred că, dincolo de aspirațiile sale profesionale, voia să fugă și de alți bărbați care se țineau după ea; și aceștia nu erau puțini la număr, pentru că mama trezea adevărate pasiuni.

[Rosa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me encuentro como siempre después que termino de leer un libro, en trance, moviendo todo entre mis pensamientos, intentando asimilar.

A pesar de los muchos comentarios que me encuentro sobre ella, tengo que decir que yo SÍ me la creo totalmente.

Me creo su historia y la dureza de esta.
Ella misma al final del libro es la que dice que era rebelde, que reconoce que muchos de los sucesos que le pasaron fue por sus errores.

Cuando veo a la gente juzgándola, me parece como si ellos pudiesen juzgar desde la perfección y facilidad de sus vidas a no creerse la dureza de otras.

En algunos puntos del libro, es cierto que yo misma me estaba poniendo nerviosa y no entendía sus actos, me parecían de una persona inestable e inmadura, y en muchos puntos mi mente me decía que yo hubiese actuado de otra forma, no entendía, pero es que no tengo que entender nada, cada persona es un mundo totalmente diferente; son SUS recuerdos de SU vida con SUS actos, y nadie tiene que entrar a calificar nada ahí.
También en puntos he visto como que ella se hacía la que no entendía y la manipulaban y a mi parecer no todas las veces ha sido así, a mi parecer puedes no entender una vez, dos, pero a la tercera entiendes y sabes dónde te estás metiendo. Pero sus propios motivos tendría desde su punto de vista para volver a ello. Económicos, rabia, ira... sea como sea, la empatía como mujer llega a mí.

Y si hay algo que hay que reconocer es que ha tenido una vida la mar de complicada que gracias a este libro sabemos de ella, de sus hijos que el mundo ha querido ocultar y de las miles de cosas turbias que a día de hoy siguen habiendo detrás de los altos cargos.

[Argum · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won a free copy of this book from Goodreads FirstReads.

I had never heard of Marita Lorenz before and I asked someone alive during her escapades who didn't remember her either. This is quite a story. At times it seems believable even plausible, but at others it sounds outlandish and impossible. On the one hand there are photographs of her with Castro and she did testify in front of Congress which must be verifiable. On the other many documents and photos were 'stolen' and she mentions the involvement of Chris Dodd who wasn't part of the Committee. The book for the most part was entertaining but got a little rambling at the end. So true or not it was engaging. The story starts with a girl born in Germany to an American mother and a German father caught up in WWII. Her mother's aid to the allies causes Marita to spend time in a concentration camp and to be sexually assaulted as a child. She spends time at sea with her father and meets many famous people. This travel introduces her to Fidel Castro with whom she falls madly in love. Then she is caught up with the government and a plot to kill him. She gets another dictator through these connections. Then adds the mob and police to the mix. Really a crazy story with many facets of Cold War America in the mix. Not sure I believe most of it, but still a good read.

[David Garcia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very uneven in both writing and storytelling. Half of me wants to believe her and the rest of me says “yeah, right” Does she “fall in love” easily. Um, only about 8 men, some of whom she just lays eyes on and says “you must make love to me” There are tons of parts where it seems her children are with her but then she’s off in the field on a mission and one kid is at home? The other sent to a friend or who knows? I had no compassion or sympathy towards the end where the writing is at its worst and so is she. At once not asking for our sympathy for all her troubles and squandering of resources. Then saying it’s not fair she has no pension. As a son of Cuban immigrant I was intrigued by this story, it fell well short of my expectations and would advise a pass on this one. Author too unreliable...
note: I fact checked a couple of stories and there were nuggets of truth. Just not enough lining up of other things.

[Renata · Rating 5 out of 5]

Expetienta unei vieti duse la extreme, cu senzatii si circumstante dincolo de orice imaginatie, plina de incertitudine si pericol real, in mijlocul unor factiuni opuse, si pe placul niciuneia, Marita Lorenz, a fost o femeie care avea legaturi cu unele dintre fortele ce se miscau in umbra si pentru care nu existau granite intre legal si ilegal. A supravietuit intr-o lume corupta, cu reguli nescrise, si unei vieti plina de framantari, umbre si aventuri riscante. " Eu am fost spioana care l-a iubit pe Fidel Castro" abunda in evenimente ce au marcat istoria, de la lagarele de concentrare din Germania celui de-al doilea Razboi Mondial, pana la incercarea esuata de a-l asasina pe Fidel Castro si asasinatul membrilor familiei Kennedy. Nu este doar viata unei femei extraordinare, este o bomba de informatii, si multe secrete dezvaluite despre organizatii ca CIA, FBI, s.a. nu mai putin cunoscute.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marita's real life story is tragic and magnificent.

The horror of her rape brought about an inevitable vulnerability that brings many women to feel that they must please others (parents) rather than focusing on themselves by validating their feelings and taking time to heal.

Her leap into a romance with Fidel Castro is a mark of a woman who is looking to secure her self-foundation by validating within that she is worthy of love, attention, and, recognition. It is a natural reflex of self-renewal.

The outcome of her being drugged by mysterious captors is very tragic. I suspect Castro to have been behind it, being that he was the first to express to Marita (over the phone): "The boy is fine". One who speaks such a statement of certainty, cannot be far removed from knowing a part of the truth regarding the shady circumstance that occurred.

[Haghia lubis · Rating 3 out of 5]

The history of socialism and its relation to the United States has been covered in many books, and this particular book took a different approach, a personal approach towards intelligence and international relations in a grappling and a turbulence. I can feel the pain and depression that was experienced by Marita, in a war which does not benefitted her and a cause that she does not even avidly supports.

[Bianca Manea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t truly believe everything that the author claims to have done, so at this point I don’t know if I just read memoirs or a fiction-novel. I must admit the epilogue made me cringe, because it feels like the whole purpose of the book was just to dramatize over her not having a pension from the US and not having enough friends/fans.
Otherwise, it’s interesting to get a glimpse into the troubled years 1960-1980s.

[Sue Watson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Everyone has a story

I enjoyed the book, though I'm not sure how some of her memories fit in with everything that happened. There are so many things she was involved in or on the sidelines of that it is a lot to digest. I wish she had managed to keep some of the pictures she mentioned, or had at least included pictures of herself during the different decades. Family pictures would have been nice too. This is a good read for people who enjoy 20th century history.

[Claudiia Țuțuraș · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aceasta carte de memorii mi-a dat mindfuck de la primele pagini. Am cunoscut o femeie care a supraviețuit multor situații limită, dar mereu a avut puterea sa se ridice și sa o ia de la capăt. Pe parcursul lecturii, îmi venea sa o scutur sa își revină nu poți sa mergi din rău în mai rău. Nu vom ști niciodată dacă ceea ce a povestit ea e purul adevăr sau nu, asta doar Guvernul American ne va putea lămuri

[Barbara · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this was fiction, I know it was billed as autobiographical, but frankly this was too fantastical to even seem like fiction. Maybe there was a kernel or two of truth, but it was just too much in my opinion. I felt like she wrote the whole thing to capitalize on the increased interest in Cuba and Castro now. Skip this one is my recommendation.

[Newt Carver · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bought this on an impulse at an airport. In the beginning, it kept my attention. After a few chapters, it grew hard to believe all the stories being thrown out. Like other reviewers, I question her credibility. By the end of the book, I was basically reading just to finish it and had sort of lost interest.

[Luis Santiana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Es el relato de la vida de una persona que asegura haber pasado por millón situaciones inusuales y poco comunes; entre ellas, haberse enamorado/obsesionado con Fidel Castro; mucho de lo que la autora asegura, no se ha podido comprobar por falta de pruebas, así que hay que leer el libro con "beneficio de inventario".

[Ana Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting , but I didn't trust the author and found her unreliable . Towards the last quarter of the book I just wanted to be done with it.

[Tom Fontaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

She’s a female Forrest Gump