Our Woman in Havana: A Diplomat's Chronicle of America's Long Struggle with Castro's Cuba

by Vicki Huddleston

Our Woman in Havana chronicles the past several decades of US-Cuba relations from the bird’s-eye view of State Department veteran and longtime Cuba hand Vicki Huddleston, our top diplomat in Havana under Presidents Clinton and George W. Bush.


After the US embassy in Havana was closed in 1961, relations between the two countries broke off. A thaw came in 1977, with the opening of a de facto embassy in Havana, the US Interests Section, where Huddleston would later serve. In her compelling memoir of a diplomat at work, she tells gripping stories of face-to-face encounters with Fidel Castro and the initiatives she undertook, like the transistor radios she furnished to ordinary Cubans. With inside accounts of many dramatic episodes, like the tumultuous Elián González custody battle, Huddleston also evokes the charm of the island country, and her warm affection for the Cuban people.


Uniquely qualified to explain the inner workings of US-Cuba relations, Huddleston examines the Obama administration's diplomatic opening of 2014, the mysterious “sonic” brain and hearing injuries suffered by US and Canadian diplomats who were serving in Havana, and the rescinding of the diplomatic opening under the Trump administration.


Huddleston recounts missed opportunities for détente, and the myths, misconceptions, and lies that have long pervaded US-Cuba relations. With Raúl Castro scheduled to step down in 2018, she also peers into the future, when for the first time in more than six decades no one named Castro will be Cuba's leader.


Our Woman in Havana is essential reading for everyone interested in Cuba, including the thousands of Americans visiting the island every year, observers who study the stormy relationship with our near neighbor, and policymakers navigating the nuances and challenges of the US-Cuba relationship.

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

304 pages, Hardcover

First published February 25, 2010

Reviews

[Frank · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was enlightening to understand how the leadership of the Cuban exile community in Miami has been entrenched in its hate of the Castros and that was the reason it didn’t care how much the Cubans who remained suffered as a result of US policies toward the island since they viewed those who remained on the island as collaborationists with the Castro regimes. U.S. policy regarding Cuba has often depended on how much financial support CANF and the more extreme Cuba Liberty Council could provide to political candidates. I had no idea before reading Ambassador Huddleston’s book how much of the original animosity towards Fidel was personal and family-related (ties of marriage between Castro and the Diaz-Balarts) and how when the Soviet Union stopped financially supporting Cuba, the Cuban exiles wanted the US embargo to be even more punitive so that Castro would fall and exile leaders could rush in and bring back the Cuba of the 50s. And how could I forget the fun days in Miami during the Elian saga? My friends in the rest of the US talked about the craziness they saw on TV as “going Cuban.”

[Tekla · Rating 4 out of 5]

A look at Cuban American relations since approximately the late 90's, with personal anecdotes from the author's time as the not-ambassador when the US had a not-embassy (US Interests Section) in Cuba.
She excels at describing events and explaining how US policy provoked or responded.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great overview of U.S. Cuba relations at the end of the Clinton Presidency and start of the Bush Presidency. In the midst of Elian, Alan Gross, the Cuban Five and the rise of the Venezuela / Cuba relationship -- the U.S. started down the fruitful path of engagement.

Good follow up to 'Trading with the Enemy' which follows an American writers' journey through Cuba at he start of the Special Period in the early 1990s

[Eileen Hall · Rating 3 out of 5]

I tried very hard to appreciate this book, the synopsis seemed interesting.
Vikki Huddleston's life in Cuba seemed good, but I am reading this in the Trump era and can't help but make a comparison of today's upheaval in US, (from UK's point of view), and the times when it was written about.
The current US administration seems to be unraveling most things to do with Cuba (I may be mistaken in that, but I'm not so sure) as with other things.
I hope no Bay of Pigs scenario will raise it's ugly head again.
I was given a digital copy of this book by the publisher Overlook Press via Netgalley in return for an honest unbiased review.

[Kelly Bates · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some interesting stories but I was absolutely appalled at the spelling and grammatical errors in the book. If I'd spent $25 on it, I'd have been angry. Seems that no one proofread or edited or even ran spellcheck on it.

[Bruni Baeza · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very enjoyable book, even though I do not agree with some of the author's conclusions. As one of the first exiles who had to leave Cuba because my father was a Cuban diplomat with the previous governments, I can vouch for the fact that you cannot dump all exiles in one bag and call them "the diaspora" and leave it at that. For the first 15 years after Castro, the exiles leaving Cuba had professions, property, businesses, farms, investments all of which were taken by the new philosophy of communism. Obviously these were very unhappy, and many did but others did not make it again in the US as they could not speak the language or were too old. The last ten years of Castro's government, the exiles, all disenchanted with this communist philosophy, left no property, no businesses, nothing to claim as "theirs". So, this is a different exile group from the first. But no one wants Communism to remain, it is just as to how it is removed that there are differences. No one wants to leave their country voluntarily, but in a world of instant communication, Cubans know things are different everywhere else and they realize Cuba is way behind. Yet the communist ideology does not allow an economic opening of the kind that would be needed to make Cuba thrive. For exiles to be able to even buy a house in Cuba, they have to go through the complicated process of "repatriation" which means returning to residence and placing yourself under the jurisdiction of the Cuban Government, which means if at any time they wish to prevent the Cuban exile returning to the US they could do so. Also, it would take for someone with excess money to wish to invest in anything in Cuba if they have a justified fear of confiscation yet again. No one is going to invest (risk) hard earned savings in a country with such juridical uncertainty. In addition to that, even Cubans resident in Cuba have a hard time opening small businesses, so imagine how difficult if not impossible for Cubans in exile to do so if they returned for that purpose. So all of this the Ambassador portrays in her book is merely wishful US thinking. Cuba wants the US to send tourists who will spend money and will eat in the "paladares" and stay in their hotels without criticizing the government. They are wary of letting exiles in because exiles can mean trouble. I can see some change coming inevitably once Raul Castro is gone and since his son in law and his son do not have a following, they might think that they had better quit while they are ahead. Also, who knows how long will Venezuela be able to keep on helping the Cubans? Communism is historically on the way out, and only Cuba and N Korea remain as fossilized exponents of the past century's central planning systems with its inevitable fearsome State security police. So, we will see what happens in the next ten years, I for one am hopeful.

[AB Freeman · Rating 4 out of 5]

As part of my biography and memoir-themed month of September 2023 reading, I dug into Che Guevara’s remembrances of the Cuban Revolutionary War, and, after enjoying the historical detail of that, felt compelled to examine more recent Cuban history. Published in 2018, Huddleston’s memoir of time spent in the diplomatic circles of Havana during the late 1990s and early 2000s, Our Woman in Havana details the political intrigue (as well as the mundanity) of her time spent in service to the diplomatic relations of Fidel Castro’s Cuba and Clinton/Bush 43. Some discussion of Obama’s engagement with Raúl Castro, as well as Trump’s decision to rescind the efforts made to end the US embargo, is included. Still, the overall portrait is one of turn-of-the-millennium political disagreements between the US and varying factions of the Cuban diaspora.

4 stars. I’ve been fascinated by Cuban history for quite a while, and taking the opportunity to read an author deeply engaged in the work of developing improved international relations between the US and Cuba was a highly rewarding and delightful way to better understand the details of Cuba-US diplomacy. Huddleston pulls back the curtain, choosing to not only focus on interactions between the main leaders, but also to highlight the impacts those decision have upon the commoners of Cuba and their family members in the US. The Elian Gonzalez chapter is particularly adept at highlighting this.

In sum, Huddleston’s remembrances serve as a highly readable memoir for those interested in Cuban-American relations.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

题材和作者的身份是我看这本书的重要原因，之前唯一看过有关的书就是香蕉那本阐述国际政治中的女性主义。整体看完本书内容没有辜负我的期待。

作者按照自己任期的时间发展阐述了古巴和美国关系发展中的几个重要事件，对于历史文盲比较友好，不太关心过这方面新闻的我基本也梳理清楚了前因后果。其中印象比较深的就是Elián González Brotons事件，由于归属部门的利益导向不同，导致时任总统克林顿、古巴裔美国公民以及外交人员的立场都存在一些差异，其中还有司法系统依照法律对于两边家庭的衡量，最终男孩回到了古巴。这件事也影响了大选，古巴裔美国人对于结果的不满导致阿尔戈尔失去了这一群体在佛罗里达的选票竞选失败。

其中有个啼笑皆非的细节就是法院要求男孩的古巴亲人赴美，给他们为男孩的去留据理力争一个机会，展示一下比在美国定居的亲戚能更好抚养孩子的氛围。结果孩子奶奶检查了男孩的penis看他这段时间有没有发育……

Vicki作为女性外交人员提供的独特视角也很有趣，她叙述下的Castro：It was no wonder he preferred female interlocutors; he undoubtedly thought that against a female adversary his formidable size and personality would work in his favor。还有她和她的阿富汗猎犬导致的争议差点上升到外交事件，因为身份和政治立场惨遭当地阿富汗猎犬协会的开除，古巴和时任领导人都遭到了调侃。Castro在假意大度之前的同时还强调要对她丈夫的狗抱歉，而不是她本人，这里的处理也很微妙，很难说和性别没有关系。

作为驻外人员，作者在多党制国家的背景下任职并不轻松。每次母国政要的来访她都得慎之又慎，很有可能一个不留神就会给她留下一堆烂摊子，而对方访期结束就可以拍拍屁股走人……她个人对于古巴的外交理念也会和当局出现矛盾，总统的更迭更会带来巨大的影响。国内政治风向的改变也让她不得不卸任，离开了生活了三年的土地。

不可否认本书的存在肯定有propaganda成分，她的思想或多或少影响了当地人，她也承认自己身为驻外人员在当地的言行自然享受了一定程度的豁免。但Vicki我觉得算得上一个有魅力的人。日常外出让当地人搭便车，她亲近的当地训犬师耳濡目染导致言行过于自由反叛面临当局威胁，她也会挺身而出。

随着美国内部多方势力的博弈，双边关系的发展依然不算明朗，但Vicki也没有放弃希望，总有一天古巴的年轻人能在当地过着理想的生活，未来会在Havana而不是Miami。

[Cara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Huddleston's years as a US diplomat in Cuba give her a unique perspective to write about the country. It was enlightening to read about events I recognized from a news-story standpoint, like the situation with Elián González, through Huddleston's on-the-ground perspective. It gave me new insights about the history and intricacies of US policy towards Cuba. While Our Woman in Havana covers a lot of serious political territory, Huddleston has sprinkled in anecdotes about her personal life in Cuba, which makes for a lighter tone and more intimate read.

[Evan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating insight into the account of one of America's senior diplomats and her relationship with one a preeminent Cold War leader, this book had me empathizing with the plight of the Cuban people, laughing with Ambassador Huddleston's creative approach to managing complex relationships and stakeholder interests, and noting thoughts/questions about things I wanted to learn more about in the margins.

For anyone interested in American diplomacy, female leadership in the State Department, and the U.S.' relationship with Cuba in particular, this book is for you!

[Lindee L · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was incredibly interesting and enlightening. I’m glad that I read, and finished it. However the repetition was a bit frustrating. I understand that it was necessary to drive important parts home, but the message was loud and clear the first time. I see little need to bring these points up repeatedly. Also, if you listen to the audio book on less than 95% speed (which was necessary in some parts to understand them fully), the narrator is maddening. Other than these two small, mostly immaterial comments, I would recommend the book.

[Jim Falk · Rating 5 out of 5]

An important and eloquently written history of Cuba/U.S. relations. Amb. Huddleston is uniquely qualified to tell the story having been intimately involved in the bilateral relations for several decades. Sadly, at least from my perspective, the hard-right, mainly in Florida, have torpedoed many opportunities for our countries to have a sensible relationship; and, if this had happened, it is likely that Cuba might have gone in a different direction.

[Gwen Weddington · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. The author was essentially the “ambassador” to Cuba during the Bush, Clinton, Bush presidencies. Her insight into Cuba and the US Policy towards them was very interesting. Everyone who thinks the embargo is the best policy should read this book for a.view from Cuba and atheist US.

[Gwen Mayer · Rating 5 out of 5]

love this book!! learned much about Cuban American relations.

[Hillsullivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very thought provoking. I learned a lot.

[Javiera · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full of interesting details. Could have used one more copy-edit but generally provocative in it's style and focus on the ill-effects of U.S. punitive policies against Cuba

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[acuriouslibrarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding reflection and insight.