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Goodbye, My Havana: The Life and Times of a Gringa in Revolutionary Cuba
An eyewitness account of idealism, self-discovery, and loss under one of the twentieth-century's most repressive political regimes Set against a backdrop of world-changing events during the headiest years of the Cuban Revolution, Goodbye, My Havana follows young Connie Veltfort as her once relatively privileged life among a community of anti-imperialist expatriates turns to progressive disillusionment and heartbreak. The consolidation of Castro's position brings violence, cruelty, and betrayal to Connie's doorstep. And the crackdown that ultimately forces her family and others to flee for their lives includes homosexuals among its targets―Connie's coming-of-age story is one also about the dangers of coming out. Looking back with a mixture of hardheaded clarity and tenderness at her alter ego and a forgotten era, with this gripping graphic memoir Anna Veltfort takes leave of the past even as she brings neglected moments of the Cold War into the present.
240 pages, Paperback
Published October 8, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
May 18, 2021
I seem to be on a little bit of a Havana kick, having read Our Main Havana by Graham Greene (and Our Man Down in Havana about the writing of that book) and just recently Killing Castro by Lawrence Block, Killing Castro (a graphic history) by Jason Ciaccia and illustrated by Aaron Norhanian. Che by Jo Anderson takes place a lot in Cuba, too, of course; I read the comics biography version of that. And now this graphic memoir by graphic designer and illustrator Anna Veltfort, a very densely told story of her time in Cuba.
This book I liked in particular because I am getting deep into the weeds of the history, recalling JFK and the Cuban Missile Crisis (in part through the Stephen King book 11/22/63). But this doesn't spend so much time on that event. It's about all these years when she and her mother and step-father and communist moved to Cuba to support the Cuban revolution led by Castro and his brother, and Che. And Anna loved her time in Cuba, though she is a lesbian, and she documents painfully the transition Castro made from helping free Cuba from dictator Battista to becoming his own repressive dictatorship in many ways, especially in the repression of gay rights (which he only expressed regret about decades later). He tried to stop western influences of music and hairstyles and drugs and partying in the street with repressive tactics, too.
While I liked it a lot, read every word of it, Veltfort's story is way too detailed and dense to attract a general reader, I think. And each page has too many words and is just crammed with too many images, just claustrophobic, hard to read. Except if you are into the history, as I am, but for a graphic memoir it is at best a 3-star book, maybe. It needs greater focus, but instead tries to touch on the history of each and every event she lived through in that period. Again, for me and history buffs, fine, but it took me a bit of time to read and needed lots of light to see the tiny words. But if you are interested in this period and glbtq history, this would be a good book for you.
This book I liked in particular because I am getting deep into the weeds of the history, recalling JFK and the Cuban Missile Crisis (in part through the Stephen King book 11/22/63). But this doesn't spend so much time on that event. It's about all these years when she and her mother and step-father and communist moved to Cuba to support the Cuban revolution led by Castro and his brother, and Che. And Anna loved her time in Cuba, though she is a lesbian, and she documents painfully the transition Castro made from helping free Cuba from dictator Battista to becoming his own repressive dictatorship in many ways, especially in the repression of gay rights (which he only expressed regret about decades later). He tried to stop western influences of music and hairstyles and drugs and partying in the street with repressive tactics, too.
While I liked it a lot, read every word of it, Veltfort's story is way too detailed and dense to attract a general reader, I think. And each page has too many words and is just crammed with too many images, just claustrophobic, hard to read. Except if you are into the history, as I am, but for a graphic memoir it is at best a 3-star book, maybe. It needs greater focus, but instead tries to touch on the history of each and every event she lived through in that period. Again, for me and history buffs, fine, but it took me a bit of time to read and needed lots of light to see the tiny words. But if you are interested in this period and glbtq history, this would be a good book for you.
December 24, 2020
Really interesting, detailed graphic memoir focused on the time the author spent in Cuba in the 1960s. She and her mom were German and immigrated to the US when she was small, after which she acquired a Communist stepfather and, eventually, when she was a teen the family moved to Cuba so he could work for Castro's government. The young author believed in the ideals she was taught, and built a life for herself in Havana, but she was also a lesbian, and she and her friends were increasingly vulnerable to the regime's organized homophobia.
I didn't know much about that time period in Cuba (well, any time period in Cuba, to be fair), and I don't think I'd realized the extent to which they went through similar waves of purges and persecutions as those I've read about in the Soviet Union and China. It was also interesting reading about the homophobia, machismo, and glorification of the military - the book I read before this was Shuggie Bain, and reading the two together has me thinking about how the 'hard man' ideal is such a straitjacket.
I didn't know much about that time period in Cuba (well, any time period in Cuba, to be fair), and I don't think I'd realized the extent to which they went through similar waves of purges and persecutions as those I've read about in the Soviet Union and China. It was also interesting reading about the homophobia, machismo, and glorification of the military - the book I read before this was Shuggie Bain, and reading the two together has me thinking about how the 'hard man' ideal is such a straitjacket.
April 16, 2020
An American lesbian comes of age in 1960s Cuba under its revolutionary but homophobic regime. It should be a fascinating story, but if this book were a person they would have an affectless face and a monotone voice. The narration just drones on and on dropping dozens of names of minor historical figures and mentioning lots of government departments and programs, numbing me to the human story squeezed tightly between the giant captions with Fidel Castro's speeches. Frankly, by my reading, the emotional highpoint of the book seems to come when Veltfort gets a refrigerator with an icemaker rather than any of her farewells to family or lovers.
Passable history, disappointing memoir.
Passable history, disappointing memoir.
May 13, 2022
This graphic novel offers a front row seat from which to view the Castro overthrow of Batista, the influx of Communist advisors, diplomats, and business / industrial consultants from all over the world (from the Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, South America, Africa, the United States and Mexico) to join the forces of Revolution.
We're offered an inside look at daily life in Cuba for Café Society intellectuals, academics, industrial workers, and agricultural workers. We see how top down economic planning cannot bring in the harvest or put food in the market. We see militarism, authoritarianism, and the scapegoating of "the other" for failures of the state.
The scapegoating of "Counter-revolutionaries" focuses on the government suppression of homosexuality. This topic -- the daily hell of the LGBTQ+ community as the lightning rod for blame for Communist state policy failure -- has rarely been portrayed in such concrete terms, with such vivid examples. Repression is iron fisted, and it is subtle. It causes physical harm, and it causes psychological harm.
I recommend this book. It is a blunt reminder that in a totalitarian, autocratic regime, no one is free, even if there is an illusion of freedom. No one has rights (in property, liberty, privacy, or life choices) even if the autocrat claims power on behalf of the "rights of the working class."
We're offered an inside look at daily life in Cuba for Café Society intellectuals, academics, industrial workers, and agricultural workers. We see how top down economic planning cannot bring in the harvest or put food in the market. We see militarism, authoritarianism, and the scapegoating of "the other" for failures of the state.
The scapegoating of "Counter-revolutionaries" focuses on the government suppression of homosexuality. This topic -- the daily hell of the LGBTQ+ community as the lightning rod for blame for Communist state policy failure -- has rarely been portrayed in such concrete terms, with such vivid examples. Repression is iron fisted, and it is subtle. It causes physical harm, and it causes psychological harm.
I recommend this book. It is a blunt reminder that in a totalitarian, autocratic regime, no one is free, even if there is an illusion of freedom. No one has rights (in property, liberty, privacy, or life choices) even if the autocrat claims power on behalf of the "rights of the working class."
Read
August 31, 2025* The book is a memoir in which Anna Veltfort recounts her youth and early adulthood in Cuba after her family moved there from the United States in the early 1960s.
* Veltfort provides a firsthand account of daily life under Fidel Castro’s revolutionary government, from the early optimism and enthusiasm to the later repression and disillusionment.
* She describes her experiences as a foreigner (“gringa”) who initially embraced the socialist ideals of the revolution, participating in youth organizations and educational programs.
* A key theme of the memoir is Veltfort’s awakening as a lesbian in a context where homosexuality was harshly persecuted.
* She details the climate of fear created by government crackdowns on queer people, who were targeted for surveillance, harassment, imprisonment, or confinement in forced-labor camps (UMAPs).
* The narrative offers concrete examples of the tension between revolutionary rhetoric about equality and the lived reality of social and political repression.
* Veltfort vividly portrays Havana’s cultural life, from student gatherings and artistic circles to the underground networks where queer people found ways to connect despite danger.
* She recounts the personal toll of censorship, political conformity, and betrayal, as friendships and relationships were strained under constant surveillance.
* Ultimately, Veltfort’s story is one of both personal survival and political disillusionment, as her youthful idealism collided with the harsh realities of authoritarian rule.
---
### Tone and Writing Style
* **Tone:** Reflective, candid, and critical, balancing personal vulnerability with political clarity.
* **Style:** Memoir-driven, descriptive, and accessible, with rich detail and emotional honesty.
* **Support for Content:** The clear, intimate style grounds the political history in lived experience, allowing readers to understand the human consequences of repression alongside the broader cultural and political narrative.
---
### Author’s Qualifications
* **Anna Veltfort** is an American writer and graphic artist who spent much of her youth in Cuba during the height of the revolution.
* As both a participant in Cuban educational and cultural institutions and as a lesbian navigating repression, she offers a rare insider/outsider perspective.
* Her professional background in visual arts contributes to the vivid, sensory descriptions in the memoir, enhancing its impact.
* Veltfort’s unique position as a “gringa” who lived through revolutionary Cuba while experiencing queer marginalization gives her memoir both historical significance and personal authenticity.
* Veltfort provides a firsthand account of daily life under Fidel Castro’s revolutionary government, from the early optimism and enthusiasm to the later repression and disillusionment.
* She describes her experiences as a foreigner (“gringa”) who initially embraced the socialist ideals of the revolution, participating in youth organizations and educational programs.
* A key theme of the memoir is Veltfort’s awakening as a lesbian in a context where homosexuality was harshly persecuted.
* She details the climate of fear created by government crackdowns on queer people, who were targeted for surveillance, harassment, imprisonment, or confinement in forced-labor camps (UMAPs).
* The narrative offers concrete examples of the tension between revolutionary rhetoric about equality and the lived reality of social and political repression.
* Veltfort vividly portrays Havana’s cultural life, from student gatherings and artistic circles to the underground networks where queer people found ways to connect despite danger.
* She recounts the personal toll of censorship, political conformity, and betrayal, as friendships and relationships were strained under constant surveillance.
* Ultimately, Veltfort’s story is one of both personal survival and political disillusionment, as her youthful idealism collided with the harsh realities of authoritarian rule.
---
### Tone and Writing Style
* **Tone:** Reflective, candid, and critical, balancing personal vulnerability with political clarity.
* **Style:** Memoir-driven, descriptive, and accessible, with rich detail and emotional honesty.
* **Support for Content:** The clear, intimate style grounds the political history in lived experience, allowing readers to understand the human consequences of repression alongside the broader cultural and political narrative.
---
### Author’s Qualifications
* **Anna Veltfort** is an American writer and graphic artist who spent much of her youth in Cuba during the height of the revolution.
* As both a participant in Cuban educational and cultural institutions and as a lesbian navigating repression, she offers a rare insider/outsider perspective.
* Her professional background in visual arts contributes to the vivid, sensory descriptions in the memoir, enhancing its impact.
* Veltfort’s unique position as a “gringa” who lived through revolutionary Cuba while experiencing queer marginalization gives her memoir both historical significance and personal authenticity.
July 23, 2021
I picked this one up on a whim because I love autobiographical graphic novels and the topic interested me. I really wanted to love it, but many - or even most - parts come across as wooden and explanatory more than narrative and personal. There are sequences where Veltfort appears to have intentionally withheld her personal experience or assessment of situations, even her romantic relationships. Seems like a strange choice, but one I’d be interested in hearing more about if it was indeed conscious.
One of the biggest factors, though, was the formatting of many pages. Namely, the arrangement of panels, speech bubbles, and narration boxes weren’t intuitive. Perhaps there are different conventions for graphic novels in Cuba/Latin American comics, but as a lifelong reader of comics, there were so many sequences where the order of conversation was all over the place and the page didn’t guide you from thought to thought in an effective way.
Overall, the information was fascinating and I still learned a lot, but ultimately that’s mostly what it felt like: information.
One of the biggest factors, though, was the formatting of many pages. Namely, the arrangement of panels, speech bubbles, and narration boxes weren’t intuitive. Perhaps there are different conventions for graphic novels in Cuba/Latin American comics, but as a lifelong reader of comics, there were so many sequences where the order of conversation was all over the place and the page didn’t guide you from thought to thought in an effective way.
Overall, the information was fascinating and I still learned a lot, but ultimately that’s mostly what it felt like: information.
May 20, 2023
No vas a encontrar un testimonio más diáfano de lo que fueron las persecuciones a homosexuales en la Cuba castrista desde los mismos inicios.
Veltfort ha escrito y concebido un libro que no nos ahorra nada, quizás la erótica del roce de los cuerpos. Eso se extraña. El centro es un mundo asfixiante, desprendido de todo sentido de la libertad y el impulso humano de indagar y cuestionar y desear ser libres para amar.
El libro es extenso. Demasiados detalles. Mucho texto. El personaje de Anna asiste atónita a este triste espectáculo de un mundo demasiado opresivo en construcción. Ha sido llevada allí por sus padres, comunistas de Estados Unidos, siendo muy joven, y allí tiene su despertar sexual y político.
Ahí tienen los casos de Mirta Aguirre, Isabel Monal y Alfredo Guevara, homosexuales "autorizados" por el régimen a los que no les sucedió nada y ante cuyas narices ocurrían las Umap y las recogidas de "gente problemática" en las calles. Mirta e Isabel son personajes en este libro.
Pensaban que estaban construyendo una sociedad nueva, más justa, y sólo estaban cavando los cimientos para el ascenso de un Stalin tropical.
Una nota más extensa en mi blog:
http://www.michaelhmiranda.com/2023/0...
Veltfort ha escrito y concebido un libro que no nos ahorra nada, quizás la erótica del roce de los cuerpos. Eso se extraña. El centro es un mundo asfixiante, desprendido de todo sentido de la libertad y el impulso humano de indagar y cuestionar y desear ser libres para amar.
El libro es extenso. Demasiados detalles. Mucho texto. El personaje de Anna asiste atónita a este triste espectáculo de un mundo demasiado opresivo en construcción. Ha sido llevada allí por sus padres, comunistas de Estados Unidos, siendo muy joven, y allí tiene su despertar sexual y político.
Ahí tienen los casos de Mirta Aguirre, Isabel Monal y Alfredo Guevara, homosexuales "autorizados" por el régimen a los que no les sucedió nada y ante cuyas narices ocurrían las Umap y las recogidas de "gente problemática" en las calles. Mirta e Isabel son personajes en este libro.
Pensaban que estaban construyendo una sociedad nueva, más justa, y sólo estaban cavando los cimientos para el ascenso de un Stalin tropical.
Una nota más extensa en mi blog:
http://www.michaelhmiranda.com/2023/0...
December 9, 2021
This is a graphic novel written by Ms. Anna Velfort who lived in Cuba from 1962-1972. Her mother and stepfather, who was a communist, decided to submerge themselves in the novel experience of living in Cuba in the aftermath of the Cuban Revolution.
This is a coming of age story, for Anna was an adolescent at the time. Initially, Anna discovers a complex Cuban society while grappling with her own sexuality since she's a veritable witness of the different and unrelenting campaigns perpetrated by the state against homosexuals and other groups considered "undesirables" or "antisocial."
Her personal experience during the years she lived in Cuba is a portal, albeit distant, that many who don't live in Cuba have been able to access. Her novel let's you into the reality of living in an oppressed regime where democracy is non-existent and power lies in the hands of a few.
This is a coming of age story, for Anna was an adolescent at the time. Initially, Anna discovers a complex Cuban society while grappling with her own sexuality since she's a veritable witness of the different and unrelenting campaigns perpetrated by the state against homosexuals and other groups considered "undesirables" or "antisocial."
Her personal experience during the years she lived in Cuba is a portal, albeit distant, that many who don't live in Cuba have been able to access. Her novel let's you into the reality of living in an oppressed regime where democracy is non-existent and power lies in the hands of a few.
January 6, 2020
Alison Bechdel (FUN HOME) and Anna Veltfort are both the best graphic memoir artists and history storytellers I’ve ever enjoyed and learned. GOODBYE MY HAVANA is gorgeous and educational-there are so many things I never ever knew and learned a lot about—Cuba, Her People, Country, History, and so much more. Beautiful!!! It took her 10-years to compile this book and I am smitten with the research, love, and share she put out there.
October 15, 2024
Shockingly I loved this book! The Cuban Revolution was never a historical event I was rather fond of/found interesting. But this first hand account of the reality of living in such an oppressive society fascinated me. I think it’s worth the read and even more interesting considering majority of the themes and events that occurred during the Revolution are sadly manifesting in our current society.
October 8, 2025
2.5 rounded up to 3? Unnecessarily dense memoir about a young lesbian gringa’s life in Cuba in the mid to late 60s. There’s a rich story here of the tension w/in the Cuban Revolution and the treatment of lgbt folk… and some comes through — but probably would have been stronger as a hybrid book and graphic novel. The author has a lot of history to share but there’s too much crammed in between the artwork. That or a better editor to say “does this part add to or take away from the story”?
May 26, 2020
Definitely learned a lot about Cuba’s Communist Revolution. What an incredible life Veltfort has led. She was certainly in the right place at the right time to be able to rub elbows with Marge Frantz & Jessica Mitford in California, Fidel Castro while at the School of Letters, and the like. As someone unaccustomed to graphic novels, it takes a while to get used to.
June 16, 2022
Siempre me gustó leer sobre la experiencia de extranjeros en la Cuba de los 60 y los 70. La aurora retrata una época de manera emocionante pero al mismo tiempo con hechos controversiales asociados a la Revolución cubana. No hay crítica ni reproche pero si el desencanto y la tristeza de alguien que ama a Cuba . Excelente historia para ser leída por defensores de la Revolución castrista.
March 6, 2025
I really liked this, I know that Veltfort is an illustrator, but there is something amateurish about this graphic novel, mainly in its narrative and layout, that made it feel less structured and therefore more realistic. That is to say, it feels like a story written by a real person about their actual life. It’s a real goldmine of historical references and anecdotes.
August 7, 2019
An incredibly moving account of the author’s childhood in Cuba. Extraordinary source material, as well, for the historically inclined. The way she incorporates historical material with her drawings is incredibly artful.
March 21, 2020
Really well done book mixing the author's personal story and her first-hand experience in the early Castro years of Cuba. It's a history lesson and autobiography, and the drawings and layout are really well done.
January 2, 2025
3.5
This portrays a fascinating time period through a unique perspective, but the style felt overly packed with small details about political figures and often distant from Anna's emotions and thoughts during what should be intense moments.
This portrays a fascinating time period through a unique perspective, but the style felt overly packed with small details about political figures and often distant from Anna's emotions and thoughts during what should be intense moments.
December 6, 2019
Un recuento emocional enmarcado en la historia de la Revolución Cubana.
December 13, 2019
Fascinating and unique life story about growing up in Cuba as a gay American expat in the 1960s. Thoroughly enjoyed this one!
May 9, 2020
Take a look at this graphic memoir about growing up as an outcast in Castro's Cuba.
November 4, 2023
Damn :( really interesting perspective on the homophobia of the Cuban revolution by a gay revolutionary. Such an important vantage point and critique but like….. ow (read for class)
May 26, 2024
One of a kind autobiography showing a side of Cuba only one who lived through it could provide. Fascinating and enlightening. I couldn't put it down.
October 9, 2024
So sad to see this book rated so low!
February 11, 2025
This book is captivating and all around an amazing read with beautiful graphics to go with. I absolutely loved it! Thank you Anna for sharing your story.
March 12, 2025
Great book :)
March 13, 2025
very powerful
February 10, 2018
Anna Veltfort narra la historia de su juventud, desde que llega como niña a Cuba tras el triunfo de la revolución castrista hasta que la abandona definitivamente tras finalizar sus estudios. Su biografía se ve salpicada por muchos temas: la evolución del modelo revolucionario cubano, la vida de las élites internacionales y culturales durante ese periodo y, muy especialmente, la persecución constante a los homosexuales por parte del gobierno. Un libro muy personal, bonito y bien documentado, que supone un valioso testimonio.
November 25, 2020
The personal and the political collide in a beautifully-illustrated memoir
I thought I knew a lot about Cuba, but this book revealed many details I didn’t know. I started reading it and couldn’t stop. I found myself involved with the author’s dilemma of having to hide her love in a repressive, homophobic country. The story about her parents’ background and how she ended up living in Cuba is also interesting. They brilliant combination of cartoon dialogue and background images conveys many different layers of reality.
I thought I knew a lot about Cuba, but this book revealed many details I didn’t know. I started reading it and couldn’t stop. I found myself involved with the author’s dilemma of having to hide her love in a repressive, homophobic country. The story about her parents’ background and how she ended up living in Cuba is also interesting. They brilliant combination of cartoon dialogue and background images conveys many different layers of reality.
Want to read
July 1, 2019Note: I received an ARC of this book from the publisher at ALA Annual 2019. I also accessed a digital review copy through Edelweiss.
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