Series in Cuba
Books in Cuba
A Continent of Islands
"A penetrating analysis of the social, political, sexual, and cultural worlds that exist behind the four-color Caribbean travel posters. . . . Page after page of highly original insights."-- Kirkus Reviews In this richly detailed portrait of the individual countries and peoples of the Caribbean, Mark Kurlansky brings to life a society and culture often kept hidden from foreigners-the arts, history, politics, and economics of the region, as well as the vivid day-to-day lives of its citizens. From the Newyoriccans of Levittown, Puerto Rico; to the state-salaried popular musicians of Cuba; to the practitioners of good political hurricanemanship (who know how to stretch statistics to bring in relief funds), A Continent of Islands paints portraits that will prove equally fascinating to tourists who know the Caribbean only as a string of beach resorts, and to readers curious about U.S. efforts to influence its neighbors.
Cuba in War Time
In a word, the situation in Cuba is something like this: The Spaniards hold the towns, from which their troops daily make predatory raids, invariably returning in time for dinner at night. Around each town is a circle of pacificos doing no work, and for the most part starving and diseased, and outside, in the plains and mountains, are the insurgents. -from Cuba in War Time American author and journalist RICHARD HARDING DAVIS (1864-1916), one of the most popular newspaper writers and novelists at the turn of the 20th century, may well be the source of the image of the dashing war correspondent. He represented the growing power of the press as the mass media's influence was expanding, and this controversial 1898 book is an early example of the manipulative power of the press. Dispatched by William Randolph Hearst to cover the guerilla war in Cuba for Hearst's newspaper the New York Journal, Davis filed vibrant, dramatic reports that may have brought the United States into the conflict, launching the Spanish-American War. Gathered in this book, and illustrated by Frederic Remington, is Davis's account of war-torn Cuba: muscular, adventurous prose about a dangerous time and place filled with a passion that infected his readers and may have changed the course of international affairs
Havana
A city of tropical heat, ramshackle beauty, and its very own cadence--a city that always surprises--Havana is brought to pulsing life by New York Times bestselling author Mark Kurlansky. Award-winning author Mark Kurlansky presents an insider's view of Havana: the elegant, tattered city he has come to know over more than thirty years. Part cultural history, part travelogue, with recipes, historic engravings, photographs, and Kurlansky's own pen-and-ink drawings throughout, Havana celebrates the city's singular music, literature, baseball, and food; its five centuries of outstanding, neglected architecture; and its extraordinary blend of cultures. Like all great cities, Havana has a rich history that informs the vibrant place it is today--from the native Taino to Columbus's landing, from Cuba's status as a U.S. protectorate to Batista's dictatorship and Castro's revolution, from Soviet presence to the welcoming of capitalist tourism. Havana is a place of extremes: a beautifully restored colonial city whose cobblestone streets pass through areas that have not been painted or repaired since long before the revolution. Kurlansky shows Havana through the eyes of Cuban writers, such as Alejo Carpentier and José Martí, and foreigners, including Graham Greene and Hemingway. He introduces us to Cuban baseball and its highly opinionated fans; the city's music scene, alive with the rhythm of son; its culinary legacy. Through Mark Kurlansky's multilayered and electrifying portrait, the long-elusive city of Havana comes stirringly to life.
The Last Raft
Five desperate people flee Cuba aboard a homemade raft following an exodus of a hundred thousand countrymen. Oblivious to escalating geopolitical hostilities; American senators who want to preserve the decades-old embargo and oppose the President's desire to embrace change; and the civil unrest brewing ahead, the rafters risk their lives to change their lives. Juan initiates the journey, selling lies to convince the others to join him on the raft. Senator Spinelli manipulates the emotions of Cuban American dreamers for self-enrichment and power. With his strategy-savvy Chief of Staff Terri Turner, President Winslow risks the pinnacle of success to change the future. Fidel Castro is a double-dealing despot who will burn the house down around himself in revenge for the exodus. Their collective desperation is woven into a complicated yet beautiful imbroglio of faith, dreams and desire that in the end will unite or destroy them all.