Customer Reviews

On Becoming Cuban: Identity, Nationality, and Culture

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

That should be the title of this book. The author makes the same mistake many have made: to them Havana=Cuba. If it happened in Havana, it must be so in the rest of the island. From the beginning of the book he attributes to all Cubans what really applies to the upper class of Havana: travelling to the U.S. on vacation; sending their children to be educated on the U.S.; shopping sprees in New York; conducting their businesses on the American model, etc.
I was born in Camagüey and lived in Oriente and still have family in Cuba and I never heard of, much less witnessed many of the "facts" he gives. I've checked with several other Cubans, older than I from all over the island, about some of the authors assertions and everyone assures me Cubans did not celebrate Thanksgiving; kids did not get toys on December 25 (it was January 6); few Cubans spoke English, many Americans spoke Spanish; men did not stop flirting with "mulatas" in favor of blondes; and American supermarkets did not obliterate the neighborhood bodega. Perhaps that's the way it was in the Americanized Vedado neighborhood.
The author quotes from many novels and short stories. The writings of Cuban revolutionaries, the constitution written for the formation of the Cuban nation during the 10-year war, the effects of that 10-year war, and the effects of the war of independence on Cubans' idea of nationality are practically ignored. It seems we Cubans obtained all notion of who we are from the U.S.
Sociologist-like, he ascribes deeper meaning to all kinds of things; for example: the Cubans' enthusiastic adoption of baseball becomes an anti-Spanish, pro-feminist protest and a condemnation of Bullfighting as a bloody, colonial sport. How about this: baseball was fun and was not only a spectator sport, even kids could play it pretty much anywhere. Can't do that with a bull fight. As for rebelling against bloody, primitive sports: cockfighting has been part of Cuba's "sports" life from the colonial period.
It goes on and on. True there are neat facts in there: the early adoption of technology in Cuba, the symbiotic relationship between the U.S. and Cuba and a few other interesting tid bits. But his interpretation of the American influence in the notion of what it means to be Cuban is skewed. I must admit it got to me: I couldn't finish the book. I stopped at Chapter 6 because I anticipated what was coming: Fidel's revolution puts a stop to all that and now Cubans have a more real view of who they are. Am I right? Is that the punch line?
No one can deny the influence of the U.S. on Cuba. Its proximity, and its intervention in Cuban affairs garanteed that, but this book is replete with misinterpretations or are they misrepresentations?.
Can't recommend it.

On Becoming Cuban is more than a book about Cuban Identity. It is a well researched historical work that traces the social and cultural impact of North American culture on Cuba during the period of the 1860's to the 1950's. This is the period prior to the Spanish American War and prior to the Cuban Revolution. The author is able to show how Cubans used American culture, such as acquiring with passion the American pastime of baseball as a way of establishing Cuban identity against Spain. But the Cuban assimilitation of American Culture and the period that followed the Spanish American War point also to the dominant and paternalistic role of North America over Cuba. Professor Perez points out how after the war Americans took advantage of hurting farmers and property owners by buying for a song what was worth more. Also he shows how the American companies created an elitist and discriminatory policy where English was valued more than Spanish in Cuba and where American Sugar conglomerates kept an economic and social wall between the criollos and Americans doing business and working in Cuba. Perez tracing of the development of Cuban music such as the son, rumba, conga,mambo, and cha cha cha points to the paternalistic misused of Cuban artists for the benefit and enrichment of North American entrepreneurs. The same arguments could be made about the misuse and abuse of tourism in Cuba by North Americans. The economic power of North American citizens led to the same kind of abuse in tourism. This book also offers an important historical and social analysis on the question of race. In the early development of the Cuban identity, Cubans were influenced by their North American neighbors view on race, that to be Cuban was equivalent to being white. Fortunately in a paradoxical manner the adoption of American Baseball served as a powerful social force that helped unite blacks and whites, rich and poor in the pursuit of this sport. Since Cuba was a more egalitarian country during the period on the question of race, it opened through the participation of North American black and white baseball players the door for them to play together, to sit, to eat, to be friends in Cuba. This created a new social consciousness for the American baseball players before the Civil Rights Movement. This book traces also the influence of the Protestant and evangelical movement in Cuba both as a source of oppression but also as a source of creating a new liberating consciousness among the native population. I believe that this book provides an excellent background to understand the developments in Cuba of the Cuban Revolution. It also provides a window to reflect on U.S. relationships with the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. In light of this book I hope that many of my fellow U.S. citizens will open their horizons with their neighbors and friends in the Caribbean.

This book helped me very much as a source of data on events that happened way before my time, mainly because in Castro's Cuba most of this has been distorted, or in many cases, access has been totally impossible. I found the book very interesting and educational at the same time, very helpful also in making me understand better our influences and roots, as well as that tremendous link, for good or bad, that always existed with the United States and that Castro always persisted and portrayed as something not important and besides , very negative. However I have my problems with this book , especially on the last chapters, the revolution era, which is the one I lived, and know the most. I'm 36 now, and lived 25 years in Cuba, so I have a pretty clear knowledge of how things were and are during this years of "revolution". As many other non-cuban authors, Perez seem to have a problem criticizing the regime for what it's been responsible and on the other hand puts most of the blame on the United states, I think than from a fear point of view we got more positive things than negative ones from them. Corruption and mishandling of the government is constantly mentioned during the republic period; but very little is said about castro's failures. Nothing is said about the assassination and abuses that took place during those first years of revolution, practice that has continued during all these years. Unfortunately it was during these years that many liberals and idealist turned a blind eye to what was happening in the island. Nobody wanted to talk about what was really happening and preferred to accept the idea that the US were to blame for the rupture in the relationships between both countries. Still today not many people know about the darkest years of the revolution, a good example is that Ernesto"che" Guevara is still considered by many as a modern Quixote, a romanticized revolutionary that fought the imperialism in order to built a better world, when in reality he was nothing but a selfish murderer who committed all kind of atrocities, mostly in my country, and played a leading role in the process that turned the revolution into that aberrant regime that has ruled the country for more than four decades. So what I found negative about this book is that not giving a fair and balanced analysis on this part of the Cuban history affects the credibility of what was said about the rest of it. A good book for those who would like to read a least detailed but very fair analysis is" journey to the heart of Cuba" by Carlos A. Montaner.

This is the same old story of a group of elite people who had it all; made a mess of the country, ruined the Island for the rest with their corrupt ways and abusive system that brought communism in the island; and later all of them running away like scared coward rats to the United States. It's on becoming a Cuban is very simple and easy, especially when they can do whatever they want in a country that is very lenient to their behavior, and opened the doors for their protection too! All you have to do is runaway from the government of the Island, come to the United States, abuse and take advantage of the system, by hiding behind the U. S. rights and naturalization citizenship, get elected for public office, increase the taxes and their salary while they steal the public's money, keep the wages low, exploit their own kind and everyone else, set a bad example to others, sell drugs, become corrupt, alcoholic, permit immorality, disorder in the city, and much more in the name of "Anticommunism". Cubans talk too much, beat around the bush, and at the end they have not accomplished anything. It's a shame because Cubans are good for business, and hard workers, and are very intelligent. However, they can't hold any position of authority in the government, they immediately become corrupt and inflated with pride thinking that they already own the place and are superior to everybody. The Americans should put these officials behind bars, remove them from public office, send them all back to the Island and have the Castro regime give them an attitude adjustment. That way they will learn to appreciate what they have in the United States, especially in Miami and respect the laws of a country that is noble and kind, and that gave them refuge when the rest of the world closed the doors to them and did not want them as worms." It's embarrassing to all of the rest of the Law abiding Cuban Americans who work hard to earn their living and appreciate what this country is doing for them."A man must know its limitations"!

The trouble with scholars and academics is their middle-class presumption that the world is middle-class. This book suffers from this presumption.
I married a Cuban, have been to Cuba five times, and know that there are both rich and poor in that country--just as there are in the U.S. There are Cubans in government and baseball stars and artists with access to dollars who are chauffered in their Benzes, live in gated mansions with electric fences, and swim in their backyard pools. In the meantime, my relatives live without running water or a phone. They have an extension cord leading from the neighbor's house to get electricity. When the annual hurricane hits, they live in the local secondary school's gymnasium, along with everyone else in their neighborhood in Cerro who lives in a plywood house.
Let's decide not to idealize the Revolution.
I'm not on the side of the anti-Castro supporters in Miami (I'm not Cuban)--I think free quality healthcare and education is an amazing achievement. And despite the last ten years of intense lack of material help since the Soviet Union dissolved, Cubans have an amazing stamina and love of life that gives them the hope to survive.
But let's not--especially for the academics who travel to Cuba and see only the middle class Cubans living there--idealize the country. Reader: check out "Afro-Cuban Voices" to get another side of the story.

Castro's bloody footprint on Cuba's back will soon be over, and the re-construction will then begin.

Before that happens, this book - together with a few more - should be read by those who hope to stake a claim on the future of that island.

The book is educational and informative, although it seems to put a lot of emphasis on the upper middle class of pre-Castro Cuba and little on the lower classes, with some small exceptions on the issue of race and Afro-Cubans. Too much is also made of Desi Arnaz's negative portrayal of Cuban men, although I never knew until I read this book that Eamon de Valera was half Cuban and that the Capote in Truman was Cuban.

But it does hit the nail right on the head on the formula via which the Cuban culture and character - so different from other Latin American countries - was formed.

The powerful influence of the USA and all things American upon the island may have been somewhat blown out of proportion (especially when not brought to a lower class context), but it was (and is) nonetheless important and a key ingridient in the make-up of the modern Cuban.

I suspect that when Cuba opens up to the world, those Cubans who remained in the prison island will soon re-join the interrupted life of a island full of paradoxes, brilliant thinkers and an unfortunate history of dictators and bloodshed. And perhaps the marriage between Castro's Afro-Cuba and the exile's mostly white-Cuba will result not in a baptism of fire (or blood) but in an incorporation of lessons learned in 50 years of modern exile with the astounding eneregy and creativity of the Cuban people.

Professor Perez has done another outstanding job of exploring the complexities of U.S.-Cuban relations. Again he has shown that the Revolution of 1959 didn't happen just because Castro read Marxist books while in college. Professor Perez explains why Castro's generation were reading the Marxist books in the first place.

There are some things in the critique of U.S. culture which are disturbing, to a North American, not so much in Professor Perez' presentation as in the chauvinistic attitude of some Cubans quoted here, expecially regarding language. All languages borrow from each other. English is full of loan words, from French, Latin, etc., and are considered normal parts of speech. This can be accepted without a sense of victimization. The "I Love Lucy" episodes referred to were not as bad as portrayed; "Ricky" was not a buffoon and corrected Lucy's miscomprehensions about Cuba more than once.

That said, this book is still good stuff. Yanquis (including Yanquified Miami "Cubans")should read it before they reconquer Cuba in the next decade.