Customer Reviews

Contesting Castro: The United States and the Triumph of the Cuban Revolution

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This is a thorough, well-researched, ubiased work, yet it is terribly one-sided. Paterson describes the events of the Cuban Revolution only within the context of United States involvement. He fails to acknowledge or highlight important social movements occurring within Cuba during the revolutionary period. "Contesting Castro" offers particularly insightful analysis into the American role during events of the Sierra Maestra campaign (1956-59), but lacks an in depth discussion of the periods preceeding or following the triumph the July 26 Movement. Nevertheless, Patterson's work is a fine account of American-Cuban relations during the Cuban Revolution.

Contesting Castro is a book crucial to the understanding of the political history of Cuba. The author takes a stance not typical to most written on the subject,one of independence,free of the left-bashing not uncommon when reading of Cuba. Unbaised, well documented, and factually correct, this text offers a view of the events leading to, and during the revloution of 1959, free of any political bias by the author. This book is essential to the reader who wants a complete picture of the actions taken to stop the spread of communism and protect US business intrests. The events described help the reader understand US forigen policy action in recent years as well.

Fair, balanced and meticulously researched, Paterson's "Contesting Castro" nonetheless misses the author's stated goals, and while a recommended read, is ultimately unsatisfying. A comprehensive beginning, which outlines the thesis that an understanding of the US/Cuban relationship following Castro's revolution must be predicated on an understanding of the incidents and dynamic of the revolution itself, and offers a concise explanation of the multitude of factors which fuelled the insurrection, eventually becomes mired in an almost day-by-day description of the revolution which, while interesting in its own right, fails to offer much insight into the US/Cuba dynamic. The narrative, at times, also becomes muddled, with the chronology occasionally jumping around confusingly. Paterson's final summation occupies less than a couple of pages, and in this case, brevity does not offer clarity, but only a complete lack of explanation. There is no analysis of why Castro eventually became an ardent communist (even though a major portion of the book is devoted, to the point of distraction, to showing that the stance of Castro and the Movement of July 26th was not primarily communist (a contention which increasingly absurd as the book continues)); this glaring oversight leads only to frustration at the entire project. If seeking a diary of the Cuban revolution, albeit through the lens of US/Cuba relations (to the exclusion of other multilateral relationships), this serves the purpose; if seeking an overarching explanation of the modern US/Cuba détente, this book provides no more than a starting point from which further research can be undertaken.

I have to agree 100% with the reviews from Robert Tarantino and "A Reader"...this book is good, but ultimately sputters and dies in the final chapter. I was really disappointed at that. It was as if the author had gotten tired of this book near the end. Hopefully Mr. Paterson will do a second edition, otherwise it most definitely leaves you feeling unsatisfied.

As a student at the University of Connecticut I had the honor of being advised by Dr. Paterson and read this book as part of his History of American Foreign Relations course. This book ranks amongst the finest historical narratives that I have ever read. The absolute must-read book to understand the turbulent relationship between the United States and Castro.