Conversations with Cuba [Hardcover]

C. Peter Ripley (Author), Bob Shacochis (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1999

A long-time Cuba watcher discusses his love affair with this proud, passionate, troubled nation, from his romanticized high school observances of Castro's revolution to his six illegal trips to the nation between 1991 and 1999.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Present-day Cuba continues to be a mystery to most Americans. The historical travel restrictions, though not as prohibitive as in earlier years, continue to limit the number of Americans who visit this island, Communist since the late 1950s. Ripley, a historian of the black experience in the United States, has written a personal and sensitive description of the Cuban people. Based on five trips he made between 1991 and 1997, his latest book examines Cuba's common citizens, whose lives are intimately connected to the Cuban revolution. Sympathetic to the revolution, Ripley paints a more positive picture of Cuba's recent history than does the mainstream press. Although not entirely objective, the text is well written and informative. Of interest to academic libraries with Latin American collections and public libraries with a Latino patron base.AMark L. Grover, Brigham Young Univ. Lib., Provo, UT
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

In the 40 years since the Cuban Revolution, much has changed there. Ripley, through five visits in the 1990s, uncovers the attitudes of this contradictory island country. Despite most people's unwillingness to criticize the government, there are subtle expressions of dissatisfaction, mostly from the younger generation that does not remember the revolution itself. However, there are enough Cubans who, despite their sometimes squalid conditions, still utter "Vive la revolucion!" Indeed, during the course of the book, Ripley relates how dollars began to be accepted as well as pesos and even how U.S. customs doesn't go out of its way to prevent black-market cigars from entering the U.S. His romanticism of the revolution gets tested; the family he meets each visit is largely in Castro's corner, but many of the women would move to the U.S. if given a chance. Ripley's breezy writing style spotlights well these noble, fascinating people and their often complex story. Joe Collins

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 248 pages
• Publisher: University of Georgia Press (November 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 082032163X
• ISBN-13: 978-0820321639
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #873,048 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An important and timely book, January 5, 2000

By 

J. Burton Kirkwood (Evansville, IN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Conversations with Cuba (Hardcover)

In a time when US activists will argue that a young boy should not be reunited with his Cuban father, C. Peter Ripley's Conversations with Cuba is an important book. In a distillation of his experiences gathered in multiple visits to Cuba in the 1990s, Ripley introduces the reader to the changes taking place in Cuba. Combining his skill as an astute observer and articulate writer, Ripley challenges the language and imagery long used in the west to isolate and create mistrust of Cuba and its revolution.

Conversations with Cuba makes plain that a diversity of opinion exists within Cuba about the revolution. Ripley discusses the dual problem Cuba faces as it transitions to a capitalist economy while continuing to care for its people as promised by the original revolutionary cadre of Fidel, Che, and others. Ripley learns that the struggle to achieve these potentially conflicting goals creates dissatisfaction for some, while for others an abiding faith in the revolution persists. Through the revolutionary affirming experience of his "fixer", Paulo, Ripley asks the reader to reconsider the long-held, rarely questioned stereotypes of Cuba. Just as Paulo reconsiders his views about the revolution, Ripley offers hope that the US can abandon the negative views of Cuba and consider the island and its people as they really exist.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Read, December 12, 1999

By 

A reader from New Orleans (New Orleans, LA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Conversations with Cuba (Hardcover)

I didn't know much about Castro's Cuba before picking up Ripley's book, and never thought I would have more than a casual interest in the subject. All that has changed since reading Conversations with Cuba. Ripley's vivid and moving portraiture of ordinary Cubans caught between their allegiances to the revolution and their hopes for future is absolutely compelling. His cinematic feel for the sun-splashed landscape and the paint-flaked cityscape is memorable. This is no Michelin guide to exotic lands and interesting places; it's a Badeker guide to the soul of modern Cuban. A wonderful book.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Viva La C.P. Ripley, April 15, 2000

By 

Eleanor Skarakis (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Conversations with Cuba (Hardcover)

Ripley's writings on contemporary Cuba brings the reader to the hearts and minds of the Cuban people and culture. Through his eyes we experience the warmth, beauty and guile of the characters. Our senses are inundated with his descriptive prose of everyday life in Cuba. The main thing I take from this reading is that we the people of the United States have been deprived of access to an extraordinary culture.