Customer Reviews

Cuba: From Columbus to Castro and Beyond

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

With developments in Cuba moving faster, this book provides the reader with a clear and informative perspective on the past. I'm struck by the numerous miscalculations that have been made by people on all sides of the Cuba issue. Anyone seeking an informed view of Cuba and the US-Cuba relationship should read this book.

I found myself reading much of this book as I would a novel. I was interested in it primarily due to my own ties to Cuba, however, the style and in-sight into the history and mind set of the Cuban people is truly intriguing. I especially enjoyed the descriptions of the earliest Cubans and the other indigenous people in the Carribean.

The author purports to update the previous (third) edition of his book. However, there are numerous places (see pp. 81, 176, 186, 193, and 197) in the book that suggest that there was no update other than Chapters 15-17 which are actually in a different type from the rest of the book. For example, the book stills discusses the Soviet Union in the present tense. With respect to the content of the book, the author spends all of 10 pages, 12 pages if one includes the map of Cuba, discussing the indigenous people of Cuba. The discussion of Castro's rule is tedious. The analysis of the future of Cuba after Castro is obvious and superficial. Save your money.

Jaime Suchlicki does the professional and academic communities a great service by updating his book, Cuba: From Columbus to Castro and Beyond. A meticulous researcher, Suchlicki gives us over three decades of his experience on Cuba, particularly US-Cuba relations. A superb one-volume source for students of Latin American affairs, teachers, businessmen and diplomats. Suchlicki does not just bring alive the past, he speculates (from an informed perspective) on much broader issues, such as the future of Cuba. A must read for those interested in Cuba, a country which is sure to interests US administrations for years to come.

This was a pretty good book, up until the period that came after 1959. The historical narrative up to that point is brisk and easy to read, as well as informative, condensing many centuries and events into a limited amount of pages. This is to be expected from any history, and in this case it suffices.

After the period of Castro's takeover of the island, the narrative descends into a series of personal opinions and observances peppered with historical facts. It seems the author patched together this part of the book from a few articles and lectures he has given. The coverage of the Bay of Pigs is practically non-existent, as is focus on Che Guevara and the impact he had on the fledgling Communist state. Toward the end of the book, the author descends even further into a minor rhetorical battle with the tenets of Cuban Communism.

I finished the book in spite of that, and there's a good section in the back on books for further reference.

My guess is that the Cuban threat still lingers in the author's mind, and for various political reasons he felt he had to water down the post-1959 section of the book. Keep in mind that the book was written around the mid-80's and the Cold War was still in full bloom. In fact, the Nicaraguan contra war against the Sandinistas was also a shadow war against Castro, who had greatly aided the Sandinistas as they took power, and this was happening simultaneously as the release of this book.

It seems that Mr. Suchlicki is currently an adviser to officials in the Bush administration. These officials are drawing up plans for a "democratic transition" in Cuba even as we speak. Anyone searching for differing viewpoints on Cuba is definitely advised to shop around and check the credentials of the author before beginning a book.

Although the book provides a good skeletal overview of Cuban HISTORY, it is done throughout with conservative speculation often leaving out evident truths leading to a view that would introduce the reader to both sides of the revolution; something strongly needed in a history of Cuba. Additionally, the great lack of revolutionary writings from Castro, Guevarra, and Cienfuegos is a strong sensor that the whole story has not been told.

THIS IS THE BEST AND EASY TO UNDERSTAND WORK ABOUT CUBA RECENT HISTORY BASED IN THE ORIGINS OF CUBAS PEOPLE AND A MUST TO UNDERSTAND WHAT HISTORY DESERVES

Illiterate racists might suggest that "what should be done they should look to their future in America or else renounce their American citizenship and go back to the Cuba."

Others who are pro-leftist/socialist/communist might venture into the realm of suggesting that Professor Suchlicki "descends into a series of personal opinions and observances peppered with historical facts." A simple web search on the author's name will show many more credentials than simply being "an adviser to officials in the Bush administration."

A brilliant account narrated by one of the few historians not marred by leftist bias.

Fast paced, opinionated, and an easy way of making money selling books.
[...]. One cannot evaluate a country's past without considering the personal evolution of its citizens in the context of time. The present cannot be evaluated unless you live it, and this [...] future forecasts are simply an exercise in futility.

Andrew J. Rodriguez
Author: "Adios, Havana," a Memoir

I am very satisfied with this purchase. The book looks like new and the price was good