Fidel Castro Reader (v. 1) [Paperback]

Fidel Castro (Author), David Deutschmann (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1920888888 | ISBN-13: 978-1920888886 | Publication Date: September 1, 2007 | Edition: 1St Edition

An outstanding new anthology of one of history’s greatest orators

Here, at last, is a comprehensive anthology presenting the voice of one of history’s greatest orators, Fidel Castro. Love him or hate him, there is no denying he is a “master of the spoken word,” as Gabriel García Márquez has described him.

Emerging in the 1960s as a leading voice in support of Third World anticolonial struggles and continuing to play a role in the antiglobalization movement of today, Fidel Castro remains an articulate and penetrating—if controversial—political thinker and leader, who has outlasted ten hostile US presidents.

His direct, forthright approach, his incredible grasp of diverse economic, historical, and cultural topics, and his idealism stand in stark contrast against the spin and superficiality of most political leaders.

Covering five decades of Fidel’s speeches, this selection begins with his famous courtroom defense (“History will Absolve Me”), and also includes his speech on learning of Che Guevara’s death in Bolivia, his analysis of the collapse of the Soviet Union, and his response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. With his declining health and the emergence of new leaders such as Hugo Chávez in Venezuela and Evo Morales in Bolivia, this book sheds light not just on Castro’s mighty role in Latin America’s immediate past, but also on his legacy for the future.

The Fidel Castro Reader includes a chronology of the Cuban Revolution, an extensive glossary and index as well as 24 pages of photos. As the first anthology of Castro’s speeches to be published in English since the 1960s, this is an essential resource for both scholars and general readers.

“Fidel’s devotion to the word is almost magical.” — Gabriel García Márquez

 

“Fidel is the leader of one of the smallest countries in the world, but he has helped to shape the destinies of millions of people across the globe.”
—Angela Davis

 

“Fidel Castro is a man of the masses… The Cuban revolution has been a source of inspiration to all freedom-loving people.”
—Nelson Mandela

 

“Fidel’s is a singing and dancing intellect.”
—Alice Walker

 

“The editors] have done an admirable, even heroic, job of editing and excerpting this reader [which] serves a purpose for both historians and politicos.”  —Foreword magazine

 

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Fidel's devotion to the word is almost magical." - Gabriel Garcia Marquez "Fidel Castro is a man of the masses... The Cuban revolution has been a source of inspiration to all freedom-loving people." - Nelson Mandela "Fidel's is a singing and dancing intellect... In Fidel this passion is expressed in his priestly dedication to revolution." - Alice Walker" --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Fidel Castro led a guerrilla movement in Cuba that overthrew the Batista dictatorship in 1959. Since then, the Cuban president has been the nemesis of ten U.S. administrations. He stepped down in 2007 but has regularly expressed his views on world events and political personalities in his famous "reflections." David Deutschmann has edited numerous titles on Cuba, notably "The Che Guevara Reader" and "The Fidel Castro Reader."

Product Details

• Paperback: 524 pages
• Publisher: Ocean Press; 1St Edition edition (September 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1920888888
• ISBN-13: 978-1920888886
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #487,524 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Fidel Castro Ruz was born in Birán, in the former province of Oriente, on August 13, 1926. Born into a well-off landowning family, he received his primary education in a rural school, later attended private Jesuit schools in Santiago de Cuba and Havana, and graduated from law school at the University of Havana (described in My Early Years and Fidel and Religion). As a student, he volunteered for an armed expedition against the Trujillo dictatorship in the Dominican Republic and was in Colombia to help organize a Latin American anti-imperialist student congress when the April 1948 popular uprising occurred in Bogotá. After Fulgencio Batista's 1952 coup, Fidel Castro organized and led an unsuccessful attack on the Moncada army garrison in Santiago de Cuba on July 26, 1953. While in prison, Fidel Castro edited his defense speech from the trial into the pamphlet History Will Absolve Me, which was distributed in tens of thousands of copies and became the program of what was to become the revolutionary July 26 Movement. Originally sentenced to 15 years, he and his comrades were released from prison 22 months later, in May 1955, as a result of a growing public campaign. Exiled to Mexico, he organized a guerrilla expedition to Cuba to launch a guerrilla movement to overthrow Batista. Arriving aboard the cabin cruiser Granma, for the next two years, Fidel Castro led the Rebel Army. On January 1, 1959, Batista fled Cuba. In response to a call by Fidel, hundreds of thousands of Cubans launched an insurrectionary general strike that ensured the victory of the revolution. Fidel Castro arrived triumphantly in Havana on January 8 as commander-in-chief of Cuba's victorious Rebel Army. On February 13, 1959, he was named prime minister, a position he held until December 1976, when he became president of the Council of State and the Council of Ministers. One of history's greatest orators, for nearly five decades, Fidel Castro has been an outspoken advocate for the rights of Third World and other oppressed peoples at international forums such as the Movement of Nonaligned Countries and the United Nations. A selection of his famous speeches was published in Fidel Castro Reader. On July 31, 2006, shortly before his 80th birthday, Fidel Castro handed over all his positions in the Cuban government to his brother Raúl. "Fidel's devotion to the word is almost magical." -- Gabriel García Márquez "Fidel is the leader of one of the smallest countries in the world, but he has helped to shape the destinies of millions of people across the globe." --Angela Davis "Fidel Castro is a man of the masses& The Cuban revolution has been a source of inspiration to all freedom-loving people." --Nelson Mandela "Fidel's is a singing and dancing intellect& In Fidel this passion is expressed in his priestly dedication to revolution." --Alice Walker

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally. And Forever., December 17, 2007

By 

Eddie Kasica (New York City) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Fidel Castro Reader (v. 1) (Paperback)

At last. A work we have long been waiting for from Ocean Press has finally arrived. And it is a text which will be read for centuries to come by the English-reading world.

Fidel Castro was the greatest and most human leader of the 20th Century. In this book, in presentation after presentation, Fidel embodies with burning passion the values of communion, courage, joy, humor, compassion, sorrow, remembrance, true justice and -- perhaps most important of all -- HONESTY. One comes away from the "Reader" thinking that perhaps Fidel Castro, for all the Cold War nonsense regarding East vs. West, North vs. South etc, was the greatest Christian leader of all time. Christian in fact, in deed, in thought -- rather than the vampires and their minions who have so degraded that term.

In the Big Dark of the Bush Reich, it is very easy to feel a daily despair. This book cures that. With humor, outrage, incredible brilliance, and total honesty. One example:

"The fascists stop at nothing. They try to find the weak spot. They invent the most ridiculous lies. They try to create terror and unrest among the people by telling the most outrageous lies. Their appeal is always to the gutter instincts: hatred, fear, racism, economic insecurity, selfishness, ignorance. They feed off of keeping people stupid. They resort to every method they can think of. And what do fascists do when their own institutions no longer guarantee their domination? How do they react when the mechanisms they've depended on historically to maintain their domination fail them? They simply go ahead and destroy those institutions, without a moment's look back. The fascists stop at nothing."

Commandante Castro may not make it to the 50th Anniversary of the Revolution. But he will live forever.

Viva Fidel!

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A collection of writings and speeches from the Cuban revolutionary leader-turned-dictator Fidel Castro, February 8, 2009

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fidel Castro Reader (v. 1) (Paperback)

One doesn't have to agree with him, but to deny the impact of Fidel Castro on the world is insane. "Fidel Castro Reader" is a collection of writings and speeches from the Cuban revolutionary leader-turned-dictator Fidel Castro. Analyzing Castro's worlds in regards to Cuba's purpose and how the recent Democratization of Latin America will affect the future of Castro's life as well as Cuba after his death, "Fidel Castro Reader" is a must read for any political or historical reader.

6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Valuable Resource And Important Document., December 16, 2008

By 

Mr. Fellini "Fellini" (Orange County, California United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Fidel Castro Reader (v. 1) (Paperback)

For 50 years Fidel Castro has been one of the world's most popular and controversial political leaders, a revolutionary who helped alter the course of Latin American history. Love him or hate him, Castro has a deserved spot next to figures like Simon Bolivar, Emiliano Zapata, Evita Peron and Jose Marti who have defined and changed our hemisphere. It was about time a collection was published of his speeches, not least because some of Castro's fame resides in his skills as an orator.

The "Fidel Castro Reader" is the latest from Ocean Press, a great resource for Leftist, revolutionary writings from Latin America. Here they have compiled some of Castro's most important, valuable writings and public speeches, capturing well his basic ideals, philosophies and policies. Anyone doing research on the Cuban Revolution must get their hands on this volume, which offers everything from Fidel's earliest statements before the Cuban Revolution triumphed to his partying speech in Allende's Chile to his comments following 9/11.

In the United States we enjoy opinionating quite a lot about Cuba, Castro, Hugo Chavez and other leaders from a part of our hemisphere most of us never even bother to know anything about. Here there are no commentaries, no editorials from pro or anti-Castristas, just Castro's words. Let Castro speak for himself, let the reader draw his own ideas and conclusions.

It is quite obvious while reading the speeches why Castro has both captured the imagination of much of the Third World and enraged others. His prose is direct, firm and full of conviction. Castro also displays an astounding ability to process facts and data, this is evident in moments when he describes in detail historical moments, characters and events. Unlike his heir apparent, Hugo Chavez, Fidel Castro has a more eloquent, intellectual tone in his speeches. His UN speech can stand as a powerful statement of the Third World condemning the aggressions and dominance of richer countries. In his speech given in Chile while visiting Salvador Allende and his democratic socialist revolution, we see an interesting debate going on in Castro's words as a guerrilla fighter examines a revolution brought about through the ballot box. There is an eloquent, nostalgic speech given in 1997 when Che Guevara's remains were returned to Cuba. His famous "history will absolve me" speech is also present here, it is a vibrant statement by a revolutionary denouncing the corruption and foreign exploitation of Cuba.

One of the great highlights is a speech Castro delivered to the Cuban people on September 22, 2001, days after the World Trade Center attack and when Bush declared his worldwide "war on terror." It is a powerful moment where Castro declares Cuba's solidarity with the American people and condemns the attacks, but he also warns about Bush's proposed imperialist agenda. In a line more chilling now in a post-Iraq world, Castro writes about "the terrible, dangerous drama that we are about to suffer."

There is much more, researchers should consider this book a boon since it is now apparently the only major English-language publication of collected speeches by Castro. You do not need to be a die-hard Leftist to be fascinated or to want to be informed about what this man has had to say. The Third World is rarely heard or even cared about in the United States, as the Nixon regime famously put it, it's our "backyard." Here is one of the backyard's loudest, most defiant voices.